Conversations, dispatches and ideas from the Bush Theatre.
Telling stories that take us from South London to South Africa via nightclub bathrooms and the World Athletic Championships, our new season is set to blow you away.
A word from Lynette Linton, Artistic Director:
“With the venue fully open again, We’re beyond excited to welcome our Bush family back into the building.
We reopened our doors for our local community on 6 August and, throughout the pandemic, we’ve been producing work in person, online and within the community. But this launch marks a significant return to the live work that’s so important to us, a season of stories that reflect the community on our doorstep and will help audiences understand the world around them. We’re also thrilled to launch the Bush Theatre’s first-ever Young Company with live performances in August, as well as announcing the live broadcast of Holloway Theatre shows this season.”
Lava
by Benedict Lombe
09 Jul-07 Aug
When a woman receives an unexpected letter from the British Passport Office, she is forced to confront an old mystery: why does her South African passport not carry her first name? Armed with the wisdom of favourite 90s TV shows, she sets out on a journey that will take her back to the turmoil of Mobutu’s Congo, growing up in post-Apartheid South Africa, moving to Ireland and finding love in a hostile England.
As her journey becomes inextricably linked with the tides of global history, how far will she go to unravel the truth?
Overflow
by Travis Alabanza
31 Aug-09 Oct
Back to complete the live run that was cut short due to lockdown, the internationally acclaimed ★★★★ Overflow is back. The hilarious and devastating tour of women’s bathrooms by Travis Alabanza (Jubilee, Burgerz) returns for a limited season with the full original cast and creative team including director Debbie Hannan and performer Reece Lyons.
But with her panic rising and no help on its way, can she keep her head above water?
Old Bridge
by Igor Memic
21 Oct-20 Nov
Old Bridge is an epic love story inspired by real events, exposing the impact of a war that Europe forgot and the e love and loss of those who lived through it. Winner of the 2020 Papatango New Writing Prize, Old Bridge is the beautiful, heart-wrenching debut play by British-Bosnian writer Igor Memic.
Fair Play
by Ella Road
03 Dec-22 Jan
When Ann joins Sophie’s running club she’s thrown into a world of regimented training and pure focus. The two girls couldn’t be more different, but soon their shared passion makes them inseparable – dreaming in lanes and lap-times, waking up picturing Olympic medals, each day stronger and faster…
But set head to head in the run up to the World Championships, they find themselves and their friendship put to the ultimate test. As their relationships, their bodies, and their very identities are pulled into public scrutiny, does being exceptional come at too high a price?
A gripping exploration of the underside of women’s athletics, Fair Play is the new work from Ella Road (The Phlebotomist) – “the most promising young playwright in Britain” (The Telegraph).
Red Pitch
by Tyrell Willams
16 Feb-26 Mar
Red Pitch. South London. Three lifelong friends Omz, Bilal and Joey are playing football. Like they always have. Living out dreams of football stardom. When a small football pitch has been a home from home, a place you’ve laughed, fought and forged friendships, what happens when it’s under threat?
Tyrell Williams’ sharp-edged new play, directed by Associate Artistic Director Daniel Bailey, tells a powerful coming-of-age story about what it means to belong to a place.
Keep A Light On For Those That Are Lost
by Abigail Graham with The Neighbourhood Company & Cayvan Coates
Exhibition: 1-2 Jul
Online: 1-15 Jul
Created by our resident adult company, Keep a Light On For Those That Are Lost is a dark fairytale inspired by experiences of the past year, the importance of rituals and the desire to reach out to the ones we love.
Back Up!
Created by the Young Company and Katie Greenall
20-21 Aug
This is the first show from our first ever Young Company. It’s a change for the company to let audiences know who they are and what they might become. This markets the beginning of lots more work with our Young Company as part of our commitment to the next generation of theatre makers.
Pink Lemonade
by Mika Onyx Johnson
Dates: tbc
The long-awaited London transfer of the Edinburgh Fringe smash-hit, original beats collide with poetry, movement and storytelling in Mika Onyx Johnson’s ★★★★★ debut play. An exploration of sexuality, identity and self-discovery.
10 Nights
by Shahid Iqbal Khan
Dates: tbc
Yasser soon regrets deciding to take part in itikaf. Turns out sleeping and fasting in the mosque for the last ten nights of Ramadan is no joke. Shahid Iqbal Khan’s moving and funny new play is a story of facing the consequences of your actions.
All performances of 10 Nights will be audio described and will creatively integrate captioning and British Sign Language.
