Mark Salyer is an award-winning producer and director whose work in the arts and multi-media explores intergenerational themes, stories and mythology of the Appalachian Mountains where he is from and the LGBTQ+ experience.
As an actor and director in the theater, Mark has won numerous awards and performed across the country and abroad. His Hedwig in the Atlanta premier of Hedwig and the Angry Inch was both a critical and commercial success. He performed in the ruins of Delphi for the International Symposium on Greek Drama playing a gender-fluid Electra in Sophocles’ tragedy. In Los Angeles, he co-created the four part
harmony drag show She Haw which enjoyed a long run at Largo. Directing highlights include Williams’ Suddenly Last Summer, Madama Butterfly, Sondheim’s Into the Woods, Cabaret, An Evening with Stephen Schwartz starring Ben Vereen and Corbin Bleu and the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center’s gala opening performance of Big River.
In 2012, he created NewStages, a dynamic and ground-breaking performing arts program for and about LGBTQ+ seniors. NewStages has reached thousands in the Los Angeles queer community through dynamic classes and workshops, innovative intergenerational projects and an annual Pride Arts Festival production featuring the seniors of the LA LGBT Center in a performance of music, theater, and dance
inspired by their remarkable life stories.
In 2016, he co-founded ARAY Productions with his co-Appalachian Melissa Palmer. Since then, ARAY has produced projects that are by and about the people of Central Appalachia, including the award-winning short Ladies Most Deject directed by Martha Elcan and starring Conner Wharton.
Mark lives in Palm Springs and in Los Angeles with his husband of 31 years. He is currently working on a
book about art and aging.
