Bush Theatre in London has announced that its flexible, 190-seat performance space will be named the Holloway Theatre in recognition of a major charitable donation by philanthropist Charles Holloway.
Simon Johnson, the Bush Theatre’s Chairperson, said today:
‘This generous donation is game changing and it’s entirely fitting that Charles Holloway’s name will be placed at the physical heart of our building. In a challenging climate for arts funding, philanthropic giving is key to the Bush’s resilience and success. Following a period of extraordinary growth, Charles’ donation acts as a powerful statement of belief in our future. I hope it will also inspire other philanthropists to join us for the journey of Lynette Linton’s exciting new tenure as Artistic Director, which has so much in store.’
Philanthropist Charles Holloway said:
'As a keen lover of culture and particularly of the theatre, I am proud to be able to give something back and to manifest my support for the Bush Theatre. I am a huge fan of the Bush and believe the impact the organisation has achieved in recent years punches far above its weight. I want to bolster this momentum by supporting its next chapter, with the wonderful Lynette Linton at the helm.'
In 2017, following a £4.3m redevelopment, and as a mark of confidence in the organisation’s work, it was announced that the Bush Theatre was to be one of a handful of London-based organisations to receive an increase in annual funding as part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio. In 2018, The Bush Theatre announced that its script library would be named the Alen-Buckley Script Library in recognition of major donations by philanthropists Gianni and Michael Alen-Buckley. Each year the Bush Theatre needs to raise over £500,000 from charitable individuals and organisations to make its programme of shows, emerging talent and community engagement initiatives a reality.
New Artistic Director Lynette Linton recently announced her inaugural season which includes UK debut plays from six playwrights alongside a new production of celebrated poet and playwright Jackie Kay’s first play Chiaroscuro, which Linton will direct. The season and accompanying community and talent development initiatives continue the theatre’s commitment to inclusivity, where audiences and artists reflect contemporary London. In pursuit of this vision, the Bush will continue to look to debut writers and braid together work presented in the Holloway Theatre with work from its local communities.
