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Images by Andrew AB
Mark Smith - Improviser, Director, Producer & Teacher
'Improvised Theatre at its very best' ★★★★★ - At the Theatre
A bit about Me:
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Mark is a multi-award-winning actor, director, producer and teacher with over 30 years of experience. He loves improvisation and storytelling, he brings a wealth of knowledge to developing stories and thrives on spontaneity. His PhD further solidifies his expertise in this area.
As Artistic Director of Spike Theatre from 2008 to 2014, Mark spearheaded the creation of all their shows, either devising them from scratch or directing them. Spike Theatre, a small-scale company, toured their improvised and devised works nationally and internationally for fifteen years. Mark's producing experience spans venues, festivals, and companies across regional, national, and international stages. Passionate about developing new work, he collaborates with playwrights or spearheads projects from scratch. He remains active as a developer, director, and improvisational performer. Mark founded the Liverpool Improvisation Festival in 2022 and is currently co-director. |
Mark's performance credits include the short-form show "Monkey Lab" (Rawhide Comedy), which ran weekly at the Casa from 2001 to 2003. He then transitioned to long-form improv, working on "Hoof!" a show developed with Todd Stashwick and John Thies of the legendary New York company Burn Manhattan. "Hoof!" toured nationally and internationally from 2004 to 2014. Mark still guests and performs with teams from across the UK and beyond.
Mark trained at Liverpool John Moore’s University (1993-1997), and undertook further training at Hope St. Ltd (1997-1998) in Children & Young people’s theatre and Physical theatre. During this period of time he worked with some of the countries foremost theatre practitioners and companies such as Paul Hunter, Jos Houben, Andrew Dawson and Trestle Theatre amongst many notable others. For the past thirty years, Mark has brought his teaching expertise to a wide range of institutions, from Hope University and Bradford University to LIPA, Exeter University, and The Hothouse in Los Angeles. Comfortable in both formal and informal settings, he is currently employed as a Senior Lecturer in Drama & Performance and Production at LJMU. |
'It’s a farce which makes fun of itself; and, in an age of forgettable comedy showcases and over-produced national theatre, it’s a refreshing and masterful piece of original storytelling.'
Andrew Latimer - The Stage
Directing Credits:
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(2005) - Jason and the Argonauts
(2005) - Backwater (2005/06) - This Side Up (1) (2007) - The Adventures of Robin Hood (2007/08/09) - Gin and Tonic and Passing Trains (2) (2008) - Alice in Wonderland (2008/09/10) - Legless and Armless (3) (2009) - Aesop’s World (2009/10) - Hoof Jnr. (2010) - Top of the World (2010) - When I wake up I want to be famous! (2010) - Grimm’s Tales (2010) - The Games (4) (2010) - Danny the Champion of the world (2011) - The Games (5) (2011) - Alice at the Dock (2011) - Beasts and Beauties (6) (2012) - The Games (2012) - How to read minds and influence people (7) (2012) - Pieces of Eight (2012) - A Christmas Carol (2013) - Sink or Swim (2013) - I can make you a mentalist (8) (2014) - A life in 5 scenes (2014) - I can make you a mentalist (2014) - The Judgement of Hakim (2021) - The Bunker (2022-23) - The Fly (2022) - Story Pot 1/2/3 (2022-24) - Rubbish Improvised Shakespeare The Incomplete Works (2023) - Talk to the Hand (2023) - Curator of Liverpool Improvisation Festival (2023) - Silent Cinema Scoring (2024) - Curator of Liverpool Improvisation Festival (2024-25) - The Story Forge Make your own Myth (2024-25) - A Wake (2025) - Taxi Tales: One Night on the Town (2025) - Curator of Liverpool Improvisation Festival (2025) - Talking Head... (2025) - Gricers |
(1) Nominated for best show at Singapore arts awards 2005
(2) Voted one of the picks of 2007 by Flying Inkpot critics Singapore Nominated for Best Show at Baltimore Visual Theatre festival 2008 (3) Shortlisted for Best comedy show at the Brighton fringe festival 2009 (4) Winner of Best comedy and Production Liverpool Daily post reader awards 2010 (5) Nominated for Best comedy, production and director Dark Chat Awards 2011 Nominated for Best show by Broadway baby and 3 Weeks 2011 (6) Voted one the picks of 2011 by The Public Reviews critics (7) Winner of Three weeks Editors choice award 2012 Winner of Best Cabaret at the Brighton Fringe festival 2012 (8) Nominated for Best Cabaret at the Brighton Fringe festival 2013 |