Mark Bell

Mark Bell

Born in Sunderland UK in 1965, Mark is a director, actor and teacher best known for directing The Play That Goes Wrong (2015 Olivier Award Winner for Best New Comedy, 2015 Broadway World UK Award Winner for Best New Play & 2014 WhatsOnStage Award Winner for Best New Comedy). Mark took the show from tiny pub Theatre The Old Red Lion in Islington to the West End and various UK No.1 Tours and then all the way to Broadway where it was produced by JJ Abrams, his first ever Theatre production. While TPTGW was running at The Lyceum Theater in NYC, Mark won the 2017 Broadway World Award for Best Direction of a Play and the show itself picked up 2 more Best New Play Awards from Broadway World and Broadway.com. The show is still running in New York at New World Stages and other replica shows are running worldwide including Italy, Budapest and Mexico. It remains at The Duchess Theatre in London’s West End, where it celebrated its 10th year in 2024.

Mark also directed the West End hit The Comedy About a Bank Robbery which was nominated for an Olivier Award and ran at The Criterion in the West End for over 4 years. His version of CLUEDO (Clue in the US) toured the UK in 2022 and was that years highest grossing tour. The new sequel CLUEDO 2 is toured the UK for 10 months in 2024. In 2024 Mark also directed the new US musical comedy Fun at the Beach Romp-Bomp-a-Lomp which ran at Southwark Playhouse in London.

Other directing includes:
The Candidate (Short film), Windfall (Southwark Playhouse), Horse Country (Wilton’s Music Hall, Assembly Rooms Edinburgh Festival & Adelaide Festival), Sirens Man and Crabs (Unity Theatre Liverpool & touring), The Tenants (Winterfest NYC), La Obra que Salle Mal (Theatro Helenico, Mexico City), Che Disastro di Commedia (Theatro Greco, Rome and touring ), Waiting For Waiting For Godot, (St James Theatre, off West End), Ma Este Megbukunk (Central Szinhaz, Budapest), Blue Blood by Anna Jordan (Hammersmith Riverside), The Revengers Tragedy (RCSSD, London), The Master & Margarita, Pieces, Cheap Thrills and Classic Cuts (East 15), A Servant to Two Masters, Scapin (CMU, Pittsburgh), The Snowfall (Etcetera), Breathing Corpses, Comedians, Marat/Sade, The Crucible, Agamemnon, Antigone and The Bacchae (LAMDA), Flea Circus, George and the Dragon and Fiddlesticks (Garlic Theatre).
Comedy Director: Uncle Vanya (St James) and The Titanic Orchestra (Edinburgh Festival).

Originally from Shiney Row in the Northeast of England, Mark studied at The University of Northumbria in Newcastle and trained at Ecole Internationale de Theatre, Jacques Lecoq. As an actor Mark worked with new comedy companies Hoipolloi and Commotion as well as his own projects and various rep and TV. A personal highlight was getting to play Robin Hood in 1997, albeit in Bracknell and without tights, Mark has said it was the most fun he had in any role.

Mark was co-Artistic Director of Liquid Theatre. Liquid shows as actor and co-director include If You Were Mine (ACW), Feeding Time (BAC, 3 separate runs), Endgame (BAC) and Crave (BAC & Touring).

Mark taught at LAMDA for over 10 years developing work on Clown, Bouffon, Melodrama and Chorus. He was head of 2nd year for 5 years. Mark has also taught at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, Mountview, East 15, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh USA and Cours Florent in Paris.

Currently, Mark has 2 new musicals in development and is also set to direct his first feature film, THE CANDIDATE for Over The Fence Productions. He is working on a new farce THE PILL which he also co-wrote. He will begin the R&D workshop for the show in New York in March 2026.
www.markbell.info