Having a passion for theatre and to make a life in theatre, one generally starts as an actor. Mark Graham did just that and admits to being a terrible actor. It was however never his intention to act; from the start he wanted to be a director.

The opportunity to cut his teeth in directing was given to him at CAPAB. And then, while still of a young age, he was made Resident Director of NAPAC’s Loft Theatre. Too young to be directing demanding works such as Tom Stoppard’s Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. Too young to be pitting himself against legends like Michael Atkinson. But he stayed his ground and won through, proving his ability to audiences, the press and to managements.

He came to the realisation that the instrument of an actor is their body, as a piano is to a musician. As a director therefore, having to help the actor find the character set down upon the page, meant exploring their inner consciousness. This led him to study the philosophy of Viktor Frankl, the father of Logotherapy.

From Logos, the Greek word for “meaning”, Frankl’s philosophy is based on the premise that the primary motivational force of an individual is to find meaning to life. Applying this philosophy to directing has made him one of the foremost directors of his time. Hear him, learn from him.