Bush Theatre has announced its inaugural season with artistic director Taio Lawson and interim executive director Angela Wachner, presenting a varied programme including new writing and collaborations that engage with contemporary social and political themes.

The new season opens in the Holloway Theatre with Before We Forget, a fresh 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 hosts Darkling, a co-production with Actors Touring Company written by Titas Halder and directed by Matthew Xia, set in Bhopal in 1984 and depicting an ecological disaster’s impact on one family. Following its London run, Darkling will tour Birmingham, Oxford and Manchester.

Running from 28 October to 11 November is The Bridge, written and performed by Alaa Shehada and produced by Palestine Comedy Club, co-written and directed by Sam Beale. The play explores themes of family, displacement and identity through a journey from the West Bank to Jordan. From 25 November 2026 to 16 January 2027, the political thriller Global Majority by Chris Fung and directed by Rupert Hands examines a candidate’s fight for global power with tones reminiscent of Black Mirror and Succession.

Insane Asylum Seekers returns after a sold-out Studio run, transferring to the Holloway Theatre from 12 February to 20 March 2027. Written by Laith Elzubaidi and directed by Emily Ling Williams, the autobiographical piece explores family, migration and identity. The Studio schedule features The Hungry Ghost from 1 to 31 October, written by Mei Leng Yew, directed by Ailin Conant and starring Mei Mac, blending horror and comedy through Chinese ghost month traditions.

Attention, running 19 November to 23 December, is co-created by Jules Head and Georgia Bruce, exploring a long-term relationship with a nightly changing structure. Ripples, concluding the Studio season from 21 January to 27 February 2027, is written by Tafadzwa Muchenje and Rosie MacPherson and depicts a young man’s struggle against deportation, based on true events.

Alongside the season announcement, Bush Theatre revealed new appointments to its literary team, with Olivia Poglio-Nwabali as literary manager and lead dramaturge and Frey Kwa Hawking as associate dramaturge. The theatre also confirmed its Open Submissions process for writers will return later this year.

Lawson described the season as “a genuinely heady experience” and a step towards broadening the theatre’s artistic impact, conversations and collaborations. He emphasised the collective creativity behind each production, which seeks to provide “the best theatrical experience possible.”