Years active 1972 - Present Phone +44 20 8743 5050 Type of business Theatre | Capacity 180 Founded 1972 | |
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Owner Alternative Theatre Company Production Seasons of guest and commissioned productions Opened 6th April 1972; 44 years ago (6th April 1972) Address 7 Uxbridge Rd, Shepherd's Bush, London W12 8LJ, UK Similar Royal Court Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, Arcola Theatre, Young Vic, Lyric Theatre Profiles | ||
Bush theatre redevelopment
The Bush Theatre is based in Shepherd's Bush, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It was established in 1972 and has since become one of the most celebrated new writing theatres in the world. The Bush strives to create a space which nurtures, develops and showcases the best of new artists and their work.
Contents
- Bush theatre redevelopment
- Aela o flynn moment bush theatre london 2011
- Artistic Directors
- History
- Venue
- New writing
- Awards
- Books
- Selected past productions
- References
A seedbed for the best new playwrights, many of whom have gone on to become established names in the industry, the Bush has produced hundreds of groundbreaking premieres, many of them Bush Theatre commissions, and hosted guest productions by leading companies and artists from across the world.
Aela o flynn moment bush theatre london 2011
Artistic Directors
History
On Thursday 6 April 1972, the Bush Theatre was established above The Bush public house on the corner of Goldhawk Road 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, only holding 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 Bush won The Empty Space Award for the year's work, which included Billy Roche's Bush plays A Handful Of Stars, Poor Beatin The Rain and Belfry playing in repertory as The Wexford Trilogy, which toured to Wexford Opera House and the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.
In November 2010, the Bush Theatre announced it would be leaving its home of nearly forty years and moving to the old Passmore Edwards Public Library building, round the corner from its own home, on Uxbridge Road.
The relocation took place in 2011 and opened with the "Sixty-Six Books" project. This was a celebration of the anniversary of the publication of the King James Bible, which used 66 different 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, newly appointed Madani Younis 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 will return home following a £4.3m revitalisation of the venue. The year-long redevelopment was driven by the aim of realising Artistic Director Madani Younis’ vision for a theatre that reflected the diversity and vibrancy of London. Upon reopening, the building will be more sustainable and entirely accessible, with a new entrance, front-of-house area and exterior garden terrace to the main street.
Venue
Following the 2016/17 redevelopment, the Bush Theatre now has two performance spaces:
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.
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.
The Bush Theatre look for exciting new voices that tell contemporary stories with wit, style and passion and have produced hundreds of ground-breaking premieres since its inception in 1972, many of them Bush Theatre commissions, and hosted guest productions by leading companies and artists from across the world. The Bush has won over 100 awards, and developed an enviable reputation for touring its acclaimed productions nationally and internationally.
Awards
1977 - George Devine Award to Robert Holman for German Skerries
1979 - George Devine Award to Jonathan Gems for The Tax Exile
1982 - Samuel Beckett Award 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 to Jane Coles 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 - Susan Smith Blackburn Award 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 for Caravan
1998 - Meyer-Whitworth Award to Daragh Carville 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 - Susan Smith Blackburn Award 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.
Selected past productions
This is a list of selected productions of the Bush Theatre: