Noel Coward was once asked why he wrote plays; “So I can write whopping good parts for myself”, was the reply. Possibly playfully disingenuous or possibly revealing – it’s hard to say…(or possibly not). In any case the charge of self-aggrandisement cannot be made of Sarah Berger, the founder and currently ‘general factotum and bottle-washer’ of the So and So Arts Club.

We met in the newly acquired and commodious premises of the club in Frederick’s Place in the city, a few minutes walk from St Paul’s in Old Jewry. Sarah is one of those people you’d always like in your team. A natural mover-and-shaker, once her mind is made up she gets on with whatever it is. Having decided that a club where creative people could come together and make things happen would be a boon to all concerned she was soon on to the phone with a list of potential sponsors and backers; here a name in support there a pledge of money. And it’s working: productions, seasons, exhibitions and plans to pull in more leading lights and mount ambitious projects in the future.

So once people have paid their sub what do you want them to do? “Get involved! Too many people pay to join and we never see them.” The best way to describe the club is as a kind of bourse for creative people looking to build a project. Be it on stage the media or the arts generally the idea is to pay a small sub and get your ideas out there.

Moved by the plight of, let’s face it, most of the acting profession who are out of work at any given time and with time on her hands with her son now through university the time seemed right to put ideas into practice. The initial launch bash two years ago had over one hundred and twenty folk with membership now many multiples of that. Twenty-two rehearsed readings of new work have been mounted, the first of which went on to a full-scale production. New writing continues to be a central theme.

Mentoring is another project just getting off the ground with an, ’I taught you now pass it on’, philosophy. At the moment it’s little surprise, given Sarah’s background in the theatre, that a large part of the current membership is made up of all sections of the theatre: actors, writers, directors, agents, producers, photographers, casting directors and theatres, such is her coaxing embrace. But the arts in general are the ultimate target with poetry readings slated for the near future. And although based in the city the club’s doors are open to the world.

So back to Coward; Sarah is at pains to let it be seen that the club is not a vehicle to further her own career and the plan is to hand over the running to a committee asap. So if you feel you are being sucked into the bowels of your sofa and your phone refuses to ring, here’s your chance to make things happen. Artists, angels and mentors all await in Old Jewry along with all the other so and sos.     Graham Wyles  May 2015

© Graham Wyles and StageTalk Magazine 2015. All rights reserved, no reproduction in part or in whole without permission.