About

Mark Barford is an Australian-born stage director, writer, and producer based in NYC, who specializes in developing new work and reimagining classics.

He is the founding Co-Artistic/Executive Director of The Australian Theatre Festival NYC, now in its seventh year.

As a director of two hit plays performed for audiences around the world, Mark’s work is recognized for its critical and commercial success. He is the director and dramaturg of the hit play ‘CADEL: Lungs on Legs’, which received a 5-star rave review from The Guardian. The production garnered widespread critical acclaim, with The Scotsman praising Mark’s “seamlessly complex direction,” The Stage highlighting his “striking staging,” and The List describing the work as “pitch-perfect theatre-making.” To date, the production has toured extensively across Australia and has been performed over 75 times. Mark also directed the award-winning production of ‘F*cking Men’, which played multiple sold-out seasons at The King’s Head Theatre (London). The production was described by Live Theatre UK as an “essentially faultless” piece of “beautiful direction” that surpassed the quality of work at the National Theatre. Having received multiple 5-star reviews, the production toured internationally to the Edinburgh Fringe (Assembly Festival), the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival and completed a 12 week run at the Vaults in London.

Recent NYC directing highlights included new work: ‘Python’, ‘Wavelength’ (Theatre Row); ‘Hubris & Humiliation’ (Theaterlab); ‘The Tiniest Thing’ (Alchemical); ‘Breakfast’ (Secret Theatre), and reimagined productions of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (Theatre Row); ‘The Children’s Hour’ and ‘As You Like It’ (Circle in the Square).

Writing/Directing highlights include: ‘Stranded’ (ATF), ‘Hadrian & Antinous’ (Lenfest), ‘Antidote’ (Croatian National Theatre).

As resident director: ‘The Phantom of the Opera’, ‘The Sound of Music’, ‘The Mikado’ and ‘CATS’ (Regal Theatre); & ‘Company’ (Subiaco Arts Centre).

Mark assisted directors Barrie Kosky on ‘La Boheme’ (Komische Oper, Berlin) and Ivo van Hove on ‘Network’ (Belasco, Broadway).

He has been an educator for over 10 years and is currently on faculty at Circle in the Square Theatre School in NYC.

A graduate of the Acting Shakespeare program at RADA (London), he holds a BA & Grad Dip Ed from Murdoch University and an MFA in Theatre Directing from Columbia University, under professors Anne Bogart and Brian Kulick.

Mark is an Associate Member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC).

www.markbarford.com IG @markbarford