MARK PENZAK
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
 Playwright.  Performer.  Producer and Pundit of Staged Amusement  - especially for kids!

About Me

Picture
I've been creating theatre for children for over 30 years. My productions have toured festivals, theatres and schools around Australia and overseas and I estimate that I've performed to over half a million children.

My performances feature innovative sets and puppets combined with storytelling and physical characterisation. That mix is designed to take the audience on a theatrical voyage. For me, creating a feeling of human-to-human contact and being linked as an audience is the essence of theatre, so I want kids to feel like they can talk to me during the performance and that we're all sharing the adventure together.

​My principal education is a BA (Theatre/Media) from Charles Sturt University, followed by further studies with John Bolton, John Wright, Philippe Gaulier and at the Desmond Jones School of Mime in London. ​

​I also completed a Master of Design (Film/TV) from Edinburgh College of Art where I explored storytelling techniques that mixed narration with puppetry.                           
​                                                                                        
Contact Details

My Shows

Click on the Posters for info!
Picture
I like generous, theatrically immersive performances where the audience are taken on extraordinary journeys that leaves them at the end seeing the world from a new perspective. I also like bantering with the audience and having that live-theatre 'this is happening for the first time now' feeling.
Picture
I think of my theatrical style as 'animated storytelling', where the performance is built firmly on the foundation of a strong, well-crafted story. That is then enacted through narration and physical performance combined with visual elements such as puppetry, interactive sets and video.
Picture
Picture
Picture
This site is for my work with children but I also create adult theatre and directing cabarets where I blend theatre's thematic concerns with cabaret's variety and exuberance. I also co-direct with Eliza-Jane Gilchrist, an immersive puppet company Such As They Are.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Contact
  • Home
  • Contact
  • News
  • "Journey to the Centre of the Earth"
  • "The Labyrinth in the Library"
  • "Science Saves the Day"
  • "TumTumTinker"
  • "Monsters in My Wardrobe"
  • "Utter Nonsense"
  • "Spookmaster"
  • Workshops
  • Home
  • Contact
  • News
  • "Journey to the Centre of the Earth"
  • "The Labyrinth in the Library"
  • "Science Saves the Day"
  • "TumTumTinker"
  • "Monsters in My Wardrobe"
  • "Utter Nonsense"
  • "Spookmaster"
  • Workshops