Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem: Mark Hayden's Impact on and off Stage

In this engaging conversation, Mark Hayden shares his journey from aspiring actor to established performer, discussing the challenges and triumphs he faced along the way. He reflects on his training at drama school, the importance of persistence in the acting industry, and the value of performance skills in education. Mark also delves into the impact of technology and social media on communication, the significance of community, and the joy of bringing people together through his work in pantomime and murder mystery events. The discussion highlights the importance of experience and connection in both personal and professional realms.

Takeaways.

• Training at drama school was rigorous and multifaceted.
• Persistence is key in the acting industry.
• Performance skills are essential for personal development.
• Technology can both connect and isolate us.
• Community and connection are vital for well-being.
• Pantomime is a unique blend of humor and storytelling.
• Murder mystery events foster interaction and fun.
• Experience shapes our memories and identities.
• Confidence is crucial for success in any field.

Sound Bites

• "I just soaked up as much as I could."
• "You have to learn how to present yourself."
• "'Performance skills and all of that are not valued in formal education. And they should be, because, let's face it, when people are in the workplace, they are expected to do things like this all the time...So you have to learn how to present yourself, how to carry yourself, how to feel confident in your own skin. This is vital to become a whole human being.'"

Guest Bio
Mark Hayden http://markhayden.com/is a versatile actor, writer and director specialising in immersive interactive theatre and comedy. His work includes creating and performing interactive scripts for Singalonga Productions  https://singalonga.net/on  over ten productions over twenty years, most notably Singalonga Sound Of Music, Singalonga Rocky Horror, Singalonga Frozen, Greatest Showman and most recently Matilda all of which have toured the UK to theatres mammoth and miniscule, and played in London’s glittering West End at the beloved Prince Charles Cinema, Leicester Square. Mark has performed in many pantomimes initially playing the comic but now prefers to be the oh so evil villian. He has directed and co-written Pantomime, original comedy plays on the Camden Fringe, and even a short movie along with creating the greatest interactive murder mystery company of all time MurderMysteryEvents.com which turns 25 in 2025. https://murdermysteryevents.com/

His acting credits include “One Man Two Guvnors” for the National Theatre and “The Mousetrap” and “Dead Funny” in the West End along with lots of repertory theatre, small scale tours and the movies “King Lear” with Brian Blessed and “The Magic Flute” directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Being entrepreneurial he's also produced theatre tours with his production company Hayden Searle Productions of which Kenneth Branagh is a patron including the 50th Anniversary tour of Tennessee Williams “Glass Menagie” starring movie star Hildegard Neil, who was Mark's acting mentor.
Mark created the leading actors agency Cooper Searle Personal Management with a colleague, he was director and lead agent, which he later sold and is going from strength to strength today. https://www.coopersearle.com/

He also developed “Fuse London Workshops” one of the first Actor/Casting Director workshop courses, including “Fuse Musical” with showcases at...