Who is Markus de Port?

Over the past month, the name Markus de Port has become familiar to many Brisbane city-goers.

It has been seen on posters, scribbled on footpaths, and handed out on fliers. A few intriguing, amateur photos of the man have also popped up here and there.

The rumour mill has been churning, radio talkback humming. Is he a missing person? A conman wanted for fraud? Some have named him as the leader of the cult The Second Way (whatever that is).

'Who is Markus de Port?' is the question and the title of the powerful premiere production of Brisbane's newest performance company - BTC (Brisbane Theatre Company).

Like the man himself, 'Who is Markus de Port?' is made up of many parts - some funny, some tragic, some confronting and some just plain peculiar. (One could put you off McDonald's for life).

Each part of Markus's life, and each person in it - the crazy mechanic, the cross-dresser obsessed with pineapples, the obnoxious and patronising housewife, the sleazy womanising barrister - is threaded to another that will move you, make you laugh and challenge you.

The play, a dynamic one-man show written and performed by the brilliant Peter Condon, weaves a wayward thread through a few degrees of separation. But everyone's got their own story to tell, so hold on tightly and that thread may just lead you to Markus de Port.

Accomplished director and award-winning writer David Paterson said the play fits well with BTC's vision of producing great theatre for a broader audience.

"The play sweetly lures you in on themes of death and lost identity, only to take some fierce punches at societal prejudices," he said.

"So for some people it will be rude and irreverent, but the ruder and more irreverent, the more hilarious it is.

"And Peter Condon's mastery and comic skill, as he effortlessly moulds himself into character after character, is simply a joy to watch."