his page displays all the shows
written, composed or co-authored by
Mark
Wheeller
and currently published by Maverick Musicals & Plays .
Beneath the shows
is a short biography
or resume of the author or composer (if available) then any web
links the author or composer has provided to Maverick. Note that
author web links are not part of the Maverick Musicals web site.
All
document downloads on this site are in Adobe Acrobat PDF
format - if you do not already have this software on your
computer, you can download a free copy of Acrobat Reader from
Adobe's website.
Mark Wheeller has been writing plays since his
schooldays at Marlwood Comprehensive School, Bristol. As a teenager his dream
was to be the next David Bowie and so he spent much of his time writing songs
and Rock Operas ... aping his hero. No band would play his songs and no-one
shared his belief in "Eed Sud and The Luminous Earwigs" although had they
been formed, Mark is convinced they would have undoubtedly taken the world by
storm! His 2005 play Sequinned Suits and Platform Boots draws on these experiences to create an upbeat nostalgic comedy.
"Quirkily, original funky, and funny. Mark Wheeller's latest offering looks at
teenage dreams with an excellent portrayal of the animated characters. Set to a
soundtrack from the glam rock era the show is interesting for any music fan,
glam rock or not… but be warned, it will have you coming away cringing at your
own memories of singing into a hairbrush whilst staring at your reflection in
the mirror."
Craig Morrison Southampton Institute Newspaper 2005
Mark found that if he organised plays around
the songs, he could get friends to perform them. His quest for super-stardom
led him in a completely different direction - writing plays. The songs (with the
exception of those in the World War II Musical Blackout and one in
his recent allegorical musical, Wacky Soap - A Cautionary Tale)
remain unknown, but his plays have gone on to achieve success. Too Much
Punch For Judy, a "hard hitting" one act anti-drink driving play has
been seen by nearly a million people across the world and has achieved
considerable festival success for those amateur groups who have performed it.
"The
play demands little in the way of settings and props. It provides 45 minutes of
exceptional theatre and staging challenges for all groups. It is harrowing ...
heart rendering and poignant ... there is no doubt that its theme is bound to
take hold of audiences everywhere."
Amateur Stage February 2000 (after it was re-published in a revised edition.)
Five of his plays (Punch, Gate
Escape, Chicken, Legal Weapon and Arson)
tour regularly into schools. Since 2003 his plays have been in the top 3 most
popular texts for the Edexcel GCSE Drama examinations in Great Britain.
Those of you over 35 may be interested to know that
Mark, together with his wife Rachel, wrote many of the Tufty stories (Tufty's
Adventures and 12 issues of Tufty Tales comic) when RoSPA relaunched them in the
mid-nineties. They live in Southampton, have three children (Ollie,
Charlie and Daisy) and two dogs called Riff and Buzz. Rachel works as
an inclusion support teacher for the Treatment Foster Care Project in
Southampton. Mark works part-time as the Executive Director of Arts at the Oasis
Academy Lord's Hill in Southampton where he also runs the Oasis Youth Theatre
(Lord's Hill).
Mark, an original Glamrock fan, had an article
published in the Mott The Hoople fanzine Two Miles from Heaven
(Issue 2) and is an occasional contributor to the Bowienet message boards!!!
"It is important that we pay due cognisance
of the invaluable role that Mark plays as a socially conscious dramatist, and
for me it has been exhilarating to see his work extend beyond the early
commissions to write for Theatre in Education companies and within the last
decade to become one of the most performed playwrights in a wide range of
professional and community venues as well as in educational establishments
that face so many of the social problems that are addressed in his work."
Charles Vance Editor of Amateur Stage. August 2005
his page displays all the shows
written, composed or co-authored by
Mark
Wheeller
and currently published by Maverick Musicals & Plays . 
