Bush Theatre Announces Season Of New Plays

The Bush Theatre has announced its new season of plays, comprising 2nd May 1997, If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet,  The Stefan Golaszewski Plays, The Whisky Taster and Eigengrau.

2nd May 1997. An historic victory. The Tories, 18 years in power, are defeated as New Labour sweeps into government. From the euphoria and despair, three deeply personal stories emerge.

Tory MP Robert prepares to attend the count. With defeat looming large, he fears becoming a forgotten man whilst his wife Marie counts the cost of her own personal sacrifice to politics. Lib Dem footsoldier Ian is no hero, but party crasher Sarah is determined to make him one. Best mates Jake and Will wake up to a new world order and try to memorise the cabinet before their Politics A Level class. Jake dreams of Number 10. Will dreams of Jake.

Jack Thorne's plays include When You Cure Me (Bush), Burying Your Brother in the Pavement (NT Connections) and Stacy (National Theatre of Scotland and Arcola). His debut feature film, The Scouting Book for Boys, is due for release later this year.

Directed by George Perrin, with design by HannaH Clark and lighting by Philip Gladwell, the cast includes; James Barrett, Geoffrey Beevers, Linda Broughton, Jamie Samuel and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Following its run at the Bush Theatre, 2nd May 1997 will tour to Watford Palace Theatre (20 - 21 Oct), The Mercury Theatre, Colchester (22 - 24 Oct) and The Royal Exchange Studio, Manchester (27 - 31 Oct).

If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet is a new play by Nick Payne. He won the 2009 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright. It is directed by Josie Rourke, artistic director of the Bush Theatre.

Surviving school as a fat kid is tough enough. When your Mum's a teacher, it's hell. What's more, Anna's Dad is obsessed with saving the world and her maverick uncle Terry is dossing on the couch.

When Anna hits back at the bullies, she finds herself suspended from school and stuck at home with hapless Terry trying to save her. But Terry needs saving himself, and as the bond between the two deepens, Anna finds herself swept up in a friendship she can't live without.

Following their debuts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008 & 2009, The Stefan Golaszewski Plays are presented for the first time together. The plays give us a glimpse into one man's love at two very different stages of life.

Stefan Golaszweksi Speaks About A Girl He Once Loved is a bruising one-man show about being 18, in love and being unable to cope. In Walthamstow, in 1999, a girl and a boy meet in a pub. One day later it is over. The boy is still trying to deal with it. He has written a play about it.

Stefan Golaszweksi Is A Widower forms the second part of the evening. In 2054, Stefan Golaszewski's wife died. Now, in 2056, crushed, alone and 76 years old, he revisits their life together and performs a one-man play dedicated to her memory.

Stefan Golaszewski was the recipient of a 2008 Fringe First Award and nominated as Best Actor in the Stage Newspaper Acting Awards. As part of comedy troupe Cowards, he has had series on BBC4 and on Radio 4.

The Whisky Taster is by James Graham, who won the Catherine Johnson Award for the Best Play 2007 for Eden's Empire. His previous plays include Little Madam (Finborough), Tory Boyz (Soho Theatre) and suddenlossofdignity.com (Bush). It is directed by James Grieve, associate director of the Bush Theatre and artistic director of nabokov. His directing credits include St Petersburg by Declan Feenan and Psychogeography by Lucy Kirkwood (Bush), Artefacts by Mike Bartlett (Bush, National Tour and Off-Broadway).

Barney and Nicola are advertising wonder kids. They win accounts with wit, charm and a secret weapon - Barney's ability to feel, smell and taste colours, and to translate these sensations into words.

Lately Barney has been finding things way too colourful and wishes his full throttle London life was more black and white, but Nicola is hell bent on winning accounts at all costs.

When the two hire an old Scottish Whisky Taster to help them with a new campaign, his strange wisdom slows the Londoners to a stop, just as the deadline looms.

Eigengrau is by Penelope Skinner, and directed by Polly Findlay.

Rose believes in true love and leprechauns. Her flatmate Cassie is engaged in a fervent struggle against patriarchal oppression.

Across London, Mark believes in the power of marketing. His flatmate Tim Muffin is engaged in a fervent struggle against his own waistline.

When circumstance throws them together, all four have their beliefs tested to devastating effect in a biting black comedy about trying to connect in a city where Gumtree can sometimes feel like your closest friend.

The Bush have also announced that later in this season they will be launching bushgreen, a social networking website that allows practitioners in theatre to connect with other writers, directors and producers. Via bushgreen you can submit plays directly to the Bush's reading team for production consideration or directly publish your scripts online so more people can access the work.

The mission of bushgreen is to connect playwrights with theatre practitioners, plays with producers and to lead and inspire best practice in the presenting of new plays.

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