Mark Borthwick is a Cumbrian traditional storyteller, theatre-maker, and academic whose deeply immersive work explores a radical reconnection to the natural world and modern ecological themes.

Holding a PhD in the vernacular arts, Mark fuses ancient folklore with contemporary performance, famously weaving live music. Often layering a violin pushed through distorted guitar amps and ambient electronic soundscapes directly into his narrative worlds.

A highly sought-after touring artist and producer across Scotland and the North of England, his acclaimed solo repertoire includes standout productions like The War of the Birds (featured at the Scottish International Storytelling Festival) and Táin. Whether creating spontaneous puppet stories for the Kendal Torchlight Festival or commanding traditional theatre stages, Mark masterfully uses the oral tradition to bridge ancestral myth with 21st-century environmental change, creating a performance that is both deeply familiar and wildly unpredictable.