JLife’s Kirsty Plowman chats to comedian Mark Maier who recently performed at Manchester Jewish Museum’s comedy night.
Talented award-winning writer and stand-up, Mark Maier, is an established and highly sought after performer on both the national and international comedy circuits.
He has worked the comedy clubs of Germany, Holland, Ireland, Hong Kong, The Bahamas, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand and has also appeared at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles and Caroline’s in New York.
Among his many credits, Mark has taught and performed improvisation with Catherine Tate in London and has had a string of successful radio series, in which he both wrote and performed in.
When did your stand-up career begin and how did the opportunity come about?
I started my stand-up career 25 years ago in America. I was working for an advertising agency at the time and started to try out different bits of material.
How do you combine your Jewish culture and comedy?
Most of the stand-up performances I do aren’t for a Jewish audience. However, I performed at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival to a large Jewish crowd. For a Jewish event, I draw upon my own experiences such as culture, holidays, obsessions with food and family relationships.
I like to try new ideas but find writing material for Jewish events easier than non-Jewish audiences. For these events I use a similar structure but tend to take inspiration from what’s going on around me – something more generic. Writing comedy for a Jewish crowd is a niche market.
How did your recent performance at Manchester Jewish Museum’s comedy night go?
I’m originally from the North East so I know and understand a northern crowd. There was a warm and friendly atmosphere at the museum and I knew a few people in the audience who I’d worked for before so they identified with my material well. I enjoy these types of events.
What has been your career highlight to date?
I once did a big Jewish event at Wembley for 6,000 people which included a 15-minute routine. I also get to travel all over the world and performing in South Africa was a highlight for me.
Do you work on other projects aside from comedy?
I try to develop ideas for radio and TV. I’m interested in doing bits of acting and recently appeared in the BBC Two show Boy Meets Girl.
Mark enjoys performing stand-up routines for different organisations and charities as well as private events. Mark can be reached at markmaier@sky.com.
