The tiny Etcetera Theatre is a hidden gem on Camden High Street. For this latest instalment of Fringe Focus, we asked artistic director Otto Jäger to tell us more about the venue and how it fits into London’s fringe scene.
Etcetera has been around for nearly forty years, and is the smallest capacity theatre in London. What’s special about it?
One of the few surviving independent, affordable venues in London and especially Camden Town.
With everything becoming corporate and gentrified by the minute around us, it’s nothing short of a miracle that a space like this still exists in 2024.
We provide an essential platform for new, early careers creatives to try out new work and give their first steps in front of an audience.
Last year you put out a crisis call with potential closure hanging over you. What’s the latest on that situation?
We’re stable now, thanks to a lot of people that donated and mostly through sheer grind. Still not above water but we can remain open if things continue in a “normal” fashion (knock on wood)
You’re located in a very busy part of the capital, in Camden Town, above the Oxford Arms. Pros and cons of this?
Pros: Perfect location for audience members to get here from anywhere in London. Tube station 100 metres away.
Cons: The odd football final doesn’t really gel with a Shakespearean drama going upstairs, but it adds to the eclectic charm.
Do you think the fringe is in a healthy place at the moment? What’s changed since your venue launched, especially since the pandemic?
Sadly, more and more venues are closing leaving even less spaces for independent creatives to express themselves.
Social media and the digital world of course play a part on this but there’s something about being in a room with real actors performing live that just cannot be replicated.
What’s changed mostly I would say it’s the length of runs. Before the pandemic, having plays doing 1,2 or even 3 week’s runs was a regular thing. Nowadays, you’re lucky if you get a week run.
This is completely understandable and mostly due to the rise in costs and the cost of living crisis.
We regularly put on Festivals with no hire fee to give an accessible space to new companies, but we still need to pay our bills, so it’s a fine line.
Your venue is a wonderful place for both performers and audiences. Do you capture a particular type of either, and what attracts people to work with you and see your shows?
Not by design but we do seem to host a lot of “outsider” shows. Shows you wouldn’t normally see elsewhere, with a lot of Queer, women, lgbtq+ and global majority voices.
This is mainly because we pride ourselves in giving an opportunity to every company despite their experience, size, and origins. That’s why we feel it’s important that places like ours remain open.
What’s your typical programming model for a year?
Women Writers Festival at the beginning of the year, Indie Artists Festivals throughout the year, Camden Fringe in August, Horror Festival in October, and everything and everyone in between.
We are open 7 days a week, 12 hours a day.