Conversations, dispatches and ideas from the Bush Theatre.
Our work experience student Annie reflects on her week with us.
Some could say I was thrown into the deep end when I was given my desk to borrow for the week. I can assure you that I definitely wasn’t but still, sitting in the Bush’s Artistic Director’s desk space felt somewhat daunting. As Lynette Linton works in the rehearsal room with Chiaroscuro, the first play she has directed here at Bush, I am able to stare up at the wall beside me and be reminded of what a brilliant place Bush theatre is. I am surrounded by quotes such as, “The new face of theatre”, “I want to take risks” and “Lynette Linton has bold ambitions for the Bush”. As a young woman it fills me with so much hope and excitement to have a female in this position that can bring about genuine change in the theatre industry with a team as strong as Bush’s backing her.
I am currently in college completing a theatre course and this week has been a fantastic eye opener to the amount of efficient hard work that happens behind the scenes of a successful theatre. I have been amazed at the care and kindness that I have been greeted with by everyone here. When I think of the word ‘office’ I imagine scary and depressing comparisons to the Ricky Gervais show, ‘The Office’ – the Bush theatre office is anything but that. This work environment is completely relaxed, filled with light and the quiet hustle-bustle sound of Shepherds Bush and if you’re lucky, the office’s cats Marley and Pirate might even come to greet you!
“As a young person who has an avid passion for writing, this is exactly the place to be to feel supported for new ideas and work.”
My week began in the Community department, a fantastic team that lead so many high level projects that center around the need to give back to the Bush’s community. Every theatre nowadays needs a department like this, one that focuses on creating theatre projects for their wider community, especially people that do not normally interact with theatre. As part of my work on Monday, I was lucky enough to watch a recording of Philoxenia, one of last year’s Community projects in association with the Neighbourhood Company. Watching this reminded me of the fact that theatre is about adapting and changing to what society needs to see, and I think that this is a central belief for the Bush.
I have had the chance to read several plays during my time here including Right Now by Catherine-Anne Toupin, The Arrival by Bijan Sheibani and Collapsible by Margaret Perry; the bookworm in me was ecstatic to be given time to read such brilliantly-written plays!
So many useful and informative experiences have been packed in to this week. To date I have worked with Community, Production, Front of House and Marketing. One session that particularly has stayed with me was my afternoon in the Literary department. The Bush theatre is known to “take risks” with their plays and their choice of new writings does not disappoint. As a young person who has an avid passion for writing, this is exactly the place to be to feel supported for new ideas and work. The Bush has so many groups in place to help young or emerging writers and it brings me back to this idea that the Bush theatre is about giving back. This theatre is filled to brim with new and exciting projects and I can only imagine the success that is to come from it.
Thank you Bush for making me feel so welcome and cared for, I look forward to the upcoming season and your future!
