Mark Brown
Hi, I’m Mark Brown and I’m a playwright. For more than 20 years I was an actor but I made a mid-career switch to writing. My mom always said I should have something to fall back on. For the longest time I thought she meant a mattress.
The acting worked out okay. I did a lot of theatre, TV and film. I was blessed to work with some really great actors, from George Clooney to Philip Nolen. From Tom Hanks to the Rally Monkey. But I grew weary of the acting business as it became more and more last minute. I would get a lot of calls from my agent saying things like, “You need to be in Santa Monica in 45 minutes.” It wasn’t my agent’s fault. It was just the business.
So I heeded my mom’s advice and I fell back on the much more stable career of playwriting. What was I possibly thinking? But so far things have worked out. Excuse me while I go knock on the largest piece of wood I can find.
I’ve been fortunate to have my plays produced all over the world: Off-Broadway, across the U.S. (including the 50th state, Hawaii), Canada, England, India, Turkey, South Africa, Bangladesh and China. I consider myself very lucky.
My plays include:
Tom Jones
Deep Into That Darkness Peering
Bio For Press
Mark Brown is a widely produced playwright throughout America and abroad. His plays and musicals include Around the World in 80 Days; The Gentleman Thief; The Wild Game; This is Tom Jones; The Quest for Don Quixote; Tom Jones; The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge; China – The Whole Enchilada; Deep Into That Darkness Peering; The Little Prince. Originally from New Jersey, Mark is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter and dreams of living on the Côte d’Azur.
If You Want To Add More To The Bio
Mark received his acting training at the American Conservatory Theatre and has appeared in theatres across the country, including the Tony Award-winning companies South Coast Repertory, the McCarter Theatre (Company member: five years), and the Utah Shakespearean Festival. Films include Out of Sight (with George Clooney), Holy Man (with Eddie Murphy and Jeff Goldblum) and Amy’s O (Winner Best Film: Santa Barbara Film Festival). Notable TV credits include the Emmy Award-winning series From the Earth to the Moon (with Tom Hanks), House, Ally McBeal, Providence, Diagnosis Murder, and countless commercials and made-for-TV films. His song “Bring Me Back Home,” which he wrote and performed, appears in the film The Dig.
More Info About Me And My Shows
Mark Brown is an award-winning writer. His play Around the World in 80 Days has literally been produced around the world. It’s been produced Off-Broadway twice, all across the US, Canada, England, South Africa, Turkey, India and Bangladesh – it’s even been produced in the Himalayas. It has been on many “Best Of” lists, has garnered many awards, and was twice one of American Theatre magazine’s Top Ten Most Produced Plays. (2009-10, 2014-15).
The Wild Game is one of Mark’s “pandemic” plays, written during the stay at home orders. It’s a translation/adaptation of the Feydeau play Monsieur Chasse. The Wild Game is a door-slamming, trouser-dropping, balcony-climbing night of chaos set amidst the stylish apartments of Paris.
This is Tom Jones, written with Paul Mirkovich, his collaborator on China the Whole Enchilada (and musical director for Pink and the hit TV show The Voice,) is a 1960s British Invasion inspired musical adaptation of the novel Tom Jones.
Tom Jones, his non-musical adaptation of the bawdy Henry Fielding novel, received its world premiere in 2014 and has been called “Clever, silly and highly theatrical!”
The Gentleman Thief is a throwback to the romantic comedies of Cary Grant and Myrna Loy and is currently available for a world premiere.
Mark’s play The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge has been called “a sequel worthy of Dickens’ approval,” “a worthy new entry into the holiday canon,” and is the number one selling show in the Taproot Theatre’s history.
His musical China – The Whole Enchilada was named Outstanding Musical of the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival and has been called “funny, smart, surprisingly deep, and very enjoyable.”
His adaptation of The Little Prince set box office records at the Hippodrome Theatre and the Orlando Theatre Project.
Mark’s play Poe – Deep Into That Darkness Peering hasn’t won a thing but is a darn good play and should be produced more often.
Who Knew?
His favorite foods are sushi and dim sum.
He’d kill for an almond milk tea with boba.
He has never won the Noble Peace Prize.
At various points in his life, Mark wanted to grow up to be Walt Disney, Rod Stewart, Franz Beckenbauer, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Whitacker in Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and Valeriy Borzof.
He can remember when gas cost $0.36 a gallon.
In 5th grade Mark was Captain of the Safety Patrol.
In the eighth grade he was ranked fifth in the state of NJ in the 440-yard sprint. (Back then it was measured in yards, not meters. And measured in the snow. Uphill. Both ways).
He missed breaking the school record in the 440 by 0.1 second and is still miserable about it.
As a sophomore in high school, Mark won a gold medal at the Penn Relays in the 4 x 440 relay.
He wishes he looked good in horizontal striped shirts.
Is a huge fan of all things Disney.
Mark always wanted hair like Rod Stewart.
Was once asked to identify a man who had died while seated on a toilet.
Wanted to be an animator.
Mark does not know how to ice skate.
Has been to Graceland three times.
Suffers from sleep apnea and must wear a sexy CPAP mask to sleep.
He’d kill you in a heart beat for a plate of ham biscuits and a glass of sweet tea.
Is an Arsenal fan.
In the 1980s he won several Bruce Springsteen look-a-like contests.
For a brief time, Mark held the world record for most days survived in Endurance mode on the Lara Croft video game.
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