Mark Samual Bonanno is a writer, director and performer best known for his general silliness within comedy troupe Aunty Donna, one of Australia’s biggest comedy trios. Aunty Donna have garnered a huge international audience both live, online and most recently with their smash hit Netflix series, Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun and their ABC sitcom Aunty Donna’s Coffee Cafe . Mark also co-wrote/created the six-part sitcom Why Are You Like This for ABC (Australia) and Netflix
More recently, Mark has been a resident member of the Trope RPG podcast, where chaotic comedians roleplay absurd and hilarious scenarios. This podcast draws some of the funniest Australian podcasting talent including Mish Wittrup, Harry Jun, Jordan Raskopulous and many more giving fans an outlandishly funny journey through their imagination.
Mark has won and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Helpmann Award for Best Comedy in 2017, Best of The Fest at Sydney Comedy Festival in 2018, Best Supporting Actor, Best Ensemble and Best Comedy Web Series at the Melbourne International Web Festival, and in 2022 he won an AWGIE for best Scripted Comedy/Sitcom (Why Are You Like This).
Mark’s work as a Director has seen him collaborate with the absurd Demi Lardner for her show I Love Skeleton (winning the MICF Director’s Choice Award), as well as sketch duo Woah, Alyssa (resulting in 2 X Golden Gibbo Award Nominations), as well as directing TCVs for Heaps Normal, the RSAC (Tasmania), and winning the coveted segment on Gruen’s The Pitch – which Todd Sampson proclaimed as “(his) favourite ad of the season.”
2025 will see Mark release his first short film, Kooky Crazy No Good Neighbour, and if all goes to plan, begin production on his first feature film, The Keys.
TV/FILM
2023 – Thank God You’re Here (Channel 10)
2023 – The Strange Chores (ABC)
2022 – Question Everything (ABC)
2021 – The Bald Future (Raw Films)