ARTISTS ANONYMOUS LONDON
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Artists Anonymous was founded in 2006 by Alexander Parsonage, artistic director of Finger in the Pie Theatre, with the aim of opening up social spaces for people involved with creating theatre in the capital. The original idea was simply to advertise a day of the month when people who were interested could come to a given bar - away from their specific projects and productions - meet other folks in a similar position, chat and network. PubClub, as it became known, hasn't really changed much from that original idea – though the venue has improved over the years!

In 2007 it became clear that the voice of small-scale theatre companies was absent from the debate on funding, amid the early rumours of Olympic overspend and budget cuts. The press was generally interested in the cuts of mid-scale to large organisations - the RFOs (Regularly Funded Organisations) of this world. This was a position that small start-up arts businesses could only dream of! In fact the funding climate had been hostile for younger companies for decades, Olympics or not. It became obvious that, at least for our members, the debate that was raging in the pages of The Stage and the broadsheet arts supplements was wholly irrelevant; we needed a new approach.

Together with Middlesex University, Artists Anonymous organised a conference – Self Help: Achieving Sustainability in the Arts - to address the issue of funding and sustainability for small arts businesses. With representatives from Equity, the Independent Theatre Council, several theatre schools and a whole host of small-scale theatre companies all present, the day was a huge success. The conclusions of the conference were published by the Performance Initiative Network - Brunel University and can be accessed online here.

2008 saw a massive expansion of Artists Anonymous with Finger in the Pie project manager, Catherine Eccles appointed to run the organisation. PubClub was re-launched amid much celebration at the Phoenix Arts Club. Then Page to Stage, a script reading and development program, was launched to create a forum for developing new writing. We also launched a series of master classes to bring new skills into the network - as well as provide a networking environment based round specific interests. One of the most popular networking forums that Artists Anonymous organises is its online email group; giving members direct email access to everyone else in the network, it acts as a giant community mailing list. To compliment this popular feature, 2008 saw a complete redesign of the Artists Anonymous website, creating a site that could both hold more information while at the same time being easier to navigate and use.

Despite all the changes Artists Anonymous's mission remains the same: to create an open social space where ideas can be shared and honed, projects discussed and developed and artistic connections made and maintained. However you choose to access it Artists Anonymous offers a much needed sense of community within the landscape of London theatre.

Email all Artists Anonymous members:
artists-anonymous-theatre@googlegroups.com