bush theatre

Omar Elerian

Associate Director

Omar Elerian is the new Associate Director of the Bush Theatre. He is an Italian/Palestinian theatre director, deviser and performer, trained at Jacques Lecoq International Theatre School in Paris. He moved to London in 2009 after having lived for six years in France, where he worked internationally as a freelance theatre practitioner. Coming from a very diverse background and working across art forms and styles, he has collaborated with artists and companies throughout Europe and the UK.

His latest directing credits include the acclaimed site-specific production The Mill – City of Dreams (Bradford, Yorkshire), You're Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy (The Stage Best Solo Performance Award winner, Pleasance Attic, Edinburgh) Testa di Rame (Teatro Fortezza Vecchia, Italy) Les P'tites Grandes Choses (Maison de Arts du Cirque et du Clown, France) and L'Envers du Décor (Theatre Les Enfants Terribles, France). He was also Associate Director on Jericho House’s The Tempest, which premiered in Palestine and Israel before opening as part of the Barbican’s BITE ’11 season in St Giles Cripplegate.

Omar aims to create theatre that is contemporary, challenging, honest, necessary and generous. He believes that raising questions is more important than providing answers; that artistic freedom bares discipline and responsibility; that theatre should be a moment of communion and exchange between the stage and the auditorium.

Rachel Tyson

Producer

Rachel is producer at the Bush, her credits include:

The Flooded Grave by Anthony Weigh (for Latitude Festival), Where’s My Seat? by Deirdre Kinahan, Jack Thorne and Tom Wells, Sixty-Six Books (nominated for 2011 What’s On Stage theatrical event of the year award), The Kitchen Sink by Tom Wells and Our New Girl by Nancy Harris. As producer Rachel enjoys building relationships across the theatre sector, bringing the Bush’s work to new audiences in London and beyond, recently she has worked with Tamasha, Shiber Hur of Palestine, Live Theatre Newcastle, The Young Vic and World Stages London

Prior to joining the Bush Theatre Rachel worked 1.4 miles down the Shepherds Bush Road at the Lyric Hammersmith as a producer and project manager. Producing credits include, Dick Whittington (young ensemble), The Game of Life, Mog-Additon and the Three Sisters Festival with Filter Theatre Company in the Lyric Studio. Rachel devised and delivered a broad programme of work focusing on developing emerging artists and engaging young people, she general managed the Lyric Young Company and developed the Young Writers Programme with Associate Artist and playwright Simon Stephens. Rachel designed and delivered the large-scale project, Sex, Lies and DVDs responding to Spring Awakening, the project was nominated for the best sexual health project in the UK 2009.

Rachel’s freelance producing credits include, Guilt and Shame, Soho Theatre and Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Midlife Crisis and Grief for the Coming Up Festival, Arden 2.0 for Old Vic New Voices and The Cost of Things, Public Theatre New York.

Rachel is a freelance consultant for commercial theatre producers, she has provided education consultancy for numerous West End productions and commercial tours, and she has recently worked for ZooNation UK, Mousetrap Theatre Projects, Seabright Productions and Kenny Wax Productions.

Anthony Newton

Production Manager

Originally from Scarborough, Anthony began his theatre career, aged 16, at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. He later trained at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh and upon graduating worked as a lighting designer in the live events industry. Since then he has worked in technical theatre with many companies and has toured extensively in the UK and abroad, with work taking him as far away as Malaysia, China and Venezuela as well as throughout Europe.

Anthony was technical director of the National Student Drama Festival for 3 years and still plays a part in the event as a technical advisor to the festival. He has worked in various capacities at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the last 9 years; most recently as production manager for Universal Arts? venues and productions. He was also recently a judge for the PLASA Innovation Awards, a scheme to reward innovation in entertainment technology.

Anthony spent 6 months in Beijing learning Mandarin at Peking University in the run up to the Beijing Olympics. Though he now has little opportunity to use this skill he is keen to return to China some time with a new project. He played the drums in his school jazz orchestra, another skill he infrequently exercises, though with rumours of several Bush staff being secret musicians, who knows?

Sophie Coke-Steel

Marketing Manager

Sophie is the Marketing Manager at the Bush Theatre.

Sophie begun her career promoting the books of some of her favourite novelists in the commercial fiction division of HarperCollins Publishers.

Before working at the Bush, Sophie spent a year in Australia enjoying Sydney's arts (and beach) scene whilst working as the Marketing Coordinator for Australia's largest literary festival - the Sydney Writers' Festival - and managing the marketing campaign for 2009 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.

Eleanor Lang

General Manager

Eleanor joined the Bush in February 2011. Her main role is to support Angela on the admin and finances of the Bush. Prior to the Bush she worked at Y Touring, BAC and the Donmar. She has also worked as a freelance Producer.

Eleanor is on the board of Kandinsky Theatre Company and on Y Touring’s advisory board.

Carolina Ortega

Associate Producer

Carolina is a Venezuelan producer, playwright and dramaturg living in London. She studied an MA in Text & Performance at RADA and Creative Writing at Birkbeck and has worked as a freelance theatre practitioner in England, Holland and Spain, working on every aspect of theatre making.
She has worked as programmer for CASA Latin American Theatre Festival, founder and coordinator of GRAFT playwrights collective, writer and workshop leader for Future Scripts and Dramaturg for Tangram Theatre Company in London and Idreman in Holland. As a producer she has worked with independent theatre companies and performers all over the UK.
She believes that theatre has to move and challenge, not just entertain. She believes in making theatre that aims to reach wider audiences and break barriers. She’s feels very lucky to be joining the Bush at such an exciting time.

Annette Butler

Theatre Manager

Annette joined the Bush Theatre in April 2010 as the Box Office and Front of House Manager which is where you probably caught your first glance of her as she ran around front of house making sure everything is looking how it should or you may have spoken to her when booking your tickets.

She has recently taken the next step on her career path and is now the Theatre Manager working at the new home of the Bush setting up the box office and front of house area but more importantly installing a café/bar. Annette has found that she needs to put in a great deal of research for her latest task which is proving quite tiring having endless meetings in Shepherds Bush’s numerous cafes & watering holes.

In her previous life she lived and worked in Sheffield, where she worked at Sheffield Theatres in the Box Office for 12 years, which did involve many a year selling tickets for the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible Theatre! And coincidently was the first time she bumped in to Josie Rourke.

Oh and one last thing, she is a real chocoholic so if anyone should wish to buy her a present then she would love nothing more than a huge bar of milk chocolate.

Neil Hobbs

Technical Manager

How did Neil end up at the Bush? He’s originally from The North, but hides it well. In Edinburgh he abandoned a career in science and ran away to join the theatre. After training in Yorkshire’s beautiful countryside he worked throughout the UK as a lighting designer and technician for a bizarre range of drama, comedy and events, and is now delighted to be staying in one place for a while.

Although working here will probably yield fewer zombie hordes, moustachioed Victorians and underground karaoke battles than he’s been used to in the past, the upsides are working with an incredible team on fantastic drama; as Technical Manager he gets to support the whole array of the Bush’s diverse activities in theatre and beyond.

Nancy Harris

Pearson Playwright in Residence

Nancy Harris was born and raised in Dublin. Theatre credits include; No Romance, Abbey Theatre (Peacock), The Kreutzer Sonata, The Gate Theatre, London, Little Dolls, The Bush Theatre Broken Space Season, Love In A Glass Jar, The Abbey Theatre 20 Love Season. She has been a writer on attachment at the Soho Theatre and National Theatre Studio respectively and has had work produced with The Miniaturists at The Arcola and by Mind The Gap Theatre Company New York. Her radio credits include Love In A Glass Jar and the five part woman’s hour drama series Blood In The Bridal Shop co-written with Louise Ramsden, both for BBC Radio 4. Nancy has also written for television. She is currently The Pearson Playwright in Residence at The Bush Theatre.

Lucy Howe

Development Administrator

Lucy joined the Bush in January 2011 as the Administrative Intern, and is very excited to now be a full-time member of the Bush team in the Development department.

Lucy recently graduated from St Andrews in Modern History, and although misses the seaside and Irn-Bru is happy living in London for the (slightly) warmer weather and the falafel of Shepherds Bush. She's previously worked at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Edinburgh International Festival and as a Production Assistant on various dramas for Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.

Sade Banks

Assistant Producer

Sade started her journey at the Bush as the Bushfutures Apprentice in March 2010 with the help of CaVSA, Hammersmith and Fulham. She is now the Assistant Producer and coordinates the community outreach and professional development programme, Bushfutures.

As well as working at the Bush full time, Sade is also the chair of Centrepoint Youth Parliament and has previously sat on the judging panel for Youth Opportunity Funds in Hammersmith and Fulham.

Sade has written four short plays in the last year and has had rehearsed readings at The Bush, The Lyric and Oval House Theatre.

Pirate

Resident Cat

Pirate recently came to the Bush from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. His job is to entertain staff, play with members of the public, and to keep Marley company.

Marley

Resident Cat

Marley also has arrived at the Bush from Battersea, and his main job is to look pretty and purr. He likes sitting in small spaces, so you're likely to find him in his basket or hiding backstage.