Clara is a storyteller.
A coffee-fuelled news junkie.
Her stories examine the humanity behind the headlines, helping us better understand and connect with one another.
As an audio producer and writer, she loves a research deep dive to untangle pieces of a story — uncovering big, difficult, or hidden stories to create a better understanding of ourselves and our world.
Her stories are richly textured audio journeys, a style informed by her work as a theatre and film actor and writer in the United States.
She earned a distinction for her Audio Storytelling for Radio and Podcast MA, a programme within Public Anthropology at University College of London (UCL).
Clara enjoys digging into medical and psychological research, expanding her understanding of anatomy and how the body and brain are intertwined.
She also loves getting into the outdoors. As a treat to herself for completing a full month’s run at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022, she tackled the West Highlands Way — a 96-mile walking trail in the Scottish Highlands. One of her favourite parts of walking is the people you meet on the trail.
Good Little Church Girl
a 60-minute audio doc about religious trauma in evangelical Christianity in the American context
Why does something that’s supposed to be so good cause so much pain?
Theatre Kid
a 15-minute audio doc
Flynn was raised by two professional theatre artists. Anticipating his high school graduation and the beginning of his young adult life, he reflects on the pros and cons of being raised a theatre kid.
Alphabet Soup
a 10-minute experiemental soundscape
An audio portrait of the spinning, looping, and randomness of a neurodivergent brain.
American God
a 10-minute audio doc
What is happening in the USA? An examination of Christian nationalist underpinnings in the American political zeitgeist.
Trump Thump
a 5-minute audio doc
Americans respond to the election victory of Donald Trump in November 2024.
Living Well with Food Allergies
a 10-minute audio doc
When you have food allergies, the transition into young adulthood can add challenges for both the young adult and their parents as they learn to navigate allergy management on their own.
There is No Sound in the Vacuum of Space
a short audio drama that imagines a love triangle with a guy, a gal, and a comet-chasing space probe.
Inspired by the European Space Agency Rosetta mission.
Wasted
a series of five 3-minute episodes exploring the environmental impact of the fashion industry and the people who are helping to change the paradigm
Fashion haul videos abound on social media, but the fashion industry has a serious waste problem. What’s a cash-strapped fashionista to do?
Where I’m From
Selection from Edinburgh Fringe show ‘This Moment in America’
How would you finish the statement, “Where I’m from…”?
Threads was undertaken during my master’s programme at University College London (UCL) for a documentary filmmaking course. It explored the community created around a solitary activity — sewing — at a haberdashery in East London.
This Moment in America was a show I conceived, wrote, produced, and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2022. Performing daily at Underbelly, I live-mixed an audio recording of up-to-the-minute reflections on and reactions to news in the United States. A sonic collage of the American psyche, This Moment in America asked, “Can we find more to unite us than what divides us?”
Monster in Me brings emotions to life for early education students by turning them into monster puppets and offering kids a way to see their emotions as something that may be outside of who they are. (as Clara Harris)
Click here to see coverage about the play from WFPL, Louisville’s NPR station.
Monster in Me was commissioned and produced by StageOne Family Theatre as Monster of Mine. Published (as Monster in Me) by Pioneer Drama. Written by Clara Burns (credited as Clara Harris). Directed by Keith McGill. Costume design by Allison Anderson. Set design by Karl Anderson.
The challenge with Whazzits was to craft an entertaining and interactive play for pre-schoolers that would premiere as a filmed play. It was developed in partnership with StageOne and Jefferson County Public Schools during the pandemic to provide social emotional learning opportunities for pre-schoolers who are facing the transition to kindergarten.
Click title card to see the mood board created for the piece.
Commissioned and produced by StageOne Family Theatre for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky. Written and directed by Clara Burns (credited as Clara Harris). Production design by Karl Anderson.
University College London, 2025
MA, Audio Storytelling for Radio and Podcast
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
BA, Humanities, concentration in English Literature and History
Arvon Foundation November, 2019
Writing for Radio — Simon Armitage and Susan Roberts, Tutors
2006 – present
Projects include:
Sixty-minute audio documentary about religious trauma
Ten-minute film about building community with fabric crafts
Five-episode series of three-minute audio stories about waste and sustainability in fashion
Fifty-minute live recording of archive audio and original writings to create a sonic collage of the American psyche
Thirty-minute series of short fictional audio stories based upon user submitted audio clips recorded from their homes during Covid lockdowns.
2006 – present
1997 – 2023
1998 – 2023
