|
|
Mark Hartman is currently the Music Director of Avenue Q on Broadway. He has been happily associated with the show since its off-Broadway production at the Vineyard Theater, where he tripled on keyboard 2, guitar and banjo. With the Broadway transfer, Mark became the Associate Conductor, where he sat for two years. He is now keeping Gary Adler's conductor chair (and office) warm while he is on leave.
During his time at Avenue Q, Mark has been lucky enough to be able to work on several other projects, including The Streets of New York and Finian's Rainbow, both directed by Charlotte Moore, both for the Irish Rep, and (later) Westport Country Playhouse; Noel Coward's After The Ball (dir. Tony Walton) also for the Irish Rep; Joy off-Broadway at the Actors' Playhouse (dir. Ben Rimalower); and Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life at the Old Globe in San Diego, CA.
Prior to Avenue Q, Mark had a long-standing relationship with the Irish Repertory Theatre, Music Directing and appearing in The Irish...and How They Got That Way on the road and in New York, The Hostage, and The Streets of New York, as well as their annual benefit galas since 2000. His other off-Broadway work includes several short-lived attempts at entertainment, plus the honor of playing "the longest running musical in the world", The Fantasticks at the soon-to-be-criminally-demolished Sullivan Street Playhouse.
Regionally, Mark was the arranger/orchestrator/quintuple-threat for The Baker's Wife (dir. Gordon Greenberg) at Goodspeed-at-Chester. For six glorious weeks, he played keyboard, banjo, mandolin, accordion, and celtic harp in the biggest 3-person band ever, along with Georgia Stitt (MD/keyboards) and Steve Gilewski (bass/triangle). He first created the bass/triangle double for A Little Night Music, which he MD'd and arranged for seven players at PlayMakers' Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, NC. Also with PlayMakers' (and also for director David Hammond), Mark scored The Visit and Othello. Other regional credits include Walking Across Egypt, Raney, Nunsense, Song of Singapore (actor/pianist/MD), Into The Woods and The Devil's Dream, all for director Paul Ferguson; Night Songs, Street Songs, Blue Window, The House of Blue Leaves, and Carousel for director Jeff Storer; and productions of Pump Boys, Oil City Symphony, Smoke on the Mountain, and Eccentricities of a Nightingale, in all of which Mark actually got paid for saying lines in addition to doing something musical.
Recent concert conducting includes the New York premiere of Children of Eden at Riverside Church on World AIDS Day 2003 with Norm Lewis, Julia Murney, Jonathan Dokuchitz, Darius DeHaas, Kate Shindle, and Jai Rodriguez. It featured a 100-voice choir and orchestra, and was produced and directed by Jamie McGonnigal. The concert was a benefit for the National AIDS Fund and the York Theatre Company. It went so well that the next year, Jamie and Kate Shindle produced another World AIDS Day concert that Mark had the pleasure of conducting. Pippin was directed by Gabriel Barre, starred Michael Arden, Rosie O'Donnell, Billy Porter, and Ben Vereen, featured mass choir and orchestra, benfitted the Storm Theatre as well as NAF, and occurred at Manhattan Center. This concert sparked the revival directed by Gabriel Barre at Goodspeed Opera House slated for Summer, 2006.
Smaller revival concert readings include Greenwillow for York Theatre's MUFTI Series, and (big breath) Let It Ride, Dearest Enemy, So Long, 174th Street (twice), Goldilocks, That's The Ticket, Watch Your Step, Face The Music and several others that Mark forgets for Mel Miller's wonderful company, Musicals Tonight! All were directed by Thomas Mills.
In cabaret, Mark has been music director for Natalie Douglas (seven-time MAC Award winner and Bistro Award winner) for seven years. He has also been privileged to work with Scott Barbarino and the Bev-Naps, Aaron Lee Battle, Bobby Belfry, Baby Jane Dexter, Lina Koutrakos, Anne Runolfsson, Rick Skye, John Tartaglia and others too numerous and talented to mention.
Along with friends and partners John Pinckard and Brian Nash, Mark is one-third of B Major Productions. Their first venture was the sold-out, award-winning stage premiere of Jon and Al Kaplan and Hunter Bell's Silence! The Musical for the 2005 fringeNYC festival. An off-Broadway transfer is in negotiation.
Mark was raised in Arcadia, NC and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He majored in several things before settling on
Communication Studies (see final sentence). While in Chapel Hill, Mark and David Henderson founded Pie Shop Productions, a not-for-profit theatre company with which Mark either produced, directed, music directed,
and/or appeared in Assassins, Jacques Brel is Alive, Talk Radio, and Crossroads (Mark's original bio-musical).
Mark has received two MAC Awards and the Backstage Bistro Award for Music Direction. He is a proud member of Actors' Equity and the American Federation of Musicians. Mark's latest achievement to date is writing this bio.
|
