Mark Swivel – October 31 2021

Mark is a lawyer, performer and writer. He has been a senior executive with Barclays Bank at FIRSTPLUS and a director of Sydney Credit Union. Mark is a graduate of the NIDA Playwrights Studio and holds a Masters in International and Community Development, with degrees in Arts and Law from Sydney University, where he won the JH McClemens Prize for Criminology. His produced work includes the plays Struth, The Gulf and the satirical monologues My Grandfather’s Balls and Jeremy Boutsakis: Thought Leader. Mark has worked as a criminologist, lawyer and corporate executive. He has written Making Australia Slightly Better Than Average Again, a funny but serious dissection of #auspol, has toured his one-man comic story-telling shows, and does regular radio spots on Bay FM in Byron Bay and ABC North Coast. He was secretary at Eureka FC for four years, where he still plays in Seventh Division, and he also plays cricket for Bangalow Thirds and Eureka FC CC. Mark runs Barefoot Law, a low-cost legal clinic, and is a proud Ambassador for the leading microfinance non-profit Good Return.

Water Falling Down
Australian Script Centre, 2009
80 minutes; 0 female, 2 male
This intimate two-hander is a closely observed portrait of a father and son, a wry, witty and tender meditation on parenting, love and grief. ‘Son’, divorced and disillusioned, discovers that his teenage son won’t speak to him ‘til after Christmas’. He responds by taking ‘Dad’, his widowed father who is slipping into dementia (aphasia) and still grieving the loss of his wife, on a trip to Europe. The men struggle to connect, occasionally succeed, and exorcise their demons.

Canoeing in Soomaa
Australian Script Centre
90 minutes; 0 female, 2 male
Cast age 16 to 18, 18+; Audience age teen, young adult, adult
Companion play to Water Falling Down. Chas hasn’t seen his teenage son Clem for years, and takes him on a ‘speed-parenting’ road trip through Europe. He seeks connection and forgiveness, while Clem plays on his smart phone and hits his dad for money. They banter, compete and clash against the backdrop of economic uncertainty and Europe’s grim history. Chas tries too hard, over-shares and unravels, while Clem struggles to overcome his resentment and fears. An unlikely understanding is reached when canoeing in the wilds of Soomaa in Estonia. Chas faces his disappointment with himself and must find the strength to let go in loving Clem.