Martha Clarke American director and choreographer Date of Birth: 03.06.1944 Country: USA

Biography of Martha Clarke

Martha Clarke is an American director and choreographer known for her interdisciplinary approach to theater, dance, and opera. Her works often focus on visually striking imagery, drawing inspiration from the visual arts, particularly painting. Although dance is Clarke's main passion, she has maintained a career that encompasses theater, visual arts, and opera.

One of her most famous works is the production of "The Garden of Earthly Delights" in 1984, which explores the intersections of theater, dance, and music, inspired by Hieronymus Bosch's famous painting of the same name. In 2007, a new version of the production opened the American Dance Festival on its 30th anniversary. On November 19, 2008, "The Garden of Earthly Delights" was performed at the Minetta Lane Theater in New York City. The production ran until April 5, 2009, after which a worldwide tour was planned.

In 1990, Martha received the MacArthur Award, also known as the "Genius Grant." In June 2010, she was honored with the Samuel H. Scripps/American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement, which is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the dance community.

Martha Clarke was born on June 3, 1944, in a family of musicians in Baltimore's suburb. She studied dance under Carolyn Lynn in the preparatory program of the Peabody Conservatory before continuing her education at the Juilliard School, where she studied under Antony Tudor and Anna Sokolow. Clarke then performed with Anna Sokolow's contemporary dance group and the theater collective organization "Dance Theater Workshop" for three years. She later founded the contemporary dance groups "Pilobolus" and "Crowsnest" before embarking on her career as a director and choreographer.

Clarke is known not only as a choreographer but also as a person who brings an avant-garde style to her new theatrical works. She has worked as a choreographer with renowned dance groups such as the Nederlands Dans Theater, Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Rambert Dance Company, and Martha Graham Company. As a director, Clarke is known for her original productions, including "The Garden of Earthly Delights" with Richard Peaslee's score, "Endangered Species," "Vienna: Lusthaus," "Miracolo d'Amore," "The Hunger Artist," and more. She also directed Christopher Hampton's "Alice's Adventures Underground," which premiered at the Royal National Theatre in London.

In the world of opera, Martha Clarke has put her efforts into the birth of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" for the Glimmerglass Opera and the Canadian Opera Company, as well as the comedic opera "Cosi fan tutte" for Glimmerglass. She has also directed Tan Dun's "Marco Polo" for the Munich Biennale, Hong Kong Festival, and the New York City Opera, and Gluck's "Orfeo and Euridice" for the English National Opera.

For the American Repertory Theater, Clarke directed "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and for the Lincoln Center Theater, she created the musical production "Belle Epoque," which tells the story of the French post-impressionist artist Toulouse-Lautrec. Additionally, Clarke has collaborated with Richard Greenberg, Charles L. Mee, and Alfred Uhry. Although Martha does not write music and texts for her projects, her creative enthusiasm extends far beyond choreography and the intricacies of staging. She meticulously approaches all production details, directly involving herself in music, texts, lighting, and costume selection. Perhaps, among all the numerous disciplines, Clarke draws the most inspiration from the visual arts, particularly painting.

In addition to the MacArthur Award, Clarke has received two grants from the Guggenheim Foundation and 15 grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). She has been honored with the Drama Desk Award, two Obie Awards, and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. Martha Clarke was the subject of the documentary film "Martha Clarke, Light and Dark" by Joyce Chopra.