Mark Banks goes for broke

After several years of working on the biggest comedy line-up shows in South Africa, comedian Mark Banks stages his triumphant return to the Cape Town stand-up comedy circuit with Banksrupt, his hit one-man show at the Baxter Theatre for a limited season. I spoke to him to find out more.

By Eugene Yiga

25 Jul 2013

How and when did you get into comedy?

My first ever comedy performance was a one-man show I did in 1985 at the Grahamstown Festival called Stars of South Africa. It was awful!

If you weren't a comedian, what would you be?

If I wasn't a comedian, I would probably run a car repair shop on an island that has no cars, so I would be able to have a side line.

And did you ever plan a different direction in life?

No! I only ever wanted to stand alone and try and be funny. Since early childhood. It's all I do for a living so I have to be quite good.

How do you feel about getting back to a one-man performance in Cape Town being gone for so long?

Cape Town has always been my first and favourite port of call. I have spent most of my life here. I think I know not only what time the trains run, but also the conductor!

And what can we expect from your latest show?

My latest show is a startling pressure cooker of all the latest people, events, news, fears, current affairs and crooks we have telling us what we should be doing. There might be singing in the show, but no animals are hurt in any way!

Banksrupt (PG-13) is at Cape Town's Baxter Theatre from 31 July to 10 August at Durban's Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre from 6 November to 24 November. Tickets are available from Computicket.

About Eugene Yiga

Eugene graduated from the University of Cape Town with distinctions in financial accounting and classical piano. He then spent over two-and-half years working in branding and communications at two of South Africa's top market research companies. Eugene also spent over three-and-a-half years at an eLearning start-up, all while building his business as an award-winning writer. Visit www.eugeneyiga.com, follow @eugeneyiga on Twitter, or email hello@eugeneyiga.com to say, um, hello.
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