Highlights and Updates

Effective September 2026, Mark has been named the co-editor of the Annual Magazine for David Geffen School of Drama.

Mark was one of the journalists commissioned by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences to contribute to Stories from the States, a collection of stories that demonstrate how everyday Americans are embodying the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. He spoke to a group of farmers outside Nashville, Tennessee who have worked together to create a remarkable approach to communal farming. Read the story here.

In July 2026, Mark will make his Off Broadway playwriting debut with his play THE LADY DOTH PROTEST. After premiering at 59E59 Theaters, the show will then move to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2026. The play is a dark comedy about a "great man of the theatre" whose presentation about the meaning of Shakespeare goes awry when a woman in the audience begins protesting his inaccurate interpretations of the Bard. For more info, visit TheLadyDothProtest.com

This fall, Mark Blankenship will return as a lecturer at Yale's David Geffen School of Drama. Along with Criticism Workshop, he'll teach a brand new course called The Dramaturgy of Design. Students will acquire tools to "read" designs as essential storytelling elements in live performance, film, and television.

Here's why that matters: Even when they're subtle, design choices impact the meaning of a story. When we identify those choices and articulate what they do, then we have a richer relationship with the art we encounter.