Mark Graham

Mark Graham (19**-). Actor, drama lecturer and award-winning director.

Biography

Born Mark Graham Wilson, he studied acting at the University of Cape Town, attaining an actor's diploma, before taking up a career as an actor with CAPAB drama in 1983 and began directing as a company member of CAPAB (1984 to 1987). In 1988-9 he was Resident Director of NAPAC's Loft Theatre and Drama Companies, before returning to Cape Town in 1990.

He became a lecturer in the Stellenbosch Drama Department in 1991 and for the next number of years directed a number of acclaimed student productions, while also completing a B.Dram degree in the Department.

Towards the end of the 1990s he left academia to follow an enormously profitable professional career as director, working for CAPAB, Pieter Toerien Productions and a number of other companies on a free-lance basis. In the late 1990s he also turned to directing for television, and at one time was head of the television section of City Varsity in Cape Town.

Moving to Johannesburg he continued working for stage and television, inter alia working for Opdrag Productions, a company he and Jana Cilliers had founded, as well as running an Actors Studio from his home.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

As actor

Acted for a variety of companies, e.g. for CAPAB in Measure for Measure, Maynardville (1987) and playing Bouller in Good (1990), Skylight, Indiscretions,

He manipulated puppets in Robert Hewett’s Gulls which Keith Grenville directed in 1987/1988.

As director

He directed acclaimed student productions at Stellenbosch of A Midsummer Night's Dream (199*), Sweeney Todd (1989*), and Hello and Goodbye (19**).

He directed I Was King for Pieter Toerien at the Richard Haines Theatre in 1992. He directed Hugh Whitemore’s The Best of Friends in 1993. He directed Bob Randall’s The Fan in 1994. He directed Giles Havergal’s Travels with my Aunt at the Leonard Rayne Theatre in August 1994.

Since then he has directed many productions for various managements including The Lisbon Traviata and The Best of Friends for Pieter Toerien, Mozart and Salieri (both play and opera) for the Oude Libertas Amphitheatre (2000).

As resident director at NAPAC he was responsible for productions such as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (1989) and Kvetch. He directed Almost the Sound of Music (CAPAB, 1994) , and Master Class and Love! Valour! Compassion! in 1996.

He directed Master Class (1996), Burning Blue (1996), Children of the Wolf (1997).

Directed All in the Timing, Fiela's Child - The Musical, Kinkels innie Kabel, Taking Sides, Opdrag: Ingrid Jonker, Karnaval (1995), Sleepvoet (1998), Mozart and Salieri (both play and opera, 2000). The American Popess (2001), Hello and Goodbye (Tesson Theatre and Baxter Theatre 2008)