I met Mark back at Buffalo Gals in Eugene back in the 90s - he was telling stories and I was learning all the monologs of Hamlet. I was working on my own interpretation on the monologs. Hamlet monologs are usually done like Hamlet is talking to himself but I was playing around with speaking the monologs directly to the audience but with the feeling of a conversation where Hamlet just kept talking. I wasn't sure it would work. I performed a few monologs in this style at Buffalo Gals and afterward Mark came up to me and told me that my performance was the most understandable Hamlet he had ever heard. Quite a compliment. I never got to perform Hamlet but I felt satisfied because of what Mark said to me. From what he said I knew the interpretation would have worked. I just want Marks family to know in the very short time I knew Mark he gave me one of the most important gifts of my life. Chris Pender