A bit more about us…
ABOUT US
Definition
Croydonites: residents of the London Borough of Croydon
Croydon Nights: exceptionally good nights out in the theatre...in Croydon
Croydonites is a festival of theatre and performance. Our mission is to showcase local theatre makers, and bring some of the best contemporary performance work from around the UK to Croydon doorsteps.
Founded in 2015, we’ve held 6 live editions of the festival and one digital version (scuppered by the pandemic). We’ve commissioned the work of 21 local artists, and showcased 49 performances by Croydon theatre makers to hundreds of audience members. Our programme for aspiring writers, CroydonWrites, has been running since 2017 offering guidance and mentoring for anyone interested in writing about performance.
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In 2023 when Croydon was the London Borough of Culture, we delivered our most ambitious programme to date, commissioning more local work, bringing some of the biggest names in contemporary performance to Croydon and offering a series of artist development projects. In 2024 we continue to expand offering 4 weeks of performance in Oct/Nov including the inaugural Croydonites Fringe, featuring 18 artists over 4 days in town centre venues.
We have been regularly funded by the Arts Council of England and Croydon Council and more recently by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
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The in augural Croydonites Fringe Festival is sponsored by Croydon BID.
WHO WE ARE
Anna studied theatre at Dartington College of Arts before falling into stage management and passing herself off as a theatre technician. She quickly moved on to arts administration and producing and has worked for numerous venues and companies over 30 years including The Place, Dance Umbrella, Riverside Studios, Wayne McGregor, Hofesh Shechter and Jonzi D. She is currently the Administrative Director of the European dance hub Aerowaves, a role she’s undertaken since 2009 and founded Croydonites in 2015 (every town needs an experimental theatre festival right?). She moved to Croydon with her husband in 2002 and all her 3 children were born here. She considers herself an honorary Croydonite and can often be found in parks across the borough walking her dog Frank.
ANNA ARTHUR
Katie is a born and bred Croydonite who wears many creative hats. After graduating from drama school in 2007, she honed her skills in fringe theatre and TIE tours before venturing out on her own. She's performed and produced at The Park Theatre, Theatre503, The Pleasance Courtyard and VAULT. Additionally, her writing has been showcased at The Old Red Lion and earned her a spot as one of the top three finalists in The Funny Women awards for her webseries 'Bronzed' (2021). She has recently ventured into the world of dance, assisting on COMMONs Festival at Stanley Arts and ‘Super Natural Extra Normal’ in association with The Place. Beyond her artistic pursuits Katie loves spicy margaritas, eating pasta with friends and her two cats Skepta & Stomzy! She joined Croydonites in November 2021 and is extremely proud to be part of the team!
KATIE HURLEY
Sophie has over 25 years of arts management experience. Following her degree in English and Theatre Studies at Goldsmith UCL she worked front of house and in the teaching and participation team at the Young Vic Theatre. She moved into theatre producing with touring companies including Fevered Sleep with whom she toured internationally. She has also worked with the Royal Court Theatre, Touretteshero and Regional Theatre Young Directors Scheme. Between 2019 – 2022 she was a Senior Relationship Manager in the London Theatre Team at Arts Council England. Sophie is currently Co-Project Director for Crawley’s Creative Playground. She’s lived in Croydon since 2006 with her family and been an avid fan of Croydonites since the beginning. Sophie is delighted to lend a hand to this year's festival including the inaugural Croydonites Fringe.
SOPHIE EUSTACE
Jonathan is a Production Manager who received his professional training at LAMDA and has been working in theatre since 1993. He started his career at Sadler’s Wells Theatre and then moved on to become Chief Electrician at The Place Theatre and then Head of Lighting at RADA. In 2004, he became a freelance Lighting Designer, Production Manager and Theatre Consultant. He has been working in all areas of theatre and live events, and at all scales. Lately Jonathan has been managing productions for: Activate Arts, MKIF, Luke Jerram, Trinity Laban, Soul City Arts, Iconix, Ambika P3, Croydon’s Borough of Culture and of course Croydonites, since 2018.
JONATHAN SAMUELS
Photos from top: header – Figs in Wigs by Christa Holka; ‘Who We Are’ by Fluid4Sight; Anna and Katie profile pictures by Lukasz Izdebski