Maria Clarke has twenty years experience as a director, teacher, dancer and actress. She began her professional dance training at the Bird College and after working as a dancer she embarked on professional training as an actress at the Mountview Academy. This experience led Maria to practice and develop movement based on the teachings of Laban and Lecoq, with further influences from the Tai Chi and the Alexander Technique. Recent studies for a Masters in Movement Studies have enabled her to research the parallels between the movement schools of and core principles of movement, acting and voice. She has taught on many drama courses including: Mountview Academy, Central School of Speech and Drama, GSA Conservatoire and Arts Educational School.
 
Direcitng includes: This Story of Yours (Pentameters Theatre), In Flame (Sketchely Theatre) The Real World, co-director (Sketchely Theatre), Audience with the Queen, co-director (Riverside Studios). Movement direction includes: Hard Shoulder (The Riverside Studios, Dead Woman on Holiday (Man in the Moon Theatre) School for Scandal (Embassy Theatre, Central School of Speech and Drama), The Rivals (Embassy Theatre, Central School of Speech and Drama), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (The Alra Drama School), Cloud Street (The Alra Drama School), Leonardo’s da Vinci, The Last Supper, (BB2, Fulmar Television)

Some acting and dance credits include: Evita (UK NO.1 Tour), Peter Pan (West End & UK NO.1 Tour), Chess (UK NO.1 Tour), Antigone (The Riverside Studios), When Lightening Breaks (Southwark Playhouse), Hard Shoulder (Riverside Studios), Zero Positive (Finborough Theatre), Four Short Plays with the LNPF at the Gielgud Theatre, West End, LWT, Thames TV-various corporate film companies. Maria has worked extensively as a dancer with leading choreographers in contemporary dance companies and West End productions.