BUSH THEATRE RETROSPECTIVES
Event
Roxane Cabassut as a freelance producer
Bush Theatre Retrospectives : As part of its 50th birthday year, Bush Retrospectives were a series of five rehearsed readings celebrating and reflecting on plays that premiered at the Bush Theatre over the past 50 years. Each was followed by a Q&A.
The first Bush Retrospective was Jonathan Harvey’s seminal Beautiful Thing, which premiered at the Bush in 1993.
The rehearsed reading was followed by a panel discussion where Jonathan will be joined by Waleed Akhtar, writer of new play The P Word, which had its world premiere in September 2022.
Written at a time when homophobia was commonplace and Section 28 and HIV/AIDS made daily headlines, the Bush put a young, gay Liverpool playwright centre stage. Beautiful Thing later transferred to the West End, was made into a feature film, and discovering its extraordinary writing and message of hope has been a rite of passage for many in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. The show celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023.
The 1993 Original Cast included Jonny Lee Miller (Ste), Philip Glenister (Tony), Mark Letheren (Jamie), Sophie Stanton (Leah) and Patricia Kerrigan (Sandra).
The rehearsed reading will be directed by Lucy Waterhouse (Associate Director, Witness for the Prosecution).
BUSH RETROSPECTIVE: 2nd MAY 1997
This play by Jack Thorne was first performed at the Bush Theatre in September 2009. The play explores the aftermath of the Labour party's victory in the 1997 general election through three interconnected stories.
BUSH RETROSPECTIVE: INDEPENDENCE
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The rehearsed reading of an extract from Mustapha Matura’s 1979 play Independence starring Stefan Khalipha and Obadiah, directed by Natasha Wright.
The reading was followed by a panel discussion where Ingrid Selberg, Mustapha’s widow, were joined by Beru Tessema, writer of House of Ife, which had its critically acclaimed world premiere at the Bush in 2022, directed by Lynette Linton as part of the 50th birthday season.​
Mustapha Matura was a Trinidadian playwright, writing plays about the West Indian experience in London. He co-founded the Black Theatre Co-operative (now NitroBeat).
BUSH RETROSPECTIVE: WHEN I WAS A GIRL I USED TO SCREAM AND SHOUT​
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A rehearsed reading of Sharman MacDonald's first play When I Was a Girl I Used to Scream and Shout. Set in 1950s Scotland, it charts the sexual misadventures and misconceptions of Fiona, growing up with her repressive mother and best friend Vari. Sharman MacDonald won the Evening Standard Drama Award for the Most Promising Playwright in 1984.
This rehearsed reading of an extract from the play was followed by a panel discussion where Sharman were joined by Margaret Perry, writer of Paradise Now!, which had its world premiere in December 2022 at the Bush.
Cast: Lesley Harcourt as Moraj, Kane Feagan as Fiona, Ra’eesah Kai as Vari
Director: Alice Fitzgerald
Stage Manager: Maja Lach
Guests: Sharman MacDonald and Margaret Perry
BUSH RETROSPECTIVE: BEAUTIFUL THING​
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The rehearsed reading was followed by a panel discussion. Written at a time when homophobia was commonplace and Section 28 and HIV/AIDS made daily headlines, the Bush put a young, gay Liverpool playwright centre stage. Beautiful Thing later transferred to the West End, was made into a feature film, and discovering its extraordinary writing and message of hope has been a rite of passage for many in the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. The show celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023.
The 1993 Original Cast included Jonny Lee Miller (Ste), Philip Glenister (Tony), Mark Letheren (Jamie), Sophie Stanton (Leah) and Patricia Kerrigan (Sandra).
The rehearsed reading will be directed by Lucy Waterhouse (Associate Director, Witness for the Prosecution).
2022
THE Bush theatre