Orlando Shakes: What themes or ideas are you focusing on with this play?

Mark Brown: I suppose it’s about the perception of truth and the motivation for why people lie. I’m also trying to capture the feel of the lighthearted comedies from the 1930s that would have starred Cary Grant, William Powell or Myrna Loy.

Orlando Shakes: What is the biggest challenge about crafting a new play?

Mark: I write a lot of adaptations, so the biggest challenge for me is sifting through the original material and figuring out the story I want to tell. When I wrote Tom Jones, I had to cull through a one thousand page book and turn it into a two-hour play. But I love digging into a story so it’s a challenge I enjoy.

I also am challenged with finding where I can stray from the original but still have it fit seamlessly into the story. In Cracksman, I’ve taken liberties with the original material to create something different yet something that still remains true to the book.

Orlando Shakes: Who or what was your biggest inspiration for becoming a playwright?

Mark: There really isn’t one thing that inspired me to be a playwright. I’m a huge fan of The Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, Monty Python, and Abbott and Costello. I spent my childhood watching their films and TV shows and memorizing my favorite scenes. I was really inspired to try to write scenes and bits like theirs. I spent years and years working as an actor in the theatre. The theatre is where I’m most comfortable so I suppose becoming a playwright was the most natural path for me to be on. And truth be told, writing was a great way for me to stay creative between acting jobs.

Orlando Shakes: If you could only describe your play using four words, what would they be?

Mark: Sophisticated gentleman thief comedy

Orlando Shakes: What is unique about your writing process? 

Mark: Hmm. I always write in a 5-subject spiral bound notebook. Then I type everything into my computer, and that acts as my first edit. I then print out the script and do rewrites on the printed script.

I used to only write in Starbucks but when I started writing musicals I stayed home. Starbucks isn’t really conducive to writing songs. I got strange looks when I would sing to myself. Plus I was drinking far too many chai tea lattes.

Sometimes listening to music while I write really inspires me. Sometimes it just muddles up my mind. Right now I’m listening to There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths and I’m not sure if it’s inspiring or muddling.

Orlando Shakes: Aside from this play what is next for you? 

Mark: Right now I’m working with my friend Paul Mirkovich (musical director for Pink, the TV show The Voice, and my partner on China the Whole Enchilada) on a musical adaptation of the novel Tom Jones. We’re using the British Invasion, the frenzied mop-top led era of music of the 1960s, as inspiration for the music. It’s a bawdy and rollicking romp through the back roads and bedchambers of England. We’ve got aristocrats, wenches, and scalawags. You can’t go wrong with those three. Paul and I have recorded some demos with some terrific friends of mine, most of whom happen to be Tony and Drama Desk Award nominees and winners: Kerry Butler, Kevin Chamberlin, Adam Kaplan, Janine LaManna, and a bunch of others. It’s a groovy good time. www.tomjonesthemusical.com

And I’m trying to write a WWII espionage story that I keep putting on the back-burner.

About Mark Brown

Mark Brown is thrilled to be back at Orlando Shakes. His plays Around the World in 80 Days, The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge, China The Whole Enchilada, The Quest for Don Quixote, and Deep Into That Darkness Peering all started here. Other plays include Tom Jones; Tom Jones the Musical and The Little Prince. Mark lives in Los Angeles with his wife, daughter, and two dogs. He spends most days dreaming of living in Paris.

Don’t miss Mark Brown’s Love, the Cracksman at PlayFest presented by Harriett’s Charitable Trust.