Vita

Rachel Donaldson Clarke is a bilingual author and poet from Berlin. She grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, surrounded by storytelling and the tradition of writing and reciting poetry. She studied German language and literature in Edinburgh, which led her to Berlin to study theater directing. After spending five years working in rural Laos, she began specializing in autobiographical storytelling on contemporary issues.

She writes and performs her own stories and shows in English, German and sometimes also the Lao language with other artists and musicians. Apart from being a great evening's entertainment, the shows link the past, present and future, offer some reflection on experiences in our a society, and link personal with regional and sometimes also
global contexts.

Since my early 20s, she has been running interactive arts events involving stories and live music. For 10 years from 2015 to 2025, she was curator for the Storytelling Arena events.
The Storytelling Arena is a not-for-profit organisation based in Berlin.

Storytelling is the most democratic of all the arts. It is a joy to share stories, insights from our lives and inspire one another.

QUALIFICATIONS

Diploma in Theatre Directing

Theory & Practice,  The Academy for the Dramatic Arts Ernst Busch, Berlin

MA Degree in German

German language and literature. Subsiduary Subjects - French and Business Studies, University of Edinburgh, Scotland (MA, Hons; 2:1)

Certifications

  • Psychodrama Instructor - Psychodrama Forum Berlin (2015)

  • Trainer of Trainers, TOT, IHK Berlin, AEVO tested and certified (2015)

  • Trainer of Trainers Intercultural Knowledge (IKAP Thailand / SE Asia, 2007)

Further Training

  • Forum Theatre (Partizipatory, Thematic), Centro do Teatro Oprimido,
    Rio de Janeiro, Brasil (2001), Artistic Director:  Augusto Boal

  • Giant & Multi-Sized Puppet Theatre on Global Themes
    Bread & Puppet Theatre, Glover, Vermont, United States
    Artistic Director, Peter Schumann (Germany), 2001 and 2019