Mark Ivy Finds His Way Home to the Houston Stage

Actor Mark Ivy left Houston more than a year ago to move to Seattle, but thanks to Theatre Under the Stars  (TUTS), he makes frequent trips to Texas. In October, he was here to appear in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and in May he was here for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. 

An out gay man, Ivy has been associated with TUTS since he was a teenager.

“I started training there when I was about 14 years old,” Ivy says. He attended the TUTS training academy, the Humphreys School of Musical Theatre.

Later he began performing in TUTS productions, including Little Shop of Horrors and Sweeney Todd. “So I’ve been there all my life, really. My professional life has started there, and continues to be there. So it’s truly home for me.”

In Beautiful, Ivy didn’t sing much. At least not on stage. Backstage, with his mic off, he sang a lot. “I’m used to being the song and dance man, so I definitely wanted to sing along,” he says.

And who wouldn’t want to? Beautiful includes some of the most loved tunes of the American pop songbook, such as Will You Love Me Tomorrow, You’ve Got a Friend, and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.

“This cast [was] incredible. Kyra Kennedy, who plays Carole King, is just wonderful! She could put an album out tomorrow and it would go straight to the top,” says Ivy. “She’s an incredible, giving actor and you can really feel that from the stage.”

As a longtime performer, Ivy has had the opportunity to see audiences across the nation change over the years. He marks the COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point in terms of size but not enthusiasm. Audience sizes dwindled down certainly, but theatergoers continued to eagerly support live performances.

“We have a great melting pot of people who love theater. Houston is just such a huge cultural melting pot to begin with. The audiences reflect that. I’ve noticed audience sizes getting bigger and bigger again. And I only hope it continues to grow because with theater, live theater is important,” he adds. “You know, they teach the human experience that you can’t get from just watching your favorite streaming show or whatever. So I’m glad to see them getting back out there and supporting their local theaters. I only encourage them to do it more.”

“I think theaters are safe havens for people, both the audience and the actors,” Ivy adds. “Life is too short. Get out there and have a good time. Be 110% authentically yourself, whether you’re in the audience or on the stage.”

According to Ivy, Beautiful was a perfect example of what theater can do: “It’s a wonderful play that has just incredible music surrounding it. So, it makes for a really beautiful, pun intended, evening at the theater.”

Along with live performances, Ivy does voice-over work for anime films, often collaborating with Sentai Filmworks based here in Houston. Among his most notable voice work is Kenji Futakuchi in the Manga series Haikyu!! and Shuqin Zhang in Shenmue The Animation.

“Those are challenging,” he says. “Often you’re seeing the script for the first time at the time of taping. You’re reading, trying to match up the words to the movement of mouths, and then on top of that you’re having to act. It’s like bouncing a baseball and jumping rope while lip-syncing at the same time.”

Chances are local audiences will see Mark Ivy on stage next season. And he admits he welcomes any opportunity to come back to Houston.“I do miss the Tex-Mex food. There are no tortillas in Seattle. It’s an outrage!” he laughs.

For more information, visit instagram.com/themarkivy.

WHAT: Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
WHEN: May 19 – 31, 2026
WHERE: 800 Bagby St Unit 200
Info: tuts.org