Why King’s?
First, it was King’s awesome reputation for law. I’ve always had a deep interest in the law and a love of words. Coming from a financially insecure background, I was looking for a pathway into a secure career.
The second reason was King’s phenomenal location. As someone with a profound interest in the arts, King’s couldn’t be better. Here we are in the West End with its plethora of galleries, theatres and museums.
There’s a sense of being part of one of the most dynamic and panoramic cities in the world. London was my ever-present subliminal tutor with law and commerce all around, from the City to the Royal Courts of Justice to the Houses of Parliament.
What’s your favourite memory of King’s?
The hours between lectures chatting on the terrace of the Students’ Union building, discussing the law, lecturers and all sorts of nonsense besides. I remember sitting (in those pre-environmentally aware days) with polystyrene coffee cups, tearing them into spirals and looking out across the Thames at the National Theatre, dreaming about the future.
What’s the key lesson you learnt at King’s?
King’s changed the way I thought. Learning alongside people from all backgrounds confirmed in me the belief that I didn’t have to be defined by my socio-economic background, and neither did they.
You won our Arts & Culture Award. Can you tell us about your journey into the arts and how you combined this with law?
Theatre has always been a passion for me – though as any lawyer would testify, a law career engulfs your life in the early days and during the ascent of the career ladder. Opportunities to engage with the theatre arose later, with seniority and experience.
I became a partner at my law firm, Bristows, where I practised corporate and charity law, and I began to see how the two paths of the law and the theatre could intersect. Most theatres in the subsidised sector are run by companies with charitable status.
I was headhunted as a trustee by the Chairman of the Royal Theatrical Support Trust (RTST), Sir Geoffrey Cass. The role complemented and enhanced my professional profile, skill-set and network of contacts as a lawyer. The fact that I was undertaking voluntary work for this reputable charity with the support of Bristows also enhanced the firm’s pro bono credentials. Bristows continues to be a pro-bono supporter of the RTST.
Can you tell us about the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award?
In 2015, the RTST (which includes Sir Ian McKellen) assigned me the role of coming up with a project to make a difference in the theatre. Directors are the spark behind productions, so I looked at how we could help advance their careers. Through consultations with theatre practitioners, I found that there are barriers for directors hoping to move from small venues to the country’s main stages. Regional theatres are constrained by lack of funds from taking the risk on commissioning directors to make this move.
With help from colleagues, I created a competition for experienced directors who haven’t yet directed on a main stage. The winner – selected by a panel of distinguished theatre professionals – receives a commission to direct on the main stage of a regional theatre. We partner with a different theatre each year. That theatre receives a £50,000 grant towards the production. Typically, the theatre co-produces with other theatres and the production goes on national tour.
What’s been your proudest achievement in setting up the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award?
The award has created opportunities for directors that otherwise might not have come so soon in their careers or ever. Directors who’ve benefitted include directors from the global majority, neurodivergent directors, and those from deaf and LGBTQ+ communities. The award has become a catalyst for productions around the country that might otherwise never have happened.
You’re also a trustee at Frantic Assembly theatre company. Can you tell us about that?
Towards the end of my legal career, I was looking for something to broaden my involvement in the theatre. The RTST facilitates theatre rather than creating it, so I thought it would be great to get under the skin of an actual theatre production company like Frantic Assembly, which has a tremendous reputation for innovative physical theatre.
I started in March 2020, which was fateful timing as it was the start of the pandemic! All hopes of glamorous press nights and wonderful productions were dashed. I was immediately thrown into cancelling a national tour and furloughing staff. Thankfully, with excellent executive management, we made it through and have since had two successful national tours and expanded our international drama-education offerings.
In 2020, you studied Theatre at Yale. How was that?
Yale ran a summer degree course unit in contemporary theatre studies led by an inspirational professor, Marc Robinson. Lockdown forced this online. The course was open to a limited number of students, including international students, on merit. I have a starry-eyed regard for America and Yale, and I was scaling down my legal practice, which freed up time, and so I applied. I was in a small class with about eight undergraduates, fighting off imposter syndrome! It was intense, demanding and rewarding. It reassured me that my abilities were not frozen by my legal career and that I can do other things.
How can we encourage more people to pursue the arts in the UK?
It’s vital that arts education is supported. This creeping idea that arts subjects are less valuable than other subjects must be crushed.
We need to break down social barriers to theatre. What drew me to Frantic Assembly was its programme that introduces to the performing arts young people from areas of low arts-engagement around the UK. Sadly, this year’s programme has been suspended due to lack of funding, but we hope to restore it in 2025.
What’s next?
I’d like to continue making a difference in the theatre. The sector has many challenges not least the acute lack of funding, but I’ll continue doing my bit and having fun along the way.
Inspired by Mark’s story?
Visit our King’s Distinguished Alumni Awards website pages to find out more and meet our 2024 winners.