Championing children's theatre with Danny

He is the director for the stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's Danny The Champion Of The World, which is heading for Brighton, Horsham and Southampton.

"For the last 30 years I have worked for young people, creating theatre for young audiences," Clarke says. "I am fascinated by how a child learns and by what appeals to a child, things that change quite regularly in terms of fashion.

"But I am also really interested in what things will always interest people '“ and that's where Roald Dahl comes in. Our job is to give young people a really fantastic time in the theatre."

And that's all the more important when you consider that young people as a potential theatre audience have been '“ as he says '“ grossly overlooked by the business for the past 30 years.

"The main diet is panto, which is a fantastic art form but it is only once a year. The theatre needs to be looking after young audiences for the rest of the year as well."

For full feature and an excellent range of entertainments and arts see West Sussex Gazette February 6