Profile

Samantha CLARKE

Humble | Creative | Imaginative | Curious | ​Proud Mutti Mutti/Wemba Wemba woman
Hometown:
First Nation mob:
Born in Whyalla, SA;  Childhood in Adelaide, SA
Born in Whyalla, SA, childhood in Adelaide, SA, ​First Nation mob: Muthi Muthi/Wemba Wemba - Balnarald area, N.S.W.
Occupation:
Teacher assistant (TafeSA)
Auslan tutor/Translator/Deaf Interpreter/mentor (Deaf Butterfly Effect)
Auslan Deaf-led tour guide (ACE, Lions Art Gallery)
Auslan Deaf-led tour guide (Tarnanthi, Art Gallery of S.A.)
Freelance Actor/Producer/Director/Auslan Tutor/Translator/Deaf Interpreter
Volunteering work:
Deaf Writers program
Interested in:
Creative & imagination sci fi, Deaf stories, Aboriginal stories, lyrics, poems and directing, acting, filming, editing.
Aboriginal history, Deaf history. 
Hobbies such as outdoor activities, 8ball pool games, mystery games, board/card games, writing lyrics, poems, stories and crafts.
Studies:
Certificate III Auslan
Small Companies and Theatre Communities
Linguistic
L.O.T.E. - Auslan
Cinema studies
Sex, Gender and Identity (Formerly known as Women’s studies)
Favourite book/story:
The Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair books - Enid Blyton
Sweet Valley High (book series) - Francine Pascal
Pet Sematary, The Shining, Misery - Stephen King books
Why Men don't listen and Women cant read map - Allan and Barbara Pease
Where the wild things are - Maurice Sendak
The Dreamtime Book - Charles P. Mountford
The Biggest Estate on Earth - Bill Gammage
Dark Emu - Bruce Pascoe
Future inspiration:
To write stories about Deaf Aboriginal & Deaf stories for kids and adults.
To film creative and imaginary stories about Deaf Aboriginal & Deaf stories - Sci fi and non-Sci fi. 
Background info:
Grew up with a divorce single mother and no siblings. Went to 2 Deaf school and 4 mainstreamed schools. My bedroom was my creative inner world where I’d be creative and have imaginary adventures in. 

Joined as an actor with the Australian Theatre of the Deaf which is based in Sydney, we’d travel around Australia and visited some Countries to showcase our plays. The best time of my life. Lived in Sydney for 10 years before I moved to Melbourne to study and work in the field of Auslan and/or Aboriginal sector. Co-founder of DeafTV which was broadcasted on TV, channel 31 (Community tv programs). 17 years of living in Melbourne suddenly had me falling into depression in the end and I yearned to return back to my childhood root and hometown - Adelaide. Been here since 2015 and living with my childhood friend and our 13 cats altogether. 6 of them being Deaf white cats. 

I class myself as a Deaf (first) then Aboriginal and then a woman. I love to talk about Linguistic and creating/brainstorming ideas for theatre, film. You’ll find me doing either crafting, writing or playing when I am at home.