the authors
Tim Marks was born in Newport, South Wales to Irish and Welsh parents, and grew up in London's East End. There he learned a variety of skills from dishwashing to bomb disposal to French polishing. In 1984, he moved with his wife and son to Baltimore, Maryland. In the early 90s, Tim became involved in the Baltimore-Washington theatre scene, originally as an actor. In 1993, after many failed attempts to find a monologue he could comfortably read in his own accent for auditions, he decided to write his own, based on his experiences with the British Army in Belfast. This brief monologue eventually developed into his first play, Locating the Plant, a look at the Troubles in Northern Ireland from the unique perspective of an Irish Briton. Locating the Plant was twice produced off-Broadway, to good reviews from the Irish Echo and Irish Voice.
Leaving acting behind in favor of writing, he followed the success of Locating the Plant with a series of further plays. Two of these, Pearldivers and The Cleric, were also produced off-Broadway in New York. He has also written two screenplays and uncountable poems. He came up with the initial idea for Shadow Puppets, and brings with him to the project his uncanny ear for natural dialogue, his ability to write strong and forceful action sequences, and his tenacious commitment to the project.
Tim's website is available at spivsplays.com.
Martin Marks was born in Stepney, East London, but moved with his family to Baltimore at the age of two. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1996, while keeping his British citizenship. He attended Saint John's College in Annapolis, Maryland for three semesters before transferring to the University of Maryland, ultimately graduating with dual degrees in linguistics and in Spanish language and literature. He currently works as a draftsman for a cast stone manufacturer in Baltimore. He is also a self-taught programmer, focusing on web applications.
Like his father, Martin began his creative career as an actor, but found his calling in writing. After a series of aborted efforts at writing both plays and novels, he participated in NaNoWriMo in 2002 and completed the first draft of his first novel, Fear Sweeney. Although the first draft took a month, the subsequent drafts have so far taken seven years. He is also working on several other large projects in various stages of completion. He was delighted to collaborate with his father on Shadow Puppets, and he brings with him his skill at world-building, his ability to develop characters of any gender or background, and his knowledge of what the different punctuation marks mean.
Martin's website is available at flyingghoti.net.
Both authors may be contacted at writers@shadowpuppets.tv. An interview with the authors has been posted on the WildSOUND TV Screenplay Festival site.