On 7 April London’s Bush Theatre celebrates 50 years of discovering and developing new writing, directors, creatives, and acting talent. Many of these have gone on to dominate the arts and entertainment industries including Jonathan Harvey, Alan Rickman, Cush Jumbo, James Graham, Jack Thorne, Arinzé Kene, Victoria Wood, and Julie Walters.
In a week when two plays recently performed at the Bush have been nominated for Olivier Awards, the theatre announces its 50th birthday season.
It boasts a programme comprised entirely of new work they have commissioned and developed by writers including Waleed Akhtar, Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini, Lenny Henry, Will Jackson, Anoushka Lucas, Nikhil Parmar, Margaret Perry, Ambreen Razia, and Beru Tessema, directors including Anthony Simpson-Pike, Lynette Linton, Daniel Bailey, Róisín McBrinn and Sophie Dillon-Moniram, creative teams including set and costume designer Frankie Bradshaw, casting agent Heather Basten CDG, lighting designer Jai Morjaria and sound designer Duramaney Kamara and actors Karla-Simone Spence and Jude Akuwudike.
The venue continues its history of shining a light on unheard voices and reflecting issues in the community which surrounds it – family (House of Ife), inequality (The P Word), sexuality (Clutch), and race (August in England) and in doing so diversifying the voices recognised in the canon of British theatre.
The 50th birthday season also includes a series of Bush Retrospective discussions and performances with writers whose work has appeared at the theatre and the Bush Young Company. The events begin in May with Jonathan Harvey and Beautiful Thing.
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The Bush Young Companies, for ages 14-17 and 18-25 are an initiative developed during the pandemic. The companies, free to participants and comprising 70% West Londoners reflect the theatre’s commitment to local life and developing artists of the future. This August, the 14-17 company will perform a specially commissioned work and the 18-25 will devise a new production for their debut appearance on the Bush’s main stage. The Bush Young Companies today announce actor Malachi Kirby as an advocate who will support the company and help expand the skills of the young participants.
The Bush’s New Writing Fund, launched this year, aims to raise £100,000 to support the next generation of new writing talent and offers those donating the opportunity to double their contribution through matched funding on offer throughout the 50th birthday year only.
During the last 50 years, the Bush has staged over 500 plays. In the last year alone they have read over 1000 scripts, given seed commissions to 10 writers, worked with 14 people as part of their Emerging Writers’ and West London Writers’ groups, and commissioned eight brand new plays for the Bush stage. The money raised by the New Writing Fund will go towards the next 50 years of new writers, new writing, and new voices. Bush’s generous trustees and donors have pledged to match all donations so every donation made will be doubled.
The Bush Theatre’s Artistic Director Lynette Linton said, ‘Our 50th birthday season at the Bush is a celebration of half a century of doing what we do best; providing for and reflecting the community around us, and commissioning plays which give voice to unheard and marginalised voices, often during difficult times.’
‘Looking back at the plays produced both at our original home above a pub on Shepherd’s Bush Green and now our thriving building on the Uxbridge Road, the common thread has been to create debate, to broaden audiences’ horizons, and most importantly to entertain.’
‘It would be impossible to produce this work without the support of our audiences and donors and those donating today may well be helping develop the next Arinzé Kene or Victoria Wood.’
‘We are very aware of those whose shoulders on which we stand and want to take this opportunity to honour the ground-breaking work they’ve done, building an international reputation for new writing, launching the careers of thousands of theatre creatives both onstage and behind the scenes, and being an important hub for the local community.
It’s a mission that we cherish and look forward to continuing for another 50 years.’
