Bush Theatre announces new season – the first for artistic director Taio Lawson

Bush Theatre has announced its first season under artistic director and co-CEO Taio Lawson and interim executive director and co-CEO Angela Wachner.

The season opens in the Holloway Theatre with Before We Forget, a new piece created by the Bush Young Company and directed by Amber Ruby, running from 18 to 22 August.

From 5 September to 24 October, the Bush will stage Darkling, a co-production with Actors Touring Company. Written by Titas Halder and directed by Matthew Xia, the play is set in Bhopal in 1984 and follows the impact of an ecological disaster on one family. Following its London run, the production will tour to Birmingham, Oxford and Manchester.

Running from 28 October to 11 November is The Bridge, written and performed by Alaa Shehada (the mind behind Scotsman Fringe First-winning debut, The Horse of Jenin) and produced by Palestine Comedy Club, with co-writing and direction by Sam Beale. The piece follows a journey from the West Bank to Jordan and explores themes of family, displacement and identity.

Global Majority will run from 25 November 2026 to 16 January 2027. Written by Chris Fung and directed by Rupert Hands, the political thriller centres on a candidate competing for a position of global power, billed as a cross between “Black Mirror and Succession.” 

Returning to the Bush following a sold-out Studio run is Insane Asylum Seekers, which transfers to the Holloway Theatre from 12 February to 20 March 2027. Written by Laith Elzubaidi and directed by Emily Ling Williams, the work explores family, migration and identity through autobiographical storytelling.

In the Studio, the season includes The Hungry Ghost from 1 to 31 October. Written by Mei Leng Yew, directed by Ailin Conant and featuring WhatsOnStage and Olivier Award nominee Mei Mac, the play combines horror and comedy while drawing on Chinese ghost month traditions.

Attention runs from 19 November to 23 December. Co-created by Jules Head and Georgia Bruce, the production examines a long-term relationship through a structure that changes each night.

The studio season concludes with Ripples, running from 21 January to 27 February 2027. Written by Tafadzwa Muchenje and Rosie MacPherson, the play is based on true events and follows a young man facing deportation.

Alongside the programme, Bush Theatre has appointed a new literary team. Olivia Poglio-Nwabali joins as literary manager and lead dramaturge, while Frey Kwa Hawking becomes associate dramaturge. The venue has also confirmed that its Open Submissions process for writers will return later this year.

Lawson said: “It’s a genuinely heady experience to announce a first season of work at the Bush, which aims to broaden the impact of the work we produce, the scope of conversations we have, and the theatre makers with whom we collaborate. In doing so, this season is our first intentional step of blasting open the door to the future of our art form and our relationship with the world around us.

“Each production, whether it’s in our Studio or Holloway Theatre, is the manifestation of great creative minds merging to give the best theatrical experience possible.”

Bush Theatre’s new season goes on sale today.