The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. The Bush Theatre strives to create a space which nurtures and develops new artists and their work. A seedbed for the best new playwrights, many of whom have gone on to become established names in the industry, the Bush Theatre has produced hundreds of premieres, many of them Bush Theatre commissions, and hosted guest productions by theatre companies and artists from across the world.

Artistic Directors

* Jenny Topper (1977–88), jointly with Nicky Pallot (1979–90) * Dominic Dromgoole (1990–96) * Mike Bradwell (1996–2007) * Josie Rourke (2007–12) * Madani Younis (2011–2018) * Lynette Linton (2019–present)

History

The Bush Theatre pub on the corner of Goldhawk Road and Shepherd's Bush Green - geograph

On Thursday 6 April 1972, the Bush Theatre was established above The Bush public house on the corner of

Goldhawk Road Goldhawk Road is a road in west London, which starts at Shepherd's Bush and travels west. There are numerous shops, restaurants and businesses lining the road, which forms the southern boundary of Shepherd's Bush Green. It is designated part of ...

and Shepherd's Bush Green, in what was once the dance studio of Lionel Blair. It was established by a maverick actor, Brian McDermott, who used to tour the Fringe. The venue, despite its fame and massive output, was intimate, with a maximum audience of approximately 80. The first production was an adaption of ''The Collector'' by John Fowles, directed by John Neville and starring Annette Andre and Brian McDermott. Throughout 1992, the Bush Theatre celebrated 20 years at the frontier of new writing. "What has held the Bush together for 20 years? Blind faith, youthful commitment and a tenacious belief in new writing: above all, perhaps, the conviction that new work deserves the highest standards in acting, direction and design," ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

''. The Bush won ''The Empty Space Award'' for the year's work, which included Billy Roche's Bush plays ''A Handful Of Stars'', ''Poor Beast in the Rain'' and ''Belfry'' playing in repertory as ''The Wexford Trilogy'', which toured to

Wexford Opera House The National Opera House, formerly the Wexford Opera House, is a theatre in Wexford, Ireland. It was officially opened on 5 September 2008 in a ceremony with An Taoiseach Brian Cowen, followed by a live broadcast of RTÉ's '' The Late Late S ...

and the

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

, Dublin. In November 2010, the Bush Theatre announced it would be leaving its home of nearly forty years and moving to the former Passmore Edwards Public Library building, round the corner from its first home, on Uxbridge Road. The relocation took place in 2011 and the new venue opened with the "

Sixty-Six Books ''Sixty-Six Books'' was a set of plays premiered at the Bush Theatre, London, in 2011, to mark the theatre's reopening on a new site and the 400th anniversary of the King James Version. It drew its title from the 66 books of the Protestant Bibl ...

" project. This was a celebration of the anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, which used 66 writers, many of whom were veterans of the Bush. That same year, Artistic Director Josie Rourke announced her departure from the Bush to take up the position of Artistic Director of the Donmar Warehouse. The Board appointed Madani Younis as her successor from January 2012. In 2013, he programmed the theatre's most successful season to date, which saw the theatre play to 99% capacity. In Spring 2016, the Bush Theatre relocated its plays to found spaces around Shepherd's Bush and Notting Hill, as the former library building closed for the largest capital project in the theatre's history. Borrowing new and iconic spaces with their own histories and tales of the local community, this season of work welcomed new audiences and residents by offering a number of free and subsidised theatre tickets to local people. In March 2017, following a landmark year of taking plays into the communities of West London, the Bush Theatre returned home following a £4.3m revitalisation of the venue. The year-long redevelopment was driven by the aim of realising Younis’ vision for a theatre that reflected the diversity and vibrancy of London. Upon reopening, the building was to be more sustainable and entirely accessible, with a new entrance, front-of-house area and exterior garden terrace to the main street. Lynette Linton became Artistic Directory in January 2019, following Younis' appointment as Creative Director at the Southbank Centre. That same year, the theatre was named London Theatre of the Year by '' The Stage''. In response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the Bush Theatre filmed several of its productions and offered them to online viewers. Disgraced

Venue

Following the 2016/17 redevelopment, the Bush Theatre has two performance spaces: * The ''Theatre'', a reserved seating venue with a maximum capacity of 180. It has remained in its original location and can be configured in a

thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that ...

, end on or in the round layout. * The ''Studio'', an unreserved seating venue with a maximum capacity of 70, is a home for emerging artists and producers. Similarly, this space can be configured in a thrust, end on or in the round layout. The building also contains an ''Attic'' rehearsal space and ''Writer's Room'', along with a Café Bar, garden terrace and playtext library, which is the largest public theatre reference library in the United Kingdom. The redevelopment of the venue was 'Cultural Project of the Year' finalist at the AJ Architecture Awards 2017, and 'Highly commended Cultural Building' at the AJ Retrofit Awards 2017, and selected by the Hammersmith Society as winner of their Conservation Award for 2017.

New writing

The Literary Department at the Bush Theatre is committed to discovering the best new plays from playwrights from the widest range of backgrounds and therefore seek unsolicited submissions throughout the year in dedicated script windows. The Bush is a proud champion of playwrights, with a keen interest in those voices not often heard, and reflecting the contemporary culture of London, the UK and beyond. The Department receives nearly 2000 scripts a year from new and established playwrights, all of which are read and considered for production or development at the Bush.

Awards

1977 –

George Devine George Alexander Cassady Devine (20 November 1910 – 20 January 1966) was an English theatrical manager, director, teacher, and actor based in London from the early 1930s until his death. He also worked in TV and film. Early life and education ...

Award to Robert Holman for ''German Skerries''
1979 – George Devine Award to

Jonathan Gems Jonathan Gems (born 1952, London) is a British playwright and screenwriter mostly known for his work on ''Mars Attacks!'' (1996), directed by Tim Burton. He also wrote the film's novelization. His well known work includes a screenplay for an adap ...

for ''The Tax Exile''
1982 –

Samuel Beckett Award The Samuel Beckett Award was a British award set up in 1983 and, over the next decade, awarded to writers, who in the opinion of a committee of critics, producers and publishers, showed innovation and excellence in writing for the performing arts. ...

for ''Coming Clean'' by Kevin Elyot
1986 – Laurence Olivier Award Nomination for Outstanding Achievement to Robert Holman for ''Making Noises Quietly''
1989 – John Whiting Award for ''Handful of Stars'' by Billy Roche
1993 – Laurence Olivier Award Nomination for Outstanding Achievement to Billy Roche for ''The Wexford Trilogy''
1993 –

Susan Smith Blackburn Award The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is the largest and oldest playwriting prize for women+ writing for English-speaking theatre. Named for Susan Smith Blackburn (1935–1977), alumna of Smith College, who died of breast cancer. ...

Jane Coles Jane Coles is a British playwright. She won the 1994 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize established in 1978, is the largest and oldest playwriting prize for women+ writing for English-speaking theatre. Named for Susan S ...

for ''Backstroke In A Crowded Pool''
1993 – John Whiting Award for ''The Clearing'' by Helen Edmundson
1994 – John Whiting Award for ''Beautiful Thing'' by Jonathan Harvey
1995 – Laurence Olivier Award Nomination for ''Beautiful Thing'' by Jonathan Harvey
1996 –

to Naomi Wallace for '' One Flea Spare''
1997 – Meyer-Whitworth Award to Conor McPherson for '' This Lime Tree Bower''
1998 – George Devine Award to

Helen Blakeman Helen Blakeman (born 1971) is a British playwright and screenwriter from Liverpool. She has written three plays. ''Caravan'', her first, was written while she studied at Birmingham University and won her the George Devine award. Her second pla ...

for ''Caravan''
1998 – Meyer-Whitworth Award to

Daragh Carville Daragh Carville (born in Armagh in 1969) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and educator. He is best known for co-creating and writing the ITV crime drama '' The Bay'', first broadcast on ITV in 2019, attracting an average audience of over seven ...

for ''Language Roulette''
1999 – George Devine Award to Mark O'Rowe for ''Howie the Rookie''
2005 – Meyer-Whitworth Award to Stephen Thompson for ''Damages''
2006 –

to Amelia Bullmore for ''Mammals''
2007 – Susan Smith Blackburn Award to Abbie Spallen for ''Pumpgirl'
''2013 – Pulitzer Prize for ''Disgraced'' by Ayad Akhtar

Books

To celebrate 40 years of the Bush Theatre, ''"Close-Up Magic": 40 Years at the Bush Theatre'' was published, charting the history of the theatre and including contributions from past directors, actors, writers and audience members.

Productions

A list of selected productions of the Bush Theatre. * 2019 ''The Arrival'' by

Bijan Sheibani Bijan Sheibani ( fa, بیژن شیبانی) is a British theatre director. Early life and education Sheibani was born in Liverpool, and moved with his family to Hove when he was 7. He was schooled at St Andrew's C of E School in Hove and at Brigh ...

* 2019 ''Strange Fruit'' by

Caryl Phillips Caryl Phillips (born 13 March 1958) is a Kittitian-British novelist, playwright and essayist. Best known for his novels (for which he has won multiple awards), Phillips is often described as a Black Atlantic writer, since much of his fictional ...

* 2018 '' Misty'' by Arinzé Kene * 2018 ''Leave Taking'' by Winsome Pinnock * 2018 ''Dismantle Festival'' by Project 2036 *2017 ''The Hijabi Monologues'' by Amal Abdi, Hanan Issa, Sahar Ullah and Nimmo Ismail *2016 ''The Royale'' by Marco Ramirez * 2016 ''Boys Will Be Boys'' by Melissa Bubnic * 2016 ''Right Now'' by Catherine-Anne Toupin * 2016 ''Pink Mist'' by

Owen Sheers Owen Sheers (born 20 September 1974) is a Welsh poet, author, playwright and television presenter. He was the first writer in residence to be appointed by any national rugby union team. Early life Owen Sheers was born in Suva, Fiji in 1974, and ...

* 2015 ''Forget Me Not'' by

Tom Holloway Tom Holloway is an Australian playwright, based in Melbourne . Holloway's plays have been performed across Australia and internationally, including '' Beyond the Neck'' at Belvoir St Theatre (2007), ''Red Sky Morning'' at Red Stitch Actors Theat ...

* 2015 ''RADAR 2015'' * 2015 ''F*ck the Polar Bears'' by Tanya Ronder * 2015 ''The Invisible'' by Rebecca Lenkiewicz * 2015 '' The Angry Brigade'' by James Graham * 2015 ''The Royale'' by Marco Ramirez * 2015 ''Islands'' by Caroline Horton * 2014 ''

Visitors Visitor, in English and Welsh law, is an academic or ecclesiastical title. Visitor or Visitors may also refer to: Geography * Visitor (mountain), a mountain in eastern Montenegro * Lake Visitor, a mountain lake in eastern Montenegro Literature ...

'' by Barney Norris * 2014 ''Albion'' by Chris Thompson * 2014 ''RADAR 2014'' * 2014 ''Perseverance Drive'' by

Robin Soans Robin Soans (born 20 June 1946) is a British actor, and a playwright specialising in verbatim and documentary plays. These plays include ''Across the Divide'' (2007); ''A State Affair'' (2000) which looked at life on a Bradford estate, produced ...

* 2014 ''Incognito'' by

Nick Payne Nick Payne (born 1984) is a British playwright and screenwriter. Early life and education Payne studied at the University of York and subsequently at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He is also a graduate of the Royal Court Young Write ...

* 2014 '' We Are Proud to Present a Presentation by the Herero of Namibia, formerly known as South West Africa, from the German Sud-Ouest Afrika Between the Years 1895 – 1915'' by Jackie Sibblies-Drury * 2014 ''Ciphers'' by Dawn King * 2013 ''Jumpers for Goalposts'' by Tom Wells * 2013 ''RADAR 2013'' * 2013 ''The Herd'' by Rory Kinnear * 2013 ''Josephine and I'' by

Cush Jumbo Cush Jumbo (born 23 September 1985) is a British actress and writer. She is best known for her leading role as attorney Lucca Quinn in the CBS drama series ''The Good Wife'' (2015–16) and the CBS All Access spin-off series ''The Good Fight'' ...

* 2013 '' Disgraced'' by Ayad Akhtar (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama) * 2013 ''Three Birds'' by Janice Okoh * 2013 ''Money the game show'' by Clare Duffy * 2012 '' Straight'' by D. C. Moore * 2012 ''Snookered'' by Ishy Din * 2012 ''Chalet Lines'' by Lee Mattinson * 2012 ''The Beloved'' by Amir Nizar Zuabi * 2012 ''Mad About the Boy'' by Gbolahan Obisesan * 2012 ''Fear'' by

Dominic Savage Dominic Savage (born 23 November 1962) is a British BAFTA award-winning director, writer, and actor. Originally a child actor — making several television appearances and featuring in Stanley Kubrick's ''Barry Lyndon'' (1975) — Sa ...

* 2012 ''Our New Girl'' by Nancy Harris * 2011 ''The Kitchen Sink'' by Tom Wells * 2011 ''

'' by Sixty-Six Writers * 2011 ''This is where we got to when you came in'' by non zero one * 2011 ''Where's My Seat?'' by Dierdre Kinahan, Tom Wells and Jack Thorne * 2011 ''In The Beginning'' by

* 2011 ''Moment'' by Deirdre Kinahan * 2011 ''Little Platoons'' by Steve Waters * 2011 ''The Knowledge'' by John Donnelly * 2010 ''My Romantic History'' by

D C Jackson Daniel Craig Jackson, also known as D.C. Jackson, is a Scottish playwright, born in 1980. Career His first full-length play ''The Wall'' premiered at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow in 2008. It was produced by Borderline Theatre Company and was nomi ...

* 2010 '' The Aliens'' by Annie Baker * 2010 ''The Great British Country Fete'' by Russell Kane and Michael Bruce * 2010 ''Like A Fishbone'' by Anthony Weigh * 2010 '' A Little Gem'' by Elaine Murphy * 2010 ''Eigengrau'' by Penelope Skinner * 2010 ''The Whisky Taster'' by James Graham * 2009 ''

The Contingency Plan ''The Contingency Plan'' is the overall title of a pair of plays by the British playwright Steve Waters that opened at the Bush Theatre on 22 April 2009. The two full-length plays are ''On the Beach'' and ''Resilience''. They are both set in the Un ...

'' by Steve Waters * 2009 ''The Stefan Golaszewski Plays'' by

Stefan Golaszewski Stefan Golaszewski (born November 1980) is a British writer, performer and director. He is part of the comedy troupe Cowards and is the writer and creator of BAFTA winning sitcoms ''Him & Her'' and '' Mum''. Early life and education Golaszews ...

* 2009 '' If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet'' by

* 2009 ''Sea Wall'' by Simon Stephens * 2009 ''2 May 1997'' by Jack Thorne * 2009 ''suddenlossofdignity.com'' by

Zawe Ashton Zawedde Emma "Zawe" Ashton (; born 25 July 1984) is a British actress, playwright and narrator. She is best known for her roles in the comedy dramas '' Fresh Meat'' and ''Not Safe for Work'', the Netflix horror thriller film ''Velvet Buzzsaw'' ...

, James Graham, Joel Horwood, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm &

Michelle Terry Michelle Terry is an Olivier Award–winning English actress and writer, known for her extensive work for Shakespeare's Globe, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, as well as her television work, notably writing and star ...

* 2009 ''Apologia'' by

Alexi Kaye Campbell Alexi Kaye Campbell (born 1966) is a Greek-British playwright and actor. In 2009, his play '' The Pride'' was given the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre. Personal life Alexi Kaye Campbell was born ...

* 2009 ''Stovepipe'' by Adam Brace * 2009 '' Wrecks'' by Neil LaBute * 2008 ''50 Ways to Leave your Lover at Christmas'' by Leah Chillery, Ben Ellis, Stacey Gregg,

Lucy Kirkwood Lucy Ann Kirkwood (born October 1983) is a British playwright and screenwriter. She is writer in residence at Clean Break. In June 2018 Kirkwood was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in its "40 Under 40" initiative. Early life ...

, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm & Ben Schiffer * 2008 ''I Caught Crabs in Walberswick'' by Joel Horwood * 2008 ''Broken Space Season'' by Neil LaBute, Bryony Lavery, Simon Stephens,

Declan Feenan Declan Feenan (born 1980) is a playwright from Northern Ireland. His plays have been produced in Belfast, London, Edinburgh, Dublin, Raleigh, North Carolina, and New York City New York, often called New York City or N ...

, Mike Bartlett, Nancy Harris,

, Ben Schiffer, Jack Thorne & Anthony Weigh * 2008 ''Turf'' by Simon Vinnicombe * 2008 ''50 Ways to Leave Your Lover'' by Leah Chillery, Ben Ellis, Stacey Gregg,

& Ben Schiffer * 2008 ''2,000 Feet Away'' by Anthony Weigh * 2008, ''Tinderbox'' by

* 2008 ''Artefacts'' by Mike Bartlett * 2008 ''Helter Skelter/Land of the Dead'' by Neil LaBute * 2007 ''!'' by Mike Packer * 2007 ''How To Curse'' by Ian McHugh * 2007 ''Flight Path'' by David Watson * 2007 ''Trance'' by

Shoji Kokami is a Japanese playwright, director, actor, and filmmaker. Career Born in Niihama, Ehime, Kōkami was attending Waseda University when he founded the theatrical company Daisanbutai (Third Stage). Becoming "one of the prime movers in the 1980s smal ...

* 2007 '' Elling'' by Simon Bent * 2007 ''Tom Fool'' by Franz Xaver Kroetz * 2007 ''I Like Mine With a Kiss'' by Georgia Fitch * 2007 ''Product: World Remix'' by Mark Ravenhill * 2007 ''What Would Judas Do'' by Stewart Lee * 2006 ''Whipping It Up'' by Stephen Thompson * 2006 ''Bones'' by Kay Adshead * 2006 ''

Pumpgirl ''Pumpgirl'' is an acclaimed
Ne ...

'' by Abbie Spallen * 2006 ''Cruising'' by

Alecky Blythe Alecky Blythe is a British playwright and screenwriter. She has written several plays, including the acclaimed 2011 musical '' London Road''. Her first play ''Come Out Eli'' won a Time Out Award. ''The Girlfriend Experience'' premiered at the Roy ...

* 2006 ''Crooked'' by Catherine Trieschmann * 2006 ''Trad'' by Mark Doherty * 2006 ''Christmas Is Miles Away'' by Chloe Moss * 2006 ''Try These On For International Size'' by Reg Cribb, Jón Atli Jónasson, Abbie Spallen, Shoji Kokami * 2006 '' Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers Of The Qur'an'' by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt * 2005 ''When You Cure Me'' by Jack Thorne * 2005 ''Bottle Universe'' by Simon Burt * 2005 '' After the End'' by

Dennis Kelly Dennis Kelly is a British scriptwriter for theatre, television and film. His play ''DNA'', first performed in 2007, became a core set-text for GCSE in 2010 and has been studied by approximately 400,000 students each year. He wrote the book ...

* 2005 ''The Obituary Show'' by The People Show * 2005 ''Kingfisher Blue'' by Lin Coghlan * 2005 '' Mammals'' by Amelia Bullmore * 2005 ''Take Me Away'' by Gerald Murphy * 2005 ''Bites'' by Kay Adshead * 2004 ''Going Donkeys'' by Richard Cameron * 2004 '' How Love Is Spelt'' by Chloe Moss * 2004 ''Damages'' by Steve Thompson * 2004 ''Adrenalin...Heart'' by Georgia Fitch * 2004 ''One Minute'' by Simon Stephens * 2004 ''Christmas'' by Simon Stephens * 2003 ''The God Botherers'' by Richard Bean * 2003 ''Airsick'' by Emma Frost * 2003 ''Nine Parts of Desire'' by Heather Raffo * 2003 ''Little Baby Nothing'' by Catherine Johnson * 1999 ''Howie the Rookie'' by Mark O'Rowe * 1997 ''

Disco Pigs ''Disco Pigs'' is a 2001 Irish film directed by Kirsten Sheridan and written by Enda Walsh, who adapted it from his 1996 play of the same name. Cillian Murphy and Elaine Cassidy star as two young people from Cork who have a lifelong, but unhealt ...

'' by Enda Walsh * 1997 ''Love and Understanding'' by

Joe Penhall Joe Scott Penhall (born 1967) is an English-Australian playwright and screenwriter, best known for his award-winning stage play '' Blue/Orange'', the award-winning West End musical ''Sunny Afternoon'' and creating the Netflix original series ' ...

* 1997 ''St Nicholas'' by Conor McPherson * 1997 ''All of You Mine'' by Richard Cameron * 1991 '' The Pitchfork Disney'' by Philip Ridley * 1988 ''A Handful of Stars'' by Billy Roche * 1987 ''Dreams of San Francisco'' by Jacqueline Holborough * 1987 ''It's A Girl'' by John Burrow * 1987 ''Tattoo Theatre'' by Mladen Materic * 1987 ''The Mystery of the Rose Bouquet'' by Mauel Puig * 1987 ''Effies Burning'' by Valerie Windsor * 1987 ''People Show No 92 Whistle Stop'' by People Show * 1987 ''Love Field'' by Stephen Davis * 1987 ''More Light'' by Snoo Wilson * 1987 ''An Imitation of Life'' by Abbie Spallen * 1986 ''The Oven Glove Murders'' by

Nick Darke Nick Darke (1948–2005) was a British playwright. He was also known within Cornwall as a lobster fisherman, environmental campaigner, and chairman of St Eval Parish Council. Early life Nick's great-grandfather, William Leonard Darke, was a ...

* 1986 ''Making Noise Quietly'' by Robert Holman * 1985 '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' by Manuel Puig * 1983 ''Hard Feelings'' by Doug Lucie * 1980 '' Duet for One'' by Tom Kempinski * 1972 ''The Relief of Martha King'' by David Parker * 1972 ''Christmas Carol'' by

Frank Marcus Frank Ulrich Marcus (30 June 1928 – 5 August 1996) was a British playwright, best known for '' The Killing of Sister George''. Life and career Marcus was born 30 June 1928 into a Jewish family in Breslau (then in Germany). They came to En ...

* 1972 ''Plays for Rubber Gogo'' by Christopher Wilkinson

Bibliography

References

External links

* {{Authority control Pub theatres in London Theatres in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Producing house theatres in London Shepherd's Bush