About Mark Bunyan

Attended Nailsea Grammar School which, because of Mark’s comprehensive education, became Nailsea School in 1966. Amongst many other things, was taught that homosexuality was a phase and was thus tortured by keeping his homosexual feelings completely and utterly secret through his teens as the country discussed whether THEY should be made legal.

Having moved to London and got a satisfying clerical job in the film industry, led to his accepting being gay and becoming determined to do everything he could to stop other people going through the crap that he had gone through. Told all his friends he was gay. The usual answer was “Oh I’m so sorry. If I’d known that you didn’t know I would have told you ages ago.“

Wrote a song for his landlady Betty’s birthday. Later, had minor operation which led to three weeks convalescence. This gave him time to write a series of songs for the fabulously inspiring landlady (one of the songs from this would be sung to around 1200 people at the Piccadilly Theatre some years later).

First of three gigs singing his now burgeoning collection of songs, whilst two other friends, Carole Boyd and John Craig, read prose and poetry, in aid of the Gay News Fighting Fund (see Wikipedia or some other useful source of historical background for further details of that).

Appears at the Gay Times Festival, Britain’s first gay arts festival, at the Oval House in March. Made redundant from fourth film company job in six years and decides to settle down and become a star. It’s not as easy as it looks, despite a successful tour with Jan Hammarlund, Barbie Norden and Rosie Fisher in Sweden and Norway. And regular gigs at the Gay’s The Word bookshop.

Cabaret shows in in New York. Writes book, music and lyrics for Just Good Friends which wins the National Musical Theatre Competition run by the Cockpit Theatre and is produced to sell-out houses (the last night queue for returns started at 5.30) in September. Rave reviews in the Sunday Telegraph and Morning Star. Chosen “Best New Musical of the Year” by City Limits magazine. Includes stage debut of Lennie James and early appearances by Cliff Parisi and John Dulieu. Homes and Gardens, a second youth musical, is commissioned two years later but Just Good Friends is never seen again. Solo shows and appearances continue all over the UK including the two Pretty Policeman's Balls (benefits for Gay Switchboard) at the Piccadilly Theatre in 1984 and 1985. Mark has occasional radio appearances, and in 1996, is invited to perform at Europride  in Copenhagen. Twenty-first century London appearances have included the Pheasantry, Crazy Coqs and The Loft at the Brasserie Toulouse Lautrec -- and a return to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019. 

Mark’s play, DINNER, wins the South London Playwriting Competition run by the Warehouse Theatre Croydon, where it was given a well-received four week production in March 1990. The cast of four, Sally Faulkner, Paul Gregory, Jonathan Hackett and Pamela Moiseiwitsch, play over sixteen roles between them directed by Ted Craig in a set by Michael Pavelka.  ”Recommended” by What’s On In London: “It takes an intelligent and sharp look at the social habits, attitudes and eccentricities which are dominant in English Society today. “Sharp and hilarious” The Times.    

June 30^th. Is sitting on exercycle on a balcony in the YMCA, reading “The Iliad” and minding his own business, when looks down and sees people doing stuff on a trampoline. Thinks that he’d love to try that. Realises he’s paying for it so why not give it a try? Due to the extraordinary patience of trampoline coaches from then till now, he’s still at it. 
[This written September 3^rd 2024, the latest triumph having been to be the oldest person in competition at the British Gymnastics Association’s National Veterans event, and a bronze medallist in the men’s over-40s trampolining on August 3^rd]. 
Could add, 2011 silver medallist, 2012 and 2015 gold medallist, 2013 Over-40s bronze medallist and 2014 silver medallist. Why don’t you take it up and do better???

Auditions for and joins Mercury Musical Developments which lead to a whole mass of musical theatre writing being workshopped by the musical theatre students at the Royal Academy of Music. This leads in turn to two productions of Achilles in Heels at the Landor Theatre and a run of Unburied Treasures at the Rosemary Branch Theatre.

Is the subject of Looking At You documentary film Mark Bunyan: Very Nearly Almost Famous. Produced by Jaq Nunns and Angie West. The film was shown as an official selection for Frameline37, the San Francisco International Gay Film Festival, in June 2013.

still alive, singing, writing and bouncing.