ALAN CLARKE
Alan became involved in drama in his 30s – relatively late compared to many who enjoy this fantastic pastime from childhood.
He was born in Stockton Brook and attended Leek High School, where he found sports more to his liking than any of the arts. On completion of his education, he worked in retail for the next thirteen years in various parts of England and Wales before returning to his home city, still showing no interest in the arts.
A leaflet dropped through his letterbox one day asking for volunteers for the local amateur dramatic group, The Villagers in Werrington and he decided to go along, possibly to sell programmes or serve coffee front-of-house. He was quickly persuaded to go on stage to appear in All in Good Time. The bug had bitten and, during the following few years, he appeared in many plays in Werrington, at the Mitchell Memorial Theatre and at various festivals, with New People‘s Theatre and the Tangents, where he began directing plays including On Golden Pond and Lettice and Lovage”
Fawlty Towers - 2014
Ken Lowe, Alan Clarke, John Steele and David Bryan
A Man for All Seasons was his first acting role for the Rep at Beresford Street. The following year, he was assistant director to Ken Lowe for All My Sons and worked alongside him for most of the plays that Ken directed subsequently. Alan’s first solo directorial debut for the Rep was one of the three independent acts of Plaza Suite in 1997.
Since the Players moved to their current site, he has appeared in many productions as well as directing numerous, including: Whose Life Is It Anyway, Memory of Water, Days Of Wine And Roses, The Haunting, Fur Coat And No Knickers, Comfort And Joy, Snake In The Grass, Ladies Day, Rules For Living and Ladies In Lavender.
In 2020 Alan became Chairman of The Stoke Rep Players, but this has not curtailed any of his other activities. His latest stage appearance was as Sergeant Davenport in Funny Money. He is supported in all his Rep work by his wife, Janet, who was his assistant director for Ladies Day.
When not involved in Rep productions, he helps front of house and on the bar and is a volunteer at Middleport Pottery and Ford Green Hall.
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