狐狸视频

U of T alumnus Mark Crawford back on stage for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

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Mark Crawford, a drama and theatre alumnus of U of T Mississauga, has hit the Toronto stage as a cast member of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (photo by Ann Baggley)

Mark Crawford, an alumnus of the 狐狸视频 Mississauga, says he鈥檚 grateful to be part of the ensemble cast for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which is currently playing at Toronto鈥檚 CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre.

The acclaimed actor and playwright says being in the cast of Harry Potter offers some stability in a volatile industry that still hasn鈥檛 fully recovered from the pandemic (the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre raised its curtain earlier this year for its first full season since 2020).

鈥淭he thing about being a theatre artist is that you鈥檙e a gig worker,鈥 Crawford says. 鈥淭his means that, most of the time, you鈥檙e working in five- or six-week intervals, piecing together contracts as you go.

鈥淎part from the opportunity to work on a fantastic play and as part of a wonderful team, being in Harry Potter has granted me stability, which is something I've learned not to take for granted.鈥

While Harry Potter is sold out every night, audience numbers at other theatres are still down, which affects budgets and creates challenges for those working in theatre arts.

鈥淢any people I used to know and work with have, sadly, left the industry,鈥 says Crawford. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that we can鈥檛 ignore in the aftermath of the pandemic.鈥

Mark Crawford as the Station Master in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child photo by Evan Zimmerman)

The early days of the pandemic were bleak for the theatre industry. A production of Crawford鈥檚 award-winning 2014 play Stag & Doe was cancelled in early 2020 and future productions were tentative at best. It was just one of many cancellations during a difficult time.

Despite the pandemic restrictions, the actor and playwright kept busy.

In 2020, Crawford wrote and produced Don鈥檛 Get Me Startered, a podcast production about a sourdough starter that gets out of hand that was commissioned for CBC鈥檚 Pandemic Chronicles. In 2021, he staged Chase the Ace during a tour across Ontario, playing all the roles in the one-man comedy about a big-city DJ forced to take a job at a small-town radio station during the pandemic.

Then, in March 2022, he debuted a short film Priya Tate: Super Taster, which centered around a picky eater with a unique gift.

Community, connection and understanding

The son of farmers from Glencoe, Ont., Crawford is well known for his observations of small-town life through themes of community, connection and understanding, as well as his skillful blending of drama and humour. His plays have been featured in theatres across the country and internationally.

Being in the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child has brought back many memories from Crawford鈥檚 student days at U of T Mississauga, where he studied theatre and drama.

Harry Potter is a highly physical show with a lot of movement in it,鈥 Crawford explains. 鈥淚've been reminded a lot of my movement classes from 18 years ago at UTM. It's amazing how long those lessons stay with you.鈥

Over the years, Crawford鈥檚 path has often crossed with others who attended U of T Mississauga. 鈥淲e laugh and commiserate together about our work and the industry,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e have that immediate connection through our time at UTM.鈥

In addition to attending classes and making connections, Crawford鈥檚 advice for current students in his field is to cultivate other interests, hobbies and even career prospects.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to be able to keep busy and be able to make a living when you are between gigs or when faced with something unpredictable like a pandemic,鈥 Crawford says. 鈥淵ou must be able to do other things to support yourself at times. There's no stigma attached to that. In this industry, you can feel highly successful at times, but you can also feel the opposite. It is nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.鈥

Mark Crawford in Chase the Ace at Festival Players of Prince Edward County in 2021 (photo by Imagine Photography)

When he is not staying in Toronto for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Crawford lives in Stratford, Ont. with his partner and fellow actor Paul Dunn.

Birds, bees, and drag queens

Since the spring of 2022, Crawford鈥檚 plays have returned to stages across North America. His play, The Birds & The Bees, debuted with U.K.-based companies and will soon run in North American theatres.

Crawford works with other U of T alumni 鈥 including fellow actor Sara Farb and stage manager Jessica Severin, in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child 鈥 which runs at least through December. But preparations for his newest play are already well underway. In 2023, The Gig, a play about drag queens and conservatives, will debut in Hamilton鈥檚 Theatre Aquarius.

鈥淢y new play, The Gig, is the biggest play I鈥檝e written so far in terms of cast and theatre size,鈥 Crawford says. 鈥淭he scale of this project is exciting.

鈥淚 just want to keep telling stories and entertaining audiences. That's what keeps me happy and motivated.鈥

 

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