40-603: The Bush Theatre is located in the Passmore Edwards Public Library , Shepherd's Bush , in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham . It was established in 1972 as a showcase for the work of new writers. 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
80-591: A Play for House of Ife (Michael Workeye) 2022 – Asian Media Awards nomination - Best Stage Production for 10 Nights 2022 – Asian Media Awards nomination - Best Stage Production for Favour 2023 – Laurence Olivier Award - Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for The P Word 2023 – Stage Awards - Theatre of the Year 2023 – Stage Debut Awards - Best Writer for Elephant (Anoushka Lucas) 2023 – Stage Debut Awards - Best Director for A Playlist for
120-943: A Play for Sleepova ( Bukky Bakray ) 2023 – Evening Standard Theatre Awards nomination - Most Promising Playwright for Elephant ( Anoushka Lucas ) 2023 – Evening Standard Theatre Awards nomination- Most Promising Playwright for Sleepova ( Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini ) 2023 – Asian Media Awards nomination - Best Stage Production for The P Word 2023 – Asian Media Awards nomination - Outstanding Stage Performance for The P Word (Waleed Akhtar) 2024 – Laurence Olivier Award - Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for Sleepova 2024 – Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards - Most Promising Playwright for Sleepova (Matilda Feyiṣayọ Ibini) 2024 – Profile Awards, Theatre Critics’ Choice - Outstanding Achievement in Theatre for Red Pitch (Ali Hunter) 2024 – Laurence Olivier Award nomination - Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for A Playlist for
160-399: 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 returned home following a £4.3m revitalisation of the venue. The year-long redevelopment was driven by the aim of realising Younis’ vision for a theatre that reflected the diversity and vibrancy of London. Upon reopening,
200-588: A small village between Redruth and Truro in Cornwall , United Kingdom . Maurice Bingham Adams designed five of the Libraries funded by Passmore Edwards. He and Edwards shared a belief in self-help and the importance of good architecture, which would provide the educational institutions required to educate the British working man and help give Britain a competitive edge. The library was built in 1895, when Shepherd's Bush
240-563: A tremendous influence" on his celebrated 1946 film . Devine also directed a successful production of a stage version of Daphne du Maurier 's Rebecca at the Queen's Theatre in 1939. When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, Devine did not initially expect to be called up, owing to a supposedly weak heart. He did, however, pass his army medical and went into basic training with
280-945: The Piccadilly Theatre in London. Soon afterwards, together with Saint-Denis and Byam Shaw, and under the auspices of the Old Vic, he opened the Old Vic Theatre School in Thurlow Park Road, Dulwich , London, to continue the training courses begun at the London Theatre Studio before the war. At the same time he formed the Young Vic Theatre Company, which was intended to bring theatre to young people. The school ran successfully for several years, training actors such as Prunella Scales and Joan Plowright . In 1952,
320-640: The Royal Artillery at the end of 1941. After a period of relative inactivity in India, he was transferred to Burma where he spent the final part of the war engaged in jungle warfare. He attained the rank of captain and was twice mentioned in despatches . Devine returned to England in 1946, and in September of that year appeared as George Antrobus in Laurence Olivier 's production of Thornton Wilder 's The Skin of Our Teeth , also starring Vivien Leigh , at
360-566: The Uxbridge Road , Shepherd's Bush , London , was built in 1895 and funded by the journalist and philanthropist Passmore Edwards . It is one of a number of public libraries that still bear his name today. In 2008 a new library was built in Shepherd's Bush, part of the substantial Westfield London development, and the Passmore Edwards library fell into disuse. In October 2011 it re-opened as
400-534: The American sociologist George Goetschius, they formed a plan for a radical new theatre company, the objective of which, as Devine wrote later, "was to get writers, writers of serious pretensions, back into the theatre", and thus to make the theatre "part of the intellectual life of the country". The fulfilment of these goals led to the formation in 1955 of what was called the English Stage Company. They acquired
440-503: 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 Beast in
SECTION 10
#1732851874804480-464: The Bush Theatre filmed several of its productions and offered them to online viewers. Following the 2016/17 redevelopment, the Bush Theatre 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. The redevelopment of
520-505: 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 former Passmore Edwards Public Library building, round the corner from its first home, on Uxbridge Road. The relocation took place in 2011 and
560-461: The Revolution 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. A list of selected productions of the Bush Theatre. Passmore Edwards Public Library, Shepherd%27s Bush The Passmore Edwards Public Library on
600-588: The Revolution (Emily Ling Williams) 2023 – Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards- Most Promising Playwright for Red Pitch (Tyrell Williams) 2023 – SME Greater London Enterprise Awards - Most Outstanding Local Theatre 2023 – Laurence Olivier Award nomination - Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for Paradise Now! 2023 – Stage Debut Awards nomination - Best Writer for August in England ( Lenny Henry ) 2023 – Stage Debut Awards nomination - Best Performer in
640-1854: 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 2018 – Laurence Olivier Award nomination - Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for The B*easts 2019 – Stage Awards - London Theatre of the Year 2019 – Laurence Olivier Award nomination - Best New Play for Misty 2019 – Laurence Olivier Award nomination - Best Actor for Misty ( Arinzé Kene ) 2020 – Laurence Olivier Award – Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for Baby Reindeer 2020 – Stage Debut Awards - Best Writer for The High Table (Temi Wilkey) 2022 – Laurence Olivier Award - Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for Old Bridge 2022 – Laurence Olivier Award nomination - Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for 10 Nights 2022 – Evening Standard Theatre Awards - Most Promising Playwright for Red Pitch (Tyrell Williams) 2022 – Stage Debut Awards - Best Writer for Red Pitch (Tyrell Williams) 2022 – Susan Smith Blackburn Prize - Benedict Lombe for Lava 2022 – George Devine Award - Tyrell Williams for Red Pitch 2022 – Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards - Most Promising Playwright for Old Bridge (Igor Memic) 2022 – Evening Standard Theatre Awards nomination - Most Promising Playwright for The P Word (Waleed Akhtar) 2022 – Evening Standard Theatre Awards nomination - Most Promising Playwright for Old Bridge (Igor Memic) 2022 – Evening Standard Theatre Awards nomination - Best Play for Red Pitch 2022 – Stage Debut Awards nomination - Best Designer for Favour (Liz Whitbread) 2022 – Stage Debut Awards nomination - Best Performer in
680-576: The building was to be more sustainable and entirely accessible, with a new entrance, front-of-house area and exterior garden terrace to the main street. Lynette Linton became Artistic Directory in January 2019, following Younis' appointment as Creative Director at the Southbank Centre . That same year, the theatre was named London Theatre of the Year by The Stage . In response to the COVID-19 pandemic ,
720-751: The capital created fears of urban slums and the spread of disease. At the turn of the century Hammersmith MP Sir William Bull was appalled to see Shepherd's Bush Green become home to destitute unemployed sleeping rough, gambling, and playing pitch and toss . In October 2011 the library re-opened as the new home of the Bush Theatre . The building is currently included on the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 's list of Buildings of Merit, deserving of protection. 51°30′19″N 0°13′33″W / 51.5053°N 0.2259°W / 51.5053; -0.2259 George Devine George Alexander Cassady Devine CBE (20 November 1910 – 20 January 1966)
760-524: The conventional stereotype and tended to play relatively small character parts. Always interested in France (he spoke the language perfectly) and in French theatre, he suggested to Gielgud that they should invite the French director Michel Saint-Denis to London in 1935 to direct a version of his successful production of Andre Obey 's Noé . This proved to be the beginning of a close and fruitful partnership between
800-457: The historical drama A Patriot for Me , when he suffered a second heart attack followed soon afterwards by a stroke that eventually led to his death at the age of 55. He had begun to draft an autobiography, which included these words: I was not strictly after a popular theatre à la Joan Littlewood - Roger Planchon , but a theatre that would be part of the intellectual life of the country. In this respect I consider I utterly failed. I feel I have
840-547: The new home of the Bush Theatre . Designed by Maurice Bingham Adams , and originally known as the Passmore Edwards Free Library Hammersmith, the project was one of many public libraries built around the end of the nineteenth century by John Passmore Edwards (1823 – 1911). Edwards was a British journalist , newspaper owner and philanthropist . The son of a carpenter , he was born in Blackwater ,
SECTION 20
#1732851874804880-577: The new venue 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 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, he programmed
920-584: The prestigious Oxford University Dramatic Society , or OUDS. In early 1932, he invited the young actor John Gielgud to direct a production of Romeo and Juliet and, as the OUDS did not admit women, invited Peggy Ashcroft and Edith Evans to play Juliet and the Nurse. Gielgud insisted on having the costumes designed by Motley , a newly formed theatre-design team consisting of sisters Sophie and Margaret Harris as well as Elizabeth Montgomery . The great success of
960-506: The production encouraged Devine to abandon his degree before sitting his finals and move to London to begin an acting career. He also worked for Motley as their business manager. Although Devine managed to get some work as an actor, both at the Old Vic and for John Gielgud (whose directing career had taken off after the OUDS Romeo and Juliet ), he was initially not a great success. Rather overweight, dark and foreign-looking, he did not fit
1000-454: The public. Following their meeting in 1932, Devine and Sophie Harris formed a relationship, and he moved in with her in London after he left Oxford. They married in October 1939, and their daughter Harriet was born in September 1942, after Devine had embarked for India. The marriage ended in the late 1950s, when Devine began living with Jocelyn Herbert, with whom he remained until his death. He
1040-698: The rental of the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square, London, and Devine placed an advertisement in the Stage asking for new plays. The Royal Court opened in April 1956 with a production of Angus Wilson 's play The Mulberry Bush , followed by Arthur Miller 's The Crucible , in which Devine played Governor Danforth as well as directing. It was not until the third production, John Osborne 's Look Back in Anger , that
1080-413: The right to talk in this proprietary way about the English Stage Company to which I gave nine years of my life and nearly died in the tenth. I was convinced the way to achieve my objective was to get writers, writers of serious pretensions, back into the theatre. This I set out to do. I wanted to change the attitude of the public towards the theatre. All I did was to change the attitude of the theatre towards
1120-710: The theatre really attracted public attention. Although the play was badly reviewed by traditional theatre critics such as Milton Shulman and Philip Hope-Wallace, glowing reviews from the two Sunday critics Kenneth Tynan and Harold Hobson ensured that the play eventually became a hit. Under Devine's direction the English Stage Company remained primarily a writers' theatre, nurturing new talents such as Arnold Wesker , Ann Jellicoe , Edward Bond , Donald Howarth , Keith Johnstone , and many others. Devine's policy of taking on young directors as assistants produced some notable talents including William Gaskill , John Dexter , Lindsay Anderson , Anthony Page , and Peter Gill . Devine
1160-457: 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
1200-491: The three directors were forced to resign following a dispute with the Old Vic governors, and Devine embarked on a free-lance career as a director and actor. Byam Shaw had moved to Stratford-upon-Avon to run the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre , and Devine directed several successful Shakespeare productions there in the early 1950s, including a notorious version of King Lear (1955), which starred John Gielgud and
1240-493: The time he was in his early teens. Around this time he was sent to Clayesmore School , an independent boys' boarding school founded by his uncle Alexander "Lex" Devine , who took his nephew under his wing hoping that he would take over the running of the school. In 1929, Devine went to Oxford University to read for a degree in history at Wadham College . It was at Oxford that his interest in theatre, which had begun at school, came to fruition, and in 1931 he became president of
Bush Theatre - Misplaced Pages Continue
1280-532: The two men. Saint-Denis remained in London and, together with Devine and their friends Marius Goring and Glen Byam Shaw , founded the London Theatre Studio in 1936, which offered training not only to actors and directors but also to stage designers. Run by Motley, this was the first course in Britain to offer training in set and costume design. Jocelyn Herbert , who was later to become part of Devine's life,
1320-639: The venue was 'Cultural Project of the Year' finalist at the AJ Architecture Awards 2017, and 'Highly commended Cultural Building' at the AJ Retrofit Awards 2017, and selected by the Hammersmith Society as winner of their Conservation Award for 2017. 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
1360-1654: 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. 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
1400-460: Was a student on the course. At the end of the 1930s Devine finally got the chance to direct a play himself. His first professional production was an adaptation by Alec Guinness of Charles Dickens ' novel Great Expectations , which played at the Queen's Theatre in 1939, with Guinness as Herbert Pocket and Martita Hunt as Miss Havisham ; David Lean saw this and later acknowledged that it "exerted
1440-492: Was also interested in continental drama. He staged several plays by Eugène Ionesco , including a celebrated production of The Chairs , in which he appeared with Joan Plowright. He also greatly admired Samuel Beckett , several of whose plays were produced at the Royal Court, including Endgame in which Devine played Hamm. Several more of John Osborne's plays were staged at the Royal Court and George Devine appeared in one,
1480-661: Was an English theatrical manager, director, teacher, and actor based in London from the early 1930s until his death. He also worked in TV and film. Devine was born in Hendon , London to Georgios Devine (son of an Irish father and a Greek mother) and a Canadian mother, Ruth Eleanor Cassady (from Vancouver ). His father was a clerk in Martins Bank . Ruth Devine became mentally unstable after her son's birth, and his parents' marriage, deeply unhappy throughout his early childhood, had broken down by
1520-517: Was designed by the experimental Japanese American artist and sculptor Isamu Noguchi . He also directed several operas at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London, and appeared in several films. In 1952 the young director Tony Richardson cast Devine in a television adaptation of "Curtain Down", a short story by Anton Chekhov . There soon developed what Devine came to call their "great friendship". Not long afterwards, together with Richardson's friend and partner
1560-509: Was established by a maverick actor, Brian McDermott, who used to tour the Fringe. The venue, despite its fame and massive output, was intimate, with 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; it had previously played at the King's Head Theatre . Throughout 1992,
1600-438: Was still largely open land, but in the process of being developed to house London's expanding suburbs. A foundation stone, laid by Passmore Edwards, bears the date 4 July 1895. The library was opened by Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery on 25 June 1896. Many of Shepherd's Bush's new inhabitants were poor and badly educated. In the early 20th century Irish labourers sought work and opportunities in London; their arrival in
#803196