MARK FORREST. PLAYWRIGHT | SCREENWRITER | CREATIVE PRODUCER
Edinburgh, Scotland • 07378 782901 • marckwriter@yahoo.co.uk
linkedin.com/in/mark-forrest-26120730
CREATIVE PROFILE
Scottish playwright, screenwriter, documentary filmmaker and creative producer from Leith, Edinburgh. My work explores class, identity, race, political conflict and belonging through morally complex characters and dark humour. I wrote and independently produced SHIPS for a sold-out run at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and have been selected for Imaginate’s South Asian New Writing commission. My background includes documentary filmmaking for Channel 4 and postgraduate training in scriptwriting and film production.
PRODUCED THEATRE
Writer & Producer – SHIPS | Edinburgh Festival Fringe | 2026
• Independently developed and produced a professional stage production from concept to public performance, combining creative development with practical project delivery.
• Managed fundraising, budgeting, scheduling, casting coordination, venue and partner liaison, audience development, ticketing, publicity and press outreach.
• Created and managed website, blog and social-media content and developed community-facing marketing campaigns.
• Led dramaturgical development, structural rewrites and collaborative script work with actors and creatives.
CURRENT -COMMISSIONED WORK 2026-2027
HALF AND HALF -IMAGINATE / SOUTH ASIAN ARTISTS SCOTLAND / PLAYWRIGHT’S STUDIO SCOTLAND Commissioned Playwright. Currently developing Half and Half. The work will be shared as a rehearsed reading at the 2027 Edinburgh International Children’s Festival.
Nominated by the National Theatre of Scotland for the Adopt a Playwright Award.
Publications– EPIPHANY | Life and Love in Leith | 2026
Original short dark comedy selected for publication in Leith Writing’s anthology, edition 106, in print and online.
ANNIE | Playwright | In development
Research-led stage play inspired by Annie Cargill Murray, a Scottish nurse who volunteered during the Spanish Civil War. Explores political conviction, compassion and the personal cost of acting on principle. Developing the script through historical and family research, with its final theatrical form under exploration.
WHO WE ONCE WERE | Playwright | In development
Contemporary Edinburgh drama exploring racism, redemption, family loyalty and the possibility of change. Two people from divided communities confront the consequences of violence and their shared past.
THE SOI COWBOYS | Television comedy project | In development
Dark comedy drawing on the experiences of a Scottish expatriate teacher in Bangkok, combining family relationships, cultural displacement and outsider humour.
FILM AND DOCUMENTARY
ANOTHER JOURNEY BY TRAIN | Documentary | Channel 4, 1993
Developed, researched and co-directed a documentary following four young neo-Nazis on a journey across Europe to Auschwitz-Birkenau with Holocaust survivor Kitty Hart-Moxon. Research and interviews explored racism, extremism, historical testimony and the legacy of the Holocaust.
CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION SKILLS
Playwriting and screenwriting • Dramaturgical development and script editing • Documentary research and interviewing • Creative producing • Casting and collaborator liaison • Fundraising and budgeting • Rehearsal and production coordination • Marketing, press and audience engagement • Community outreach
EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
MA Scriptwriting for Film & Television -Northern Film School
MSc Film & Television Production -Edinburgh Napier University
PGCE Primary Education -Bath Spa University (2021–2022)
ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Primary, SEND and English-language teaching in the UK and Thailand, including Bell English, specialist and mainstream schools, and international settings. Experience in facilitation, inclusive communication, creative learning, collaboration and adapting material for diverse participants and audiences.
MARK FORREST • CREATIVE CV