Cliff McClelland began his teaching career as an English/Theatre teacher. However, his theatre programs grew so quickly, he soon taught high school theatre exclusively, a journey that lasted thirty years. McClelland graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with his Bachelor of Arts degree in English and then later his Masters of Arts in Interdisciplinary Humanities. Professionally, McClelland has written over 30 plays, four of which have been published by Heuer Publishing, Brooklyn Publishers, and Playscripts, Inc. His most popular of these,“Once Upon a Teen,” has enjoyed 34 productions and almost 100 performances worldwide, including the United Kingdom and Canada. His magical realism novel, “Dust to Dust,” was published by Scarsdale Publishing in 2021. McClelland has directed almost 40 musicals and 90 straight plays at the high school level and two professional productions with the McClarey Players. As an actor, he’s performed such iconic musical roles as Shrek, Sweeney Todd, and Horton the Elephant. He's happy to dive back into the English classroom and use his theatre background to motivate and encourage students to get off of their phones and into a good book!