User:Mely5462

Information about Mark. A. Melymick

MARK A. MELYMICK Mark presently is a professor and program coordinator for the Performing Arts Preparation Program at Sheridan institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, where he has held this position since 2003. He is a published playwright [Second Chance, The Marriage of Rodeo, A Reason to Live, Rainbow Café, Everyman] and has optioned a screenplay, THE WISE HIGH GUYS which has been optioned and received Telefilm Canada development funding. He has numerous television and movie acting credits including recurring roles on Due South and Flash Forward and was a guest lead on the remake of the Cagney and Lacey TV movie, [his performance received a glowing review in the Hollywood industry magazine "Variety"]. His professional stage debut was at Twenty-fifth Street Theatre Canada. He is also one of the founders of the long running Improvisation Comedy show, "The Saskatoon Soaps", and performed in the first season of "Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan". In New York, Mark was one of the leads in the successful Off-Broadway production of The Ecstasy of Rita Joe. He also was the director-founder of the popular improv show the “Village Soaps” that ran in New York for over two years. He received his MFA at Brooklyn College, under the guidance and direction of Academy award winning actor, F. Murray Abraham and Obie award winning Playwright and Director, Jack Gelber. He also acted in a number of plays while attending Brooklyn College. In Toronto, he studied with the legendary Al Waxman, with whom he also worked as an actor on two television projects, Scales of Justice and Twice in a Lifetime.

Mark won a comedy contest while in university and later performed Stand-up comedy at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto; The Comedy Store in London, UK; The Gilded Balloon, in Edinburgh, Scotland; The Improv in New York; Paradise Island in The Bahamas; and the Comedy Shoe in Saskatoon. He also wrote and co-produced and performed in the extremely popular comedy revue MADNESS that also helped launch the career of friends Kim Coates and Debbie Thakker.

Before joining the Sheridan College faculty as a full-time tenured professor and Dept head, Mark taught High School Drama for 16 years, mostly at White Oaks Secondary School where he was Head of Performing Arts. While there, he directed numerous plays including A Midsummer Nights Dream, Twelfth Night, Little Shop of Horrors, Guys and Dolls, Inherit the Wind, All in the Timing, Rainbow Café, Second Chance...to name a few. He has received a Saskatchewan Arts Board Grant, Canada Council "B" grant, and most recently Telefilm funding for his writing. Mark was elected Vice-President, External Affairs for ACTRA, where he served on council for two terms until stepping down in 2001 when returned to teaching. He also served his third three-year term as Co-Chair of Audio Visual, Live Performing Arts on the Board of Directors for the Cultural Human Resources Council [CHRC]. He has chaired several working committees developing numerous Arts curriculum documents during his commitment to the CHRC. He is proud Canadian and a strong promoter of Canadian Culture...but Mark is most proud of co-producing his two sons Luke and Lee with his wife Terry. Mark’s youngest son Lee was in serious workplace accident four years ago, and is now a paraplegic; which has inspired Mark’s involvement with Spinal Cord injuries, and the Rick Hansen Foundation.