Conversations, dispatches and ideas from the Bush Theatre.
When my school announced that we had to start looking for work experience, all I knew is that I was determined not to work in a Tesco’s for the week. So, I was sure I’d struck gold when Amanda from the Bush Theatre’s community department emailed me back with the offer to work in their office, and learn about the ins and outs of each department. As I’ve always loved creative work and am currently undertaking an extended BTEC in acting, the idea of being in the heart of a local and well established theatre was -put simply- ‘wizard’. I love the Bush’s ethos of giving opportunities to new writers, and as we live in times that update themselves just as quickly as one picture of a turtle dressed as a Falafel Shwarma can become an overnight sensation, it’s essential that fresh voices are given the encouragement to share their take on the world we live in. The Bush to me is a place of social gospel as well as storytelling in that sense.
You can imagine then, how nervous I was on my first day: by the time my 220 bus was farting along harrow road I was having heart palpitations galore. But when I arrived, I stepped into an office of very, very nice and welcoming people. I was immediately given a tour of the entire building just in case I was ever in need of something as random as grit soap from the construction room, or plastic ‘sporks’. As a result, I was naturally never ever lost, but I was also never ever made to feel like the annoying intern. The people I met were generous, and always ready to lend a hand (especially when I actually needed the grit soap from the construction room but couldn’t find it).
What was so fantastic, was to see the reality of the theatre industry: hard working, generous people with a love for making things happen. There was always something I could do that felt like I was actually making a contribution instead of hole punching, or sharpening pencils, which is what every student learning more about their passion should feel – like they are being dared to push farther out into sea, like the time when Arianne from admin and I were pushed to the brink of extinction by trying desperately to find the costumes needed for a shoot. We’d felt like our only success for a long time was not giving in to the inviting fragrance of the ‘Falafel King’ stand, when the shutters of the shop selling the exact thing we were looking for flew open, and we practically broke the doorway in our excitement. We returned laden with costumes, and for lunch I crowned myself the Falafel Queen.
What I’ve learned from working at the Bush most importantly is the power of community – in the office, and outside of it. The Bush is a place where these categories blur, and the staff celebrate victories in getting the outreach, the resources, or the funding to gather the community under its roof and talk about life on the stage. I know now that this is the kind of theatre I want to be a part of, and I hope that anyone interested in art that is alive and important drops Amanda a line to start their own adventure.
Interested in coming to the Bush Theatre for work experience? Check out this page.
