Conversations, dispatches and ideas from the Bush Theatre.
My week at Bush Theatre has been such an incredible eye opener and it has completely re-awoken my passion for theatre. Coming to Bush, I had initially decided on an unrelated university degree despite my passion for the arts; However, after a mere two days I had been so blown away by my experience that I am now planning to audition for drama school in the coming months. I am so extremely grateful to have had this experience and be exposed to all the different departments within the theatre.
I was amazed by the diversity and inclusivity of the theatre including the coming season of productions. During my time with the literary department I was grateful to have had the opportunity to read some of the scripts of upcoming performances; I was particularly interested in the play “The High Table” by Temi Wilkey as it explored the clash between west African culture and sexuality. Being of Nigerian heritage, I was intrigued and though I was challenged by the task of creatively responding to the play, it gave me the opportunity to experience first-hand the literary aspects of a theatre.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the more modern and relaxed work space”
One of my favourite moments in the short time I spent at Bush, would be my observation of rehearsals of the upcoming production “Chiaroscuro” by Jackie Kay. In this I was stunned by the emotions evoked within me from only witnessing a few scenes and I would definitely recommend as the finished production is likely to be phenomenal.
On Tuesday I was able to sit in on a company meeting which allowed me to see the co-dependency of all the separate departments and how they were all individually structured and distributed the work load. I was able to understand how the small and intimate team allowed a more efficient and proactive work environment which was particularly appealing to me as I was previously apprehensive about office environments. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the more modern and relaxed work space.
During my time working with the front-of-house department, I absorbed a range of practical skills such as the basics of customer service, how to serve a range of food and drink, and how to use the computer payment systems.
I am currently writing this blog post on my fourth day at Bush for the marketing department and am looking forward to working with the admin and community departments tomorrow. I am so grateful for my experience at Bush Theatre and having been welcomed so warmly by everyone, and I will defiantly be coming back to visit.
