about me...

Mark Collins - Musical Director

Mark is currently Assistant Musical Director on Back To The Future at the Adelphi Theatre, London and Music Supervisor/Musical Director for The Great British Bake Off Muscial (Noel Coward Theatre London and Everyman, Cheltenham).

His most recent credits include Associate Music Director on the epic new Stephen Schwarz musical The Prince of Egypt at the Dominion Theatre, London, Musical Director for the West End production of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 & 3/4 The Musical (Ambassadors Theatre), Associate Conductor on A Christmas Carol (Old Vic), Associate Musical Director on the West End production of Dreamgirls at London's Savoy Theatre, Music Supervisor for In The Willows (UK Tour).

Just before Dreamgirls, Mark was Musical Director for the new British rock musical Exposure at the St James Theatre, London; and from 2010 until its closure in April 2016, Mark was Assistant Musical Director on the West End production of Billy Elliot The Musical (Victoria Palace Theatre) where he conducted over 800 performances. As part of his role at Billy Elliot, Mark also enjoyed conducting the London Philharmonic at an Olympic Games event at London’s Guildhall, and the Disney Orchestra at the 2012 Jubilee Family Festival in Hyde Park.

Other credits also include Musical Director for the world premieres of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 & 3/4 The Musical (Curve, Leicester) and Dougal Irvine’s The Other School (NYMT, St James Theatre), Wah! Wah! Girls (Kneehigh/Sadlers Wells and UK Tour), and Musical Supervisor for Dessa Rose (Trafalgar Studios, starring Cynthia Erivo and Cassidy Janson) and Britain's Got Bhangra (UK Tour).

As Arranger and Musical Supervisor, he also co-composed with Phil Willmott the new musicals Princess Caraboo (Finborough Theatre, London 2016) and Lost Boy (Finborough, transferring to Charing Cross Theatre, London 2014). Both are planning to be published by Samurel French Ltd this year.

Other credits as a deputy, Asst MD or MD include Wicked (Apollo Victoria), Jersey Boys (Prince Edward), La Cage Aux Folles (Menier Chocolate Factory), Once Upon A Time At The Adelphi (Liverpool Playhouse), Grant Olding’s Three Sides (London and New York), City of Angels (English Theatre, Frankfurt dir. Nikolai Foster), Adam Guettel’s Myths & Hymns (Finborough Theatre) as well as MD for the pantomimes Cinderella and Snow White (Bristol Hippodrome). and various projects with Perfect Pitch Musical Development.

TV/Film work includes: How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? (BBC/Andrew Lloyd Webber), Piers Morgan’s Life Stories: David Hasselhoff (ITV), and composer for short film The Alchemistic Suitcase (dir. Joe Stephenson).

Concerts: Julie Atherton No Space For Air, Live in Barcelona and In Cabaret At The Savoy, Associate MD for A Spoonful Of Stiles & Drewe (Her Majesty's, West End), WhatsOnStage Awards (Prince of Wales), and the popular West End concert series Notes From New York (Donmar Warehouse, Duchess, Arts Theatre, and Trafalgar Studios).

Cast Albums: The Prince Of Egypt (Original London Cast Recording), Dreamgirls (Original London Cast Recording), Exposure The Musical (Original London Cast Recording).

Mark has taught regularly at a variety of top drama schools, including the Guildford School of Acting, Arts Educational, Mountview, The MTA, and the London School of Musical Theatre.

Mark is also a published composer and arranger for several children’s picture books, his most recent being Space Song Rocket Ride (2015). Portside Pirates was used in over 3,000 events nationwide for National Bookstart Day. The songs have also been animated, and Driving My Tractor has since had almost 10 million hits on YouTube!

Mark trained at Cardiff University and gained his MA in Composing for Film, TV & Theatre from the University of Bristol.

Photo courtesy of Andy Holdsworth Photography