Owner, Drama Kids International of Wilmington and Delaware County
Pandemic or not, the show must go on. After a mandated intermission, Courtney Clarke rebooted Drama Kids International, her theater program for pre-K to high school students.
In March, Clarke expanded from Wilmington into Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with more than 500 students in her own classes and in those she conducts with Wilmington-area schools. That was major growth from the small franchise Clarke bought in 2014.
The pandemic forced Clarke to shift gears. Now, she and her instructors teach small classes in person and larger classes via Zoom. A performer since her 20s, Clarke knows the importance of theater arts education. “This is everything I want to do,” she says. “Kids need ways to express themselves, now more than ever.”