Mark Crawford is a Canadian theatre actor and playwright."Crawford, Mark". Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia, March 27, 2019. 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.
Personal life Crawford is from Glencoe, Ontario, where he grew up on a farm. He graduated from the joint theatre and drama studies program offered by University of Toronto and Sheridan College in 2004.
Crawford is the partner of playwright and actor Paul Dunn.
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.
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.
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.
Writing After being a stage actor for ten years, Crawford began writing plays which often combine social commentary with comedy.
Crawford's first theatrical play he wrote was Stag and Doe, which premiered at the Blyth Festival in 2014. 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.
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."Bed and Breakfast runs Aug. 14 to Sept. 13 at Playhouse". Gananoque Reporter, August 6, 2015.
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.
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. It is a youth play about a young child struggling with gender identity issues and acceptance."Actor-turned-playwright Mark Crawford explores gender identity". Toronto Star, April 26, 2017. 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.
Crawford's next play was The New Canadian Curling Club, which premiered at the Blyth Festival in 2018. The play is a comedy about new immigrants to Canada joining a curling team, which has since been produced across Canada."Hurry hard to ATP for its hilarious The New Canadian Curling Club". Calgary Herald, March 19, 2019.
In 2023, Crawford's play The Gig premiered at Theatre Aquarius. 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.
Theatre credits As performer Year Production Role Theatre Category 2009 The Tempest Trinculo High Park AmphitheatreCanadian Stage Company2010 The Waves Neville Toronto Fringe Festival2011 The Normal Heart Craig Donner / Grady / Orderly Alexander Street Chamber TheatreRegional: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre2012 A Midsummer Night’s Dream Francis Filchenkov High Park AmphitheatreCanadian Stage Company The Normal Heart Craig Donner / Grady / Orderly Alexander Street Chamber TheatreRegional: Buddies in Bad Times Theatre 2013 Memorial Dylan Regional: Factory Theatre 2014 To Kill a Mockingbird Mr. Gilmer / Boo Radley / Mob Susan Rubes Theatre Regional: Young People's Theatre 2016 The Winter's Tale Clown / Gaoler Regional: Coal Mine Theatre Trompe-La-Mort, or Goriot in the 21st Century Peter Regional: Factory Theatre 2017 Measure for Measure Elbow / Barnardine Winter Garden TheatreRegional: Groundling Theatre Company 2018 Prairie Nurse Dr. Miles MacGreggor Regional: Factory Theatre 2022–2023 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Ensemble/Station Master, u/s Ron Weasley Ed Mirvish Theatre Mirvish Productions
As playwright Stag and Doe (2014) Bed and Breakfast (2015) The Birds and the Bees (2016) Boys, Girls, and Other Mythological Creatures (2017) The New Canadian Curling Club (2018) The Gig (2023)
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