ANGELA YOUNGMAN speaks with the former UK school teacher about why he’s taken up performing a one-man dramatic retelling of the Gospel of Mark, his passion for the Gospel story and how it’s impacted his own faith…
Norwich, UK
Stefan Smart is an actor and storyteller. He became a believer when he was 24, and found his life changed dramatically. For many years he was a teacher, but always had a dream of the greatest stories ever told and performing it as it was originally intended, live and in one sitting. He speaks about why about why he’s taken up performing a dramatic retelling of the Gospel of Mark, I AM MARK, his passion for the Gospel story, and how it’s impacted his own faith…
Could you tell us a little more about yourself and how you became involved in I AM MARK?
“For most of my life I was a secondary school teacher, teaching English and drama. One of the things I did was read to classes. One day the children were so entranced in the story I was reading, that they didn’t even hear the bell because they were caught up in this other world. I like telling stories and thought this could be linked to my Christian faith. I started learning St Mark’s Gospel. I knew that Alex McCowan had done this in the 1980’s and performed on Broadway and at Buckingham Palace.
“I wasn’t trying to convert anyone, just to get people to listen on a take it or leave it basis. I started doing sections of Mark’s Gospel and it went down well. I did more and more performances as I learned more of the Gospel and it felt like I was meant to do it. By 2016, I had learned the whole thing and did my first ever full performance at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park, London. It was a phenomenal event and I was encouraged to do it again and again elsewhere. Churches in areas where I was doing it were encouraged to come and listen. Then a friend who was a theatrical agent agreed to be my manager, even though I couldn’t pay him. I gave up my job as a teacher and it has been a fascinating, exciting adventure. It was a dream which I became aware was meant to be.”
Stefan Smart performing ‘I AM MARK’. PICTURE: Courtesy of Stefan Smart.
What do you feel is the attraction of Mark’s Gospel to modern audiences?
“I chose Mark because it is action packed, very dramatic, fast moving, and also very powerful. It’s got everything – action, beautiful speeches, touches of human tragedy, violence, humanity, betrayal. The words have a special power, just like Shakespeare. Mark is an inspired text and has a quality about it as it challenges, entrances and comforts. I think it is this aspect that attracts people rather than the nature of the performance. One person can do so much with it. Invariably people come up at the end of performances saying I was there, I could see it. It is a world of imagination that is being conjured up. Even if you read the Gospel, when you say it, it becomes completely fresh and vibrant. I always use the New International Version.
“Story telling is coming into its own again, there is so much technology and the spoken word has a special draw. It is going back to our roots, that is how the Gospel was told at the beginning. The story would be narrated, you would have had one person reading, embodying this story and there is a theatrical element about it. It is exciting in its own right.”
Why is there such a great hunger for this unique performance?
“I would say it sounds true. It is difficult to know how people react long term, but one of the elements in it is a Q&A session afterwards. I often hear people saying this is as important to me as the first time I came to believe in Christ. You know God’s in the room. Something is present, behind people, I notice it. A sense of authority, truth, a particular power which speaks to something we yearn for.”
You have said that you would like to take this to poorer countries?
“When I was first learning the Gospel, I had the opportunity to go to various countries through my work in Christian spirituality and they asked me to perform. I did it in Kampala, Uganda, Cigali Rwanda and Mumbai India. I had a translator translating everything I said in India, and they responded. People are drawn to it from all backgrounds. I would like to do more.”
IN SHORT – STEFAN SMART
A favourite book or part of the Bible…”Mark is my favourite because there is a power in it, a quality of huge depth. The tradition is that Mark was the dictated story of St Peter, and it does have an eye witness feel, but there is also a complexity of structure, a wonderful persuasive, treasure chest of words.
A person I admire…”I could say Mark, and my wife Susie. Then there is my director Lisa Gilmour, she has given me more confidence, and added more cohesion and depth, nuances I hadn’t reached before. Above all there is Jesus – I have to invest myself in the portrayal of his character, what he was doing and how he thought. I am just beginning to understand the depth of his love, his unconditional acceptance.”
A place that is special to me…”My adopted mother is Greek, and comes from Sounion near Athens so the Temple of Poseidon on top of a hill, looking over the blue sea especially at sunset is special. I used to travel there every year when I was young, and love it the most.”
To what extent are people finding this performance helpful, stress releasing or encouraging them to become more involved in Christianity?
“You do get an impression that people are responding, moved by it. The evidence from the Q&A sessions is that it is affecting people and helpful. The Gospel is coming alive to them and they don’t feel detached from it. They are part of the story. It is awesome, and such a privilege.”
When and why did you create a film version?
“I had been approached by a US Christian film company to do it. During COVID in 2020, I worked on the film and it was released in 2021. The film company is still keen on the film and hasn’t stopped promoting it. It is now two or three years on, and I think the performance could have been better. I am now planning to do an e-film. I am going to go to the Holy Land and perform on location in the places mentioned in the Gospel.”
How are churches using the film?
“Generally the feedback I have received is that churches are using the film I AM MARK for Bible study courses and in sermons. They are looking at sections of the film and discussing it, rather than as an evangelistic tool.”
Could you tell us more about the podcast you have launched linked to I AM MARK?
“Question MARK is an opportunity to do a deep dive into Mark’s Gospel. The more I know about it, the more I need to know. I talked about it with friends and they said why not do a podcast. I invite people on and we have zoom conversations. I look at a section of the Gospel, and we build context around it with guests from all backgrounds, not just Christians and scholars. We have had the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, Ched Myers, Dr Bradley Jersak, Carolyn Meers and Kirsty Asher. We have done 56 podcasts and had some good conversations. It is growing in popularity and is very strong with listeners in Finland.”
Has performing I AM MARK affected your own religious belief? Has it deepened your faith?
“One hundred per cent. It has turned me upside down. It is very meaningful to me. When I am rehearsing, there are times when I just have to stop rehearsing and think about what I am saying. It has a living quality to it, which speaks to you on a level relevant today, [for example], Peter swearing he would never disown Jesus. You start thinking how similar that is to me, and how hard it is to be totally loyal. It has deepened my understanding of Mark, and what is happening in the world. It gets you thinking about God’s intention, and takes you to another level. You see elements and pressure of events in the now, like Peter did. You become more aware of what we are and why we are here, and where we are going in the future.”
How do you see I AM MARK developing and growing in the future?
“I have no idea what will happen. I have all sorts of irons in the fire and ideas, but nothing is cast in stone. I am learning something else but I will not be giving up on Mark anytime soon. I don’t think it has run its course. I want to tell it to as many people as possible. There are opportunities to tour with it, and even if these don’t come through, there will be similar ones. Since I took it seriously and finally decided to learn the whole of Mark in 2016, things have changed and developed and I just feel this is what is supposed to be happening.”
For upcoming performance dates (or to book a performance), head to https://iam-mark.com/book-a-performance.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity
