Marcus Romer

Artist, Concerned citizen, Connector, Educator/Teacher, Idea generator, Parent, Producer

Director / Published Playwright / Actor / Speaker Marcus was the Artistic Director and CEO of Pilot Theatre, based at York Theatre Royal from 1993 - 2016 He was the Chair of Creative York. He adapted the screenplay and directed the movie 'The Knife That Killed Me' for Universal Pictures with Kit Monkman, which was released in 2014 He first attended the TED conference in California in Monterey back in 2007 where he furthered his interest in technology and the Arts. On returning he set up and led the Shift Happens Conferences for Pilot Theatre in partnership with Arts Council England. He has programmed and run 4 annual Shift Happens conferences. Speakers have included Sir Ken Robinson, Clay Shirky, Jonathan Harris, Alice Greenwald, Lyn Gardner, Bill Thompson. Shift V happened in 2013 He attended TED in 2007, TEDACtive in 2011 and 2013 and he ran TEDxYork in July 2011 - He created the opening event at the 2007 IIFA Bollywood Oscars at Sheffield Arena, for a live audience of 15,000 and a TV audience of 500 million. He adapted and directed Looking for JJ, by Anne Cassidy,which won the TMA award for best production in 2008. It was also nominated for a Manchester Evening News Award. His production of Lord of the Flies for Pilot Theatre has had five national UK tours and received a TMA award nomination and won a Manchester Evening News award. His co-production of Jonathan Beautiful Thing with the Octagon Theatre, Bolton won two Manchester Evening News Awards. He is also a published playwright and he has adapted and directed the world premiere of Susan Hinton's cult classic Rumble Fish which again toured nationally and opened in Oklahoma last year. He adapted Bloodtide by Melvin Burgess, Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy, and Fungus the Bogeyman, by Raymond Briggs. His plays Taken Without Consent, and Out of their Heads have been performed all over the UK and Europe. He continues to work as an actor and has appeared on The Cops, Prime Suspect, Hillsborough 'This is Personal, GBH, Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Dalziel and Pascoe.

Arts / technology / communication / stories / Education

Attended TED in 2007 and TEDActive in 2011 and 2013 Since returning to UK, have set up and developed and run Shift Happens Arts/tech conference in York UK with funding from Arts Council, England. Now in year 5 of the project and we are working with speakers and thinkers from all over the world. He is TEDxYork organiser and ran TEDxYork in 2011

Being an ex-dentist