Jackie Clarke
All round entertainer, Jackie Clarke can MC and/or entertain either alone or with a band.
Jackie is the original jack of all trades - she's a singer, actor, MC and all round entertainer, as comfortable on stage as she is on screen and in the studio.
Jackie Clarke has turned a love of singing and a genuine gift of the gab into a stellar career in the performing arts spanning a quarter of a century. She is a multi talented entertainer who’s made a home for herself on the stage, screen and in the studio.
Jackie treads the boards with alarming regularity, starring in shows such as Anything Goes, Sweet Charity, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, A Christmas Carol, Porgy And Bess, The World Goes ‘Round, Little Shop Of Horrors and Mum’s The Word. Jackie’s most recent stage foray was playing a booze hag named Pam in Dumped, a comic play by Andrew Clay which premiered at the 2012 New Zealand Comedy Festival. In stark contrast, Jackie’s ignored the age old advise of avoiding working with children and animals and has starred in many shows alongside canine mega star Hairy Maclary and with choirs of children as the Narrator in the international touring production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
As a singer Jackie’s career highlights include The Lady Killers (with Tina Cross, Suzanne Lynch and Annie Crummer), The Darlings, Jubilation Gospel Choir, When The Cat’s Been Spayed and guesting with the NZSO, APO, Wellington Vector Orchestra, CSO, ACO, Dunedin Sinfonia, Dave Dobbyn, Annie Crummer, Mika, L.A Mitchell, Wayne Mason, Jonathan Besser and Bravura and beyond! Jackie’s also a core artist of the iconic Coca-Cola Christmas In The Park events.
Jackie loves a good old show tune and has belted them out in several revues – Sirens (with Tina Cross and Penny Dodd), Broadway Songbirds (with Ellie Smith), Let’s Do It ( dir. Raymond Hawthorne) and Love Hate Relationship (with Tim Beveridge). Jackie is currently developing a solo cabaret outing La Belle Jacqueline.
Jackie’s television career includes judging New Zealand Idol (series 2) and Showcase (series 2&3), co-hosting Saturday Live, starring in comedy shows Skitz and The Semisis, presenting documentaries; Here To Stay (Scottish episode), ANZAC Songs, Wise Women & Song and TWINS. And of course there’s the infamous cameo on the Jacquie Brown Diaries where Jackie V Jacquie in an all out catfight.
Jackie is in demand as an MC/chanteuse/raconteur and hosts many glittering corporate, community and arts events exploiting her uncanny ability to scrub up reasonably well in a sparkly frock and wax lyrical.
Testimonials:
‘Who can turn the world on with a smile? Clarke can; she’s a revelation. Clarke is a joy to watch as she belts out such classics…with an exuberance that ‘s awe-inspiring. And she sure can strut her stuff.’ Natasha Hay, Sweet Charity Review, NZ Listener
“The effort and background research Jackie put into this performance was well above expectation. Jackie was sensational in every respect and was “the glue” that connected song, performance and messaging throughout the evening. Jackie’s performance was key to the success of this high profile event”. 4PR for Tourism Australia.
Jackie was brilliant throughout, really entertaining, professional and made my night much easier! Greg Wards, HCB Technologies