Clinton Clark ’10

Clinton Clark ’10 grew up in Bend and graduated Summit High School. His junior year at Summit, he was among students that welcomed the school’s brand-new theatre. Turning on the light after an extended period creates a smell from dust burning off the lights which has always been a comforting signal for Clinton even to this day, that something magical is coming soon.  

After applying to further his education at a New York theatre school, he chose SOU and its thriving theatre arts program. “I believe the SOU theatre program is one of the premier programs in the Pacific Northwest and maybe even on the Pacific Coast. I was pretty happy to be able to be a part of the program just three hours from my home in central Oregon,” said Clinton. 

On campus, the acting aspect of the theatre program was highly competitive with about 20 students accepted each year. Clark was selected for the program and worked hard to get roles, performing small roles his sophomore year and a character role in “Urintown” his junior year. “Auditioning is competitive and difficult and I was happy to get any role I could in our student theatre productions,” he said. After graduation spring of 2010 with his bachelor’s in theatre arts, and not securing a position at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) in Ashland, he headed back to central Oregon. There he acted part time at Bend’s Innovation Theatre Works but it was difficult financially so he moved to Portland in 2013 with an SOU alumni friend. In Portland he found work even more challenging so he decided that he was going to have to do something different by making his own way career-wise. He moved back to Bend in 2014 and started his own theatre company, Guerilla Shakespeare Company (GSC).

GSC is now in its eighth year in Bend. He believes that his company nests quite well with the number of young people moving to Bend who work remotely and seek solitude in the natural beauty. In August of 2016 he wrote his own play there, “The Beatles Die on Tuesday.” In 2019 he visited Chicago and ultimately made the move there in October of that year. In March of 2020 the pandemic shut down all operations so he returned to Bend. Then in January of 2021, he drove back to Chicago and tried to make a go of it while sleeping on friends’ couches. He’s now the Stage Manager at the historic Biograph Theatre of Chicago and commutes back to Bend periodically to direct plays and visit his family. His most recent production was “Mary Wives of Windsor” and he is currently producing comedy and theatre with his company Clark Week Productions. “In my opinion, do not wait for a job to land in your lap. It rarely happens. Make your own way by starting your own company. It will never be easy but it sure builds a foundation of experience that can launch you on your own,” said Clark. 

“SOU gave me a solid base and reasonable expectations when dedicating my life to the theatre arts. The proximity to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival alone should be a huge green flag for thespians when thinking about their education. And the fact that the theatre school often shares OSF faculty is invaluable as a resource”

Learn more: @clark_week_productions