Terence Osborne Clarke (AM) (born 1935) is a retired Australian theatrical director and composer who also worked as an actor, pianist, musical director, teacher and dramaturg. On Australian Day 2007 he was installed as a Member of the Order of Australia for service to the performing arts as a director, actor, writer, composer and educator.

Early life

Clarke was born in 1935 in Sydney and educated at Shore and the University of Sydney (resident St Paul's College), graduating BA with first-class honours in Music. While a student he appeared as Robert in the Sydney University Players' rendition of Peter Ustinov's play The Indifferent Shepherd in August 1953. A reviewer for the Sydney Morning Herald observed, "[he] had little to say but said it nicely". One of his fellow students at university was Charles Colman. After graduation Clarke taught at All Saints College, Bathurst (where he had attended primary school) and at Cranbrook School, Sydney, where he became head of mathematics and in charge of drama.

Career

Terence Clarke's career has alternated between theatre work and teaching. While in England during 1959-1960 he acted at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury. In 1970 he left teaching to return to theatre and music. During his theatre career he has worked as an actor, artistic director, composer, musical director, writer and pianist from 1963 to 2016. Early work was as actor and musical director at Nimrod Street Theatre, Darlinghurst. His appointments have included: Associate Director of Perth's National Theatre at the Playhouse where he also acted, composed and played piano; founding Artistic Director of the Hunter Valley Theatre Company, Australia's first professional regional theatre company; Artistic Director of the Australian National Playwrights Conference; and Head of Directing at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, where he continued to teach. He directed the world premieres of A Happy and Holy Occasion (John O'Donoghue) and Backyard (Janis Balodis). He has taught at the West Australian Institute of Technology, the University of Newcastle, and the University of New South Wales, where he held a demi-lectureship for a year.

Clarke wrote three musicals to book and lyrics by Nick Enright: The Venetian Twins (cast album, Folkways Records), produced by all state theatre companies, and toured; Variations (Winner of the Play Award, New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, 1983) not seen since its original Nimrod Theatre production runs in 1982 and 1983; and Summer Rain,Summer Rain at Australian Arts Review, 19 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2019 commissioned by NIDA for the graduating class of 1984 and directed by Gale Edwards, later revised three times for productions at the Sydney and Queensland Theatre Companies.

His other compositions include: a ballad opera, Flash Jim Vaux (book and lyrics, Ron Blair). Leonard Glickfeld of The Australian Jewish News reviewed its performance at Russell Street Theatre, Melbourne in December 1973. Glickfeld praised Blair's writing including the ballads' lyrics, which were set to music by Clarke and Colman. However the lyrics "are not always matched by the quality or rhythms of the music... about four tunes which really work." Blair later dropped 'Vaux' from the play's title. Clarke also provided five plays with music - Catspaw and Jarrabin (both Dorothy Hewett), Lysistrata (John Croyston), Henry and Peter and Henry and Me (George Hutchinson), and Gone with Hardy (David Allen); incidental music; and song-settings.List of works at Solee.com (paywall site) Late in 1992 he returned to Canberra to direct the Canberra Theatre's version of The Pirates of Penzance (or The Slave of Duty), which ran from 15 to 30 January 1993. Note: incorrectly dates Flash Jim Vaux debuting in 1972 instead of 1971 He worked with set and costume designer Tim Kobin to eschew the traditional pantomime renditions and depict the titular pirates as "predators, feral, and at the same time like boys who get dirty, tattooed."

Honours

On Australia Day (26 January) 2007 Clarke was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia "for service to the performing arts as a director, actor, writer, composer, and educator." He was presented a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 Sydney Theatre Awards.

Theatre roles

Year Title Role Notes 1963 An Ideal Husband actor Pocket Playhouse, Sydenham, NSW 1964 The Man of Mode actor (Dorimant) Union Theatre, Sydney, NSW 1971–7319781982 Flash Jim VauxFlash Jim actor, composermusical director, pianist Nimrod Street Theatre, Darlinghurst, NSWTwelfth Night Theatre, Bowen Hills, QldClaremont Theatre Centre, South Yarra, VicNimrod Street Theatre, Darlinghurst, NSWPlayhouse Theatre, Perth, WATheatre 3, Acton, ACTRussell Street Theatre, Melbourne, VicQ Theatre, Penrith, NSWBankstown Town Hall, Bankstown, NSWMarsden Theatre, Parramatta, NSWNimrod Upstairs, Surry Hills, NSW 1971 Duke of Edinburgh Assassinated or The Vindication of Henry Parkes composer Nimrod Street Theatre, Darlinghurst, NSW 1972 The Legend of King O'Malley musical director, pianist Civic Theatre Auditorium, Suva, FijiMercury Theatre, Auckland, New ZealandDownstage Theatre, Wellington, New ZealandHunter Theatre, The Junction, NSW 1973 The Dumb Waiter director Perth, WA 1973 The Proposal director Perth, WA 19731977 Hamlet actordesigner, set designer Nimrod Street Theatre, Darlinghurst, NSWThe Playhouse, Civic Square, ACTHunter Theatre, Broadmeadow, NSW 1973 The After-Life of Arthur Cravan actor Jane Street Theatre, Randwick, NSW 1973 Lysistrata composer Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW 1973 The Chocolate Frog actor Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1973 The Typists director Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1973 The House of Blue Leaves actor Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1973–74 Jugglers Three director Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1974 A Who's Who of Flapland director Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1974 Antony and Cleopatra composer, musical director New Fortune Theatre, Crawley, WA 1974 Catspaw composer, musical director New Fortune Theatre, Crawley, WA 1974 The Prisoner of Second Avenue director Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1974 Uncle Vanya actor Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1974 Absurd Person Singular director Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WATheatre 62, Hilton, SA 1974 Home director The Green Room, Perth, WA 1974 See How They Run actor Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1975 Knuckle director The Green Room, Perth, WA 1975 Edgar Metcalfe Suggests actor The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Leederville, WA 1975 Time and Time Again director Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1975 A Hard God director The Hole in the Wall Theatre, Leederville, WA 1975 Hello Dolly! director Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1975 Whitlam Days director The Green Room, Perth, WA 1975 What If You Died Tomorrow? director Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1976 The Floating World director University of Newcastle Drama Theatre, Callaghan, NSW 1976 Hamlet on Ice director, musical director, pianist University of Newcastle Drama Theatre, Callaghan, NSW 1976 The Glass Menagerie director University of Newcastle Drama Theatre, Callaghan, NSW 1976 Equus designer, director The Griffith Duncan Theatre, Callaghan, NSW 1976 A Married Man designer, director Newcastle, NSW 1976 Four on the Floor actor, devisor Hotel Hunter, Newcastle, NSW 1977 What the Butler Saw director Hunter Theatre, The Junction, NSW 1977 The Rip-Roaring Twenties Show playwright University of New England Union Bistro, Armidale, NSWTilly's Tavern, Newcastle, NSW 1978 Gone with Hardy director Canberra, ACT 1978 Sleuth director SGIO Theatre, Brisbane, Qld 1979 Treasure Island actor (Squire Trelawney) Clark Island, Sydney, NSW 1979 Romeo and Juliet director Canberra Theatre, Canberra, ACT 1979 Flexitime director Newcastle, NSW 19791981-821990–9119931996–9720002004–05 The Venetian Twins composer, fight director, musical director, pianist Drama Theatre (Sydney Opera House), Sydney, NSWYork Theatre, Chippendale, NSWCanberra Theatre, Canberra, ACTFestival Theatre, Adelaide, SAHer Majesty's Theatre, Melbourne, VicGeelong, VicLa Boite Theatre, Milton, QldPlayhouse, Newcastle, NSWSuncorp Theatre, Brisbane, QldFootbridge Theatre, University of Sydney, NSWPlayhouse, Melbourne, VicPeacock Theatre, Hobart, TasNewcastle Civic Theatre, Newcastle, NSWThe Playhouse, Adelaide, SAPlayhouse, Melbourne, VicPlayhouse, South Bank, QldPavilion Theatre, Castle Hill, NSWWesley Institute Theatre, Drummoyne, NSW 1980 The Sunny South musical arranger Drama Theatre (Sydney Opera House), Sydney, NSW 1980 Backyard director Nimrod Downstairs, Surry Hills, NSW 1981 Pal Joey director The Playhouse Theatre, Perth, WA 1981 You Never Can Tell director Marian Street Theatre, Sydney, NSW 1981 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest director NIDA Theatre, Kensington, NSW 1982 Annie director Canberra Theatre, Canberra, ACT 1982 Jonah director Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW 1982 Night and Day director Marian Street Theatre, Sydney, NSWCanberra Theatre, Canberra, ACT 1982 A Happy and Holy Occasion director Drama Theatre (Sydney Opera House), Sydney, NSW 1982–83 Variations composer Nimrod Upstairs, Surry Hills, NSWSeymour Centre, Chippendale, NSW 1983 Madame Butterfly director Opera Theatre, Adelaide, SA 198319891991199720012004–0520072016 Summer Rain composer, musical director Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSWDrama Theatre (Sydney Opera House), Sydney, NSWInverell Town Hall, Inverell, NSWWestern Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Mount Lawley, WASuncorp Theatre, Brisbane, QLDSpotlight Theatre, Benowa, QLDMittagong Playhouse, Mittagong, NSWPerformance Space, Wollongong, NSWSydney Theatre, Millers Point, NSWWagga Wagga Civic Theatre, Wagga Wagga, NSWNew Theatre, Newtown, NSW 1984 The Servant of Two Masters translator Nimrod, Surry Hills, NSW 1986 The Foreigner director Footbridge Theatre, Glebe, NSWRegal Theatre, Subiaco, WAOpera Theatre, Adelaide, SANoarlunga College Theatre, Noarlunga, SA 1988 The Touch of Silk director Playhouse, Melbourne, VIC 1989 Too Young for Ghosts director Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW 1990 Woman in Mind director Playhouse, Melbourne, VIC 1990 The Man from Mukinupin director Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW 1991 Pest House director Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW 1993 The Pirates of Penzance (or The Slave of Duty) director Canberra Theatre, Canberra, ACT 1994 Anything Goes director Canberra Theatre, Canberra, ACT 1994 Oscar Wilde at the Cafe Royal director Mietta's, Melbourne, VIC 1995 The School for Scandal director Suncorp Theatre, Brisbane, Qld 2000 Playboy of the Western World director The Playhouse, Kingswood, NSW 2000 Studio Nights composer The Studio, (Sydney Opera House), Sydney, NSW 2001 Plenty and The Sea director NIDA Theatre, Kensington, NSW 2003 The Accrington Pals director Parade Theatre, Kensington, NSW 2003 The Comedy of Errors director Seymour Downstairs, Chippendale, NSW

References