The Bush Theatre has unveiled its extremely anticipated 2025/26 season …
Marking the ultimate programme curated by the trailblazing Lynette Linton earlier than she passes the baton to incoming inventive director Taio Lawson. Beneath Linton’s management, the Bush has been a powerhouse for numerous, pressing storytelling, and her final season isn’t any exception, amplifying Black expertise on and off the stage.
A serious spotlight of the season is Superwoman Schema (6 September – 25 October), a gripping new drama by the formidable Emma Dennis-Edwards, starring none aside from Golda Rosheuvel and Letitia Wright. Directed by Linton herself, this mother-daughter story delves into intergenerational energy, battle, and survival following the lack of a household matriarch.
Miss Myrtle’s Backyard (31 Could – 12 July) kicks off the primary home season. Written by Danny James King and directed by Lawson, this play dives into the lifetime of an aged Black girl grappling with a shifting neighborhood and the ghosts of her previous. With Lawson on the helm, it guarantees a deeply private and resonant tackle gentrification, legacy, and resilience.
Following this, the Bush Younger Firm returns with its fifth main-house manufacturing, Make Me Really feel (19 – 23 August), penned by Will Jackson and directed by new affiliate director Katie Greenall. This initiative continues to nurture contemporary voices, making certain the following technology of theatre-makers has a platform.
Closing out the 12 months is After Sunday (10 November – 20 December), a Bush Theatre and Coventry Belgrade co-commission that units its stage inside a Caribbean cooking class in a safe hospital. Anticipate a wealthy, poignant narrative infused with tradition, identification, and group.
As 2026 begins, the season expands with Sweetmeats (7 February – 21 March), a Tara Theatre collaboration exploring love in later life by means of the lens of South Asian elders. Later, HEART WALL (4 April – 16 Could) by Bush Writers’ Group alum Equipment Withington, co-commissioned with Oldham Coliseum, unpacks the tensions of household and homecoming.
The Bush Studio continues its custom of showcasing very important new voices, with standout productions together with Insane Asylum Seekers by Laith Elzubaidi, Horse of Jenin by Palestinian artist Alaa Shehada, and Maggots by Farah Najib. The ALT B season will even return, offering a stage for multidisciplinary artists pushing inventive boundaries.
Past the productions, Bush Theatre is making a tangible dedication to accessibility and engagement, rising the provision of £15 tickets and launching a brand new web site to reinforce viewers expertise.
Reflecting on her tenure, Linton mentioned: “Operating the Bush Theatre for the final six years has been one of many greatest honours of my life. I’m so pleased with all of the unimaginable artists who’ve handed by means of this constructing. Dan and I needed to disrupt the canon, and we now have completed simply that with over 50 groundbreaking productions! I can’t wait to witness the Bush’s subsequent chapter underneath Taio Lawson’s visionary management.”
Linton’s legacy on the Bush has been certainly one of transformation, illustration, and daring storytelling. As Lawson enters the function, the stage is ready for an additional thrilling period of Black and numerous theatre.