Marcus Clarke (puppeteer)

Marcus Clarke is a British puppeteer and voice actor from Nottinghamshire. He is best known as the puppeteer and voice actor behind the BAFTA-winning CITV series Bookaboo and the principal puppeteer of Audrey II in the 1986 version of Little Shop of Horrors. Clarke has worked as a puppeteer in over 60 television series and has created a similar number of puppets. He was also a puppeteer and voice actor in two Muppet feature films and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Marcus Clarke
Marcus clarke talking with his Puppets
Marcus Clarke talking with his puppets
NationalityBritish
OccupationActor
Known forPuppeteer, voice acting
Websitewww.handsuppuppets.com

History

Marcus Clarke was born in Forest Gate, East London. He spent several years in Canada, Care and in NCH orphanages before being settled in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire where he left West Bridgford School, his local comprehensive school with no qualifications. After a series of jobs behind the scenes in theatres, he became stage manager in a West End production of Little Shop Of Horrors, where he looked after Audrey II – the giant plant. He became interested in the art of puppetry. Clarke went on to audition for Jim Henson's TV Puppeteering Workshop, where he befriended Brian Henson.[1]

Inspired in part by Henson, he and his partner, Helena Smee, formed a puppet creation company, "Hands Up Puppets", in 1986. To date, they have created more than 60 puppets and worked as puppeteers on a similar number of UK television series.[1]

Recent work

Bookaboo, 2009 BAFTA-award-winning kids' TV series has Clarke puppeteering a "rock puppy" who is unable to play the drums before one of his friends has read him a story.[2] Designed to back the 2008 National Year of Reading campaign,[3] Bookaboo's friends are celebrities such as Meat Loaf and David Seaman.[4]

Since 2009, Clarke has been working on new projects, teaching puppetry classes and working with charities. He created a short film with young people at Clayfields House, a secure children's home in Stapleford, Nottinghamshire. Clarke is also on the Board of Funny Wonders Inc, a community interest company, co-organisers of the Buxton Puppet Festival.[4]

Since 2010 Clarke has also been an exhibiting contemporary artist. He created the art movement Puppet TV Graffiti to encompass his new art and craft of puppetisation and began creating and exhibiting puppetised contemporary artworks.[5] Exhibitions and hangings include.

Marcus Clarke created this puppetised, PuppetTVGraffiti work for his DogHorse Coat art exhibition.

2015 The DogHorse Coat Art Exhibition. Floor 1 Gallery, Nottingham Central Library, 2–28 Feb 2015[6]

2014 Homeless in the Puppetised City Art Exhibition, one man show, Nottingham. 13x works and video.[7]

2014 Surface Gallery International Postcard Show 1x postcard work.[8]

2012 FAB Fringe Arts Bath 2012. Mis-in-Formation. 3x works exhibited. Curator Diana Ali.[9]

2011 Surface Gallery Nottingham 'Salon des Refuse's' 2x works exhibited.[10]

1977 Mansfield College of Art. Various.[11]

Awards

Clarke has been nominated for and won a number of awards, including two BAFTAs for Pre-school Live Action. The first was in 2004 for PJ's Storytime[12] and the second in 2009 for Bookaboo.[13] Bookaboo went on to win Best Children's Programme at the Broadcast Awards.[14] and its category at the Prix Jeuness International. Clarke was also Milky Cat in The Christmas Milkshake Show nominated in the same category in 2009.[15] The young people in Clarke's puppet film, Clayfields House, won two writing awards from the Koestler Trust.[4] He was listed as one of the "prominent people in Nottinghamshire" in 2010 at the Nottinghamshire Archives.[16]

Filmography

Film
Year Role Film
1985Audrey II principal puppeteerLittle Shop Of Horrors
1988Various puppeteeringWho Framed Roger Rabbit
1992Additional Muppet performer (voice), various puppeteeringThe Muppet Christmas Carol
1996Additional Muppet performer (voice), various puppeteeringMuppet Treasure Island

Television
Year Show Character Location/Company
1986The StorytellerDevilThe Jim Henson Company
1987Monster MakerUltragorgan, little GorganThe Jim Henson Company
1988PlayboxDog and CatRagdoll Productions
1989Hotdog/Treasure BoxHotdogThames Television
1990Dappledown FarmDapple, Millie, StubbleClear Idea Television
1991Tricky BusinessCrabtreeBBC Television
1995Children's Channel On-Air PresentationVoid the Android, Hopper, DreebStarstream Productions
1996WoWSidITV
1997Venus on the Hard DriveVenusFox Broadcasting Company
1997Here's Johnny ChimesJohnny ChimesNBC
1998Dottie and BuzzBuzzProspect Pictures
1999Tickle Patch and Friends (Series 1)PatchChannel 5 (UK)
1999Tenth KingdomBirdCarnival Films
1999Big BagBagSesame Workshop
2002SMarteeniesDoogy DogCBeebies
200010th KingdomBird
2003The SoftiesCosyChannel 5
2003PJ's BedtimePJPlayhouse Disney
2003A House That's Just Like YoursDustyChannel 5
2004PJ's Storytime[12]PJPlayhouse Disney
2005Sandy and Mr. FlapperMr. FlapperTwo Hand Productions
2004a Milkshake! ChristmasPatchChannel 5
2005Ant and Dec's Saturday Night TakeawayAnt VentGranada Television
2006–2007Tickle Patch and Friends 1 & 2PatchTwo Hand Productions
2007–2008The Milkshake! ShowMilkyChannel 5
2008, 2010Bookaboo (series 1 and 2)[13]BookabooITV
2009Producer Director and performerClayfields House Film
2009This MorningBody Guard, Minder, Bouncer, HeavyITV
2009MonkeySalty TicketmasterChannel 5
2010BBC Learning ZonePuppetry ConsultantGameLab London

References
  1. Walker, James (4 November 2009). "Marcus Clarke interview". Leftlion.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  2. "Puppeteer gets children's TV BAFTA for Bookaboo". BBC News. 4 December 2009. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  3. Richardson, Anna (3 July 2008). "ITV to launch children's book club". The Bookseller. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  4. Lowbridge, Caroline (31 December 2009). "Story-loving puppy drummer is a kids' TV hit". Nottingham Evening Post. Archived from the original on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  5. Marcus Clarke. "Contemporary Artist Marcus Clarke's PuppetTVGraffiti artworks page". Handsuppuppets.com. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  6. "Nottdance 2015". Archived from the original on 13 March 2015.
  7. "Homeless in the Puppetised City at The Corner – 11/04/2014 – 13/04/2014 (Nottingham Culture". Leftlion.co.uk. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  8. Artmajeur "The International Postcard Show 2014 Surface Gallery". Artmajeur.com. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  9. "Fringe Arts Bath Festival – Mis-Information". Fringeartsbath.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  10. "Salon des Refusés suitcase art goes on sale for £10,000". BBC. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  11. "Vision Alumni Profile". www.wnc.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2 January 2015.
  12. "BAFTA Children's Past Winners and Nominees". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  13. "BAFTA Children's Awards 2009". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 29 November 2009. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  14. "Broadcast Award Winners International2010". broadcastawards.co.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  15. Lowbridge, Claire (1 November 2009). "BAFTA nominations for Notts based puppeteers". Nottingham Evening Post. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
  16. "Unofficial Who's Who for Notts enters Archives". BBC News. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
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