Mark Crawford (playwright)

Last updated
Mark Crawford
Education University of Toronto
Sheridan College
Occupation(s)Actor, playwright
Spouse Paul Dunn

Mark Crawford is a Canadian theatre actor and playwright. [1] He is best known for his plays, The Birds and the Bees (2016) and The New Canadian Curling Club (2018), which have been widely produced across Canada.

Contents

Personal life

Crawford is from Glencoe, Ontario, where he grew up on a farm. [2] He graduated from the joint theatre and drama studies program offered by University of Toronto and Sheridan College in 2004. [3] [2]

Crawford is the partner of playwright and actor Paul Dunn. [4]

Career

Acting

In 2011, Crawford played the dual role of Craig Donner / Grady in a production of The Normal Heart by Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. He reprised his role when the production was remounted the following year at the same venue, due to popular demand. [5]

In 2014, Crawford played Mr. Gilmer and Boo Radley in a production of To Kill a Mockingbird by the Young People's Theatre in Toronto. [6]

In 2022, Crawford was cast in the Canadian premiere production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . He played the Station Master, was a member of the ensemble, and an understudy for Ron Weasley. [7]

Writing

After being a stage actor for ten years, Crawford began writing plays which often combine social commentary with comedy. [8]

Crawford's first theatrical play he wrote was Stag and Doe, which premiered at the Blyth Festival in 2014. [9] It was written as a "love letter" to rural communities across Canada, and inspired by a stag and doe that was held for his brother. [3]

His second play was called Bed and Breakfast, about a gay couple from Toronto who open a bed and breakfast in a small town. It premiered at the Thousand Islands Playhouse in 2015. [10]

In 2016, Crawford's next play, The Birds and the Bees, premiered at the Blyth Festival. The play, which is a sex farce about beekeepers, has become one of the most widely produced plays across Canada. [11]

In 2017, Boys, Girls and Other Mythological Creatures premiered. The original production was presented by Carousel Players, who toured the production to schools across Ontario. [12] It is a youth play about a young child struggling with gender identity issues and acceptance. [13] In 2017, the Niagara Catholic District School Board cancelled performances of the show at five of their schools because of concerns about the themes of the show. [14]

Crawford's next play was The New Canadian Curling Club, which premiered at the Blyth Festival in 2018. [15] The play is a comedy about new immigrants to Canada joining a curling team, which has since been produced across Canada. [16]

In 2023, Crawford's play The Gig premiered at Theatre Aquarius. [17] The play is about a drag queen who has been hired to put together the entertainment for a Conservative political candidate's campaign kickoff event. [17]

Theatre credits

As performer

YearProductionRoleTheatreCategoryRef.
2009 The Tempest TrinculoHigh Park Amphitheatre Canadian Stage Company
2010The WavesNeville Toronto Fringe Festival
2011The Normal HeartCraig Donner / Grady / OrderlyAlexander Street Chamber TheatreRegional: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre [5]
2012 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Francis FilchenkovHigh Park Amphitheatre Canadian Stage Company
The Normal HeartCraig Donner / Grady / OrderlyAlexander Street Chamber TheatreRegional: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre [5]
2013MemorialDylanRegional: Factory Theatre
2014 To Kill a Mockingbird Mr. Gilmer / Boo Radley / MobSusan Rubes TheatreRegional: Young People's Theatre [6]
2016 The Winter's Tale Clown / GaolerRegional: Coal Mine Theatre
Trompe-La-Mort, or Goriot in the 21st CenturyPeterRegional: Factory Theatre
2017 Measure for Measure Elbow / Barnardine Winter Garden Theatre Regional: Groundling Theatre Company
2018Prairie NurseDr. Miles MacGreggorRegional: Factory Theatre [18]
2022–2023 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Ensemble/Station Master, u/s Ron Weasley Ed Mirvish Theatre Mirvish Productions [7]

As playwright

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References

  1. ↑ "Crawford, Mark". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia, March 27, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Neghabat-Wolthoff, Negin (31 August 2022). "U of T alumnus Mark Crawford back on stage for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child". University of Toronto. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 Eligh, Blake (20 August 2014). "Stag and Doe: UTM playwright debuts first play at Blyth Festival". University of Toronto. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  4. ↑ Zillich, Tom (1 October 2019). "No rest for couple in 'Bed & Breakfast' as they play 22 characters, on tour to Surrey". Surrey Now Leader. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Borkar, Sonia (17 April 2012). "Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Announces Programming for Its 2012/2013 Season". Mooney on Theatre. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  6. 1 2 Morrow, Martin (9 October 2014). "Mockingbird's call heard by all ages". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  7. 1 2 Wild, Stephi (19 October 2021). "Canadian Premiere of HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD Announces Full Casting". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  8. ↑ Monaghan, Kelly (11 March 2023). "Why You Need to See The Gig by Mark Crawford, Even if You Don't Like Drag". Stratford Festival Reviews. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  9. 1 2 Hoile, Christopher (20 August 2014). "Review: Stag and Doe". Stage-Door. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Bed and Breakfast runs Aug. 14 to Sept. 13 at Playhouse". Gananoque Reporter, August 6, 2015.
  11. ↑ Hobson, Louis (14 May 2024). "Review: The Birds and the Bees a sex farce with heart". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  12. 1 2 Slotkin, Lynn (15 May 2017). "Comment: Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures". The Slotkin Letter. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  13. ↑ "Actor-turned-playwright Mark Crawford explores gender identity". Toronto Star , April 26, 2017.
  14. ↑ McPhedran, Taline (5 May 2017). "Five Ontario Catholic schools pull play featuring cross-dressing boy". CTV News. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  15. 1 2 Smith, Kathleen (6 July 2018). ""New Canadian Curling Club" hit at Blyth Festival". Goderich Signal-Star. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  16. ↑ "Hurry hard to ATP for its hilarious The New Canadian Curling Club". Calgary Herald , March 19, 2019.
  17. 1 2 3 Mahoney, Jeff (24 March 2023). "Theatre Aquarius's 'The Gig' is both a romp and a relevant reflection on drag". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  18. ↑ Mooney, Sam (27 April 2018). "Review: Prairie Nurse". Mooney on Theatre. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
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