Staff Spotlight: Cheryl Clarke, Director of Drama

When did you join Merchant Taylors'?

September 2018

Tell us about your subject. What excites you about it? How did you get into it?

At primary school, my teacher, Mrs Ashworth, suggested I start drama classes outside of school to build confidence and there it began! I was Gretl in The Sound of Music and soon after, found myself learning how to train a dog onstage playing Annie in a professional production of the musical for two months at the Liverpool Playhouse. Travelling down to the West End as a special treat from an early age, the first show I saw was Les Misérables; gripped by the intensity of the storytelling, there was no looking back. There followed many years of drama, music and dance both locally and further afield, including a summer season at National Youth Music Theatre with a young Eddie Redmayne in the cast! As a pupil at Merchant Taylors’ School Crosby, there was even a trip down to Merchant Taylors’ Northwood with the Senior Orchestra to play in a Joint Schools’ Concert here at MTS and at the Barbican. Combining drama and music was a particular interest, and memories are largely of the fun and friendships made, along with the buzz of performing.  

Moving from performing to directing, it’s a privilege to work with pupils on bringing challenging texts from page to stage. Play choices encourage pupils to be bold and to take risks. It’s equally rewarding to support the pupils in devising new work, in telling new stories. Drama and the Performing Arts at MTS are as much about the process as the outcome. Each new production is cast on merit from open auditions – several boys taking on lead roles in West Side Story last week were doing so for the first time. It’s great to help the cast and crew build a close-knit team each time, and to facilitate their development as performers and team players. The process is exciting because it’s a journey, with all its twists and turns. The outcome is exciting because it’s live!

What are you most proud of outside of your work at school?

Performing with the Footlights at Cambridge University was a highlight. Several of those in the Footlights that year went on to star in the hit TV series The Inbetweeners, another in Ted Lasso, others across the world of screen and stage. I was cast as a teacher in the Footlights/Cambridge ADC adaptation of Great Expectations that year, so my path was clear! More recently, winning the Ladies Doubles in the (highly competitive!) local tennis club tournament has got to be up there.

What did you study at A-Level?

English Literature, Theatre Studies, History

What piece of media would you recommend and why?

I’d recommend Drama Online and Digital Theatre Plus. We’re lucky enough to have subscriptions to both websites here at MTS for all pupils to access. Featuring top-class productions from The National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe etc in addition to a huge range of play texts, they are fantastic resources.