Biography

Phil Clark was born and educated in Brecon, South Wales before training at Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama where he studied for a Diploma in Theatre Arts and a teaching qualification He followed this by undertaking professional training at Durham University with an Advanced Diploma in Drama and Language Development. He has completed a Phd at the University of Glamorgan, Wales

His professional career began as a founder member of Theatr Powys before becoming a founder member of Bruvvers Theatre Company based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Whilst there he directed and devised over 30 new plays, originated and toured a one man show and took traditional, experimental and new plays on nine European tours.

In 1983 he joined Tyne Wear Theatre Company as a Director and established and directed Britain's largest annual Youth Theatre Festival. Whilst there he also set up Eyes of Men Theatre Company for the unemployed; PIT Theatre Company - a community theatre group for South Tyneside; and taught Performing Arts and Media Studies to secondary school students.He ran South Tyneside Youth Theatre for ten years.

The position of Artistic Director at the Crucible Theatre In Education and Community Theatre followed where he commissioned and directed 11 new plays on the mainstage and in the studio and on tour; won the 1988 British Theatre Association Drama Review Award; established Sheffield's first International Children's Theatre Festival; set up and organised an International Exchange with actors from the Crucible and Moscow's Central Young People's Theatre; wrote the play Home Movies for the Crucible Theatre which was filmed and networked by Yorkshire Television Play for Today; initiated the 4th year B.Ed TIE course for Sheffield City Polytechnic; directed the award-winning Plague of Innocence and wrote Serfdom Right?, both of which were chosen for the Vancover, Calgary and Edmonton Canadian Children's Festival of Young People's Theatre 1990.

While in Sheffield, Phil Clark was also on the advisory panel for Tertiary Education for Sheffield Education Authority, a touring production assessor for Yorkshire Arts Association, a panel member for Sheffield Education Authority Arts Exchange and established a programme of training for school governors on 'Theatre for Young People'.

Phil was appointed Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the Sherman Theatre Cardiff in 1990. The Sherman is the premier producing theatre in Cardiff. The resident professional theatre company, the Sherman Theatre Company, was directed by Phil and toured throughout Wales, Britain and Internationally to large, middle and studio theatres. He prioritised new writing and commissioned some 104 new plays for the company. Alongside the professional performance work, the Sherman had an active youth community education and participatory policy prioritising work with emerging artists. Phil directed over 45 productions for the Sherman Theatre Company on stage, television and radio. In 1993 he was nominated BBC Artist of the Year

Phil has directed productions for, Newcastle upon Tyne Playhouse. Theatre Centre London.Crucible Theatre Sheffield, Brewhouse Theatre Taunton. Grand Theatre Swansea. Off The Kerb Productions. Palace Theatre Reddich. Theatr Powys. Pomegranate Theatre Chesterfield. Mappa Mundi Theatre Co. Colin MacIntre Productions. Watershed Productions. The Anvil Sheffield. Birmingham Stage Company. Swan Theatre Worcester, Hampstead Theatre London, Taliesin Arts Centre Swansea, Grass Roots Theatre Company Wales , Everyman Theatre Cheltenham,Royal &Derngate Theatres Northampton,The Jill Freud Theatre Company,UK Productions,Pavilion Theatre Rhyl and Theatre Royal Nottingham.

Alongside his work in theatre Phil has served on numerous committees for the Arts Council of England and the Arts Council of Wales. For five years he was a member of the BBC Broadcasting Council of Wales. He has sat on numerous boards of theatre companies and Arts centres. He is currently the Welsh Trustee on the DCMS Theatres Trust.

He received the Arts for Young Audiences Award from the Commonwealth Conference for Young People in Canada. He has edited two new books of Welsh plays published by Seren Books and Parthian Press. A collection of his plays has been published by Oberon Books, London. He has taught at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Actors Centre London, Tishe School of Performing Arts New York,Academy of Live and Recorded Arts London(ALRA) the Drama Association of Wales, the National Association of Youth Theatres and is a regular broadcaster on BBC Wales

In London his work has been seen at The Riverside Studios Hammersmith, The Bloomsbury Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Oval House Theatre, The Shaw Theatre, Lyric Theatre Hammersmith, Polka Childrens Theatre Wimbledon and The Young Vic

Since 2006 he has been working as a freelace Director and Writer. He has directed DANNY THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD, national tour, ELMER THE ELEPHANT, national tour, A HORRIBLE HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAM with Nottinham Theatre Royal, SKELLIG national tour and on Broadway NY. A HORRIBLE HISTORY OF WORLD WAR ONE AND TWO national tour, A HORRIBLE HISRORY OF THE ROMANS, national tour, A HORRIBLE HISTORY OF THE EGYPTIANS national tour, GEORGES MARVELLOUS MEDICINE national and international tour,and THE FIREWORK-MAKERS DAUGHTER national tour all for Birmingham Stage Company, (BSC)EROGENOUS ZONES by Frank Vickeryand BARKIN by Frank Vickery for Grass Roots Theatre Company Wales, THE DEVOTED FRIEND by Oscar Wilde for Sherman Cymru Cardiff, DICK WHITTINGTON , ALADDIN, SLEEPING BEAUTY, and CINDERELLA for Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham, SLEEPING BEAUTY at the Pavilion Theatre Rhyl for UK Productions, TWELFTH NIGHTand SKELLIG for ALRA London, GOON BANDAGE by Helen Griffin and Christian Patterson for Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea , THE BFG for the Royal&Derngate Theatres Northampton and Firey Angel Productions. Benjamin Brittens' NOYE'S FLUDDE for the Royal Welsh Collge of Music and Drama, Cardiff.DANGEROUS OBSESSION and AND A NIGHTINGALE SANG for The Jill Freud Company,Southwold

As a writer he has written A HORIBLE HISTORY OF WORLD WAR TWO , ELMER THE ELEPHANT for BSC, THE DEVOTED FRIEND for Sherman Cymru,and co-written A HORRIBLE HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAM, ALADDIN DICK WHITINGTON. SLEEPING BEAUTY and CINDERELLA. His three adaptations of Oscar Wilde stories for children, THE HAPPY PRINCE, THE SELFISH GIANT and THE DEVOTED FRIEND have been published by Oberon Books London. He has also edited and published an anthology of THE PLAYS OF FRANK VICKERY and a collection of new plays from Welsh theatres TRANSITIONS published by Parthion Books Wales. He also edited a compilation of one act plays from Welsh writers ACT ONE WALES published by Seren Books Wales

. As an arts consultant Phil has been working with M6 THEATRE COMPANY in Rochdale, developing their Youth Theatre and management development programme, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF YOUTH THEATRES training the trainers development programme, PINT SIZED PLAYS programme of new theatre writing in pubs in Pembrokeshire, Wales, ODD THEATRE COMPANY Manchester developing their management strategy, CHELMSFORD COUNCIL advising on their Youth Arts strategy, the DRAMA ASSOCIAION OF WALES running their residential Summer Schools, THE COURTYARD THEATRE, Hereford training their education department staff, YORK YOUTH THEATRE developing their artistic strategy, and developing the work of the THEATRE TRUST in Wales.