Chris Bush (playwright)
Encyclopedia
Christopher Daniell Bush (Born 3 July 1986 in Sheffield
, England
) is an award winning British
playwright
and Artistic Director of White Rose Theatre.
Currently residing in York
, England, Chris is best known for his 2007 work TONY! The Blair Musical
, which enjoyed sell-out runs and critical acclaim at the York Theatre Royal
and Edinburgh Fringe
before transferring to the Pleasance
Islington as winner of the Sunday Times NSDF's inaugural Edinburgh Fringe
Competition for a successful off West-End run. Its sequel, Tony of Arabia, debuted at the Pleasance
Dome, Edinburgh in 2008, running in rep with the original show.
Earlier works include Harsh Reality, a winner of The National Young Playwright's Festival in 2000, and the philosophical comedy Man & God, originally written in 2004 and revived in Edinburgh 2006 at the Underbelly.
In November 2009, Bush appeared on an episode of the Channel 4
reality television programme Come Dine With Me
. Bush placed joint first and received £500 of the £1000 prize, which according to him equated to a "year's wages in the theatre".
Bush is currently working on a number of projects, including a revival of Lost Soul Music
at the Pleasance
Islington in Spring 2010 and co-writing the book and lyrics for a new musical with Rock Bottom Operas.
Studio
Man & God (2004) Rotherham Arts Centre, Underbelly Edinburgh
Dearly Departed (2005) Diorama Arts Centre
Olympia (2005) Drama Barn, York
TONY! The Blair Musical
(2007) York Theatre Royal
, Pleasance
Tony of Arabia (2008) Theatre Royal, Wakefield
, Oxford North Wall, Pleasance
Lost Soul Music
(2008) C Venues
, Edinburgh, Square Chapel
, Halifax, Pleasance
WOLF (2009) The Theatre, Chipping Norton
and Latitude Festival
as "a decent man who made some bad decisions", and stated that he had "come to ridicule Blair not vilify him". Some have argued that Bush is not critical enough of New Labour. Writing in The Daily Telegraph
, Dominic Cavendish claimed that "the country is angrier than [Tony, The Blair Musical] allows". Contrarily, Paul Lowman of The Press (York)
has praised Bush's even-handedness, stating that his greatest strength is his ability to "camouflage complex issues in a vastly entertaining, glossy, media friendly package."
Bush has stated that he is proud of his British heritage, and is a supporter of immigration to the country. On a 2009 episode of Come Dine With Me
he stated that "what makes [him] really proud of Britain [is] the number of people who want to be here".
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is an award winning British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and Artistic Director of White Rose Theatre.
Currently residing in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, England, Chris is best known for his 2007 work TONY! The Blair Musical
TONY! The Blair Musical
TONY! The Blair Musical is a satirical comedy musical written in 2007 by Chris Bush, director of the White Rose Theatre, with music composed by Ian McCluskey...
, which enjoyed sell-out runs and critical acclaim at the York Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal
The York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St. Leonard's Place, York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 847 people. This reduced capacity takes into account removal of the mixing position seats and the stage side boxes which are normally not sold...
and Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
before transferring to the Pleasance
Pleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
Islington as winner of the Sunday Times NSDF's inaugural Edinburgh Fringe
Edinburgh Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place annually in Scotland's capital, in the month of August...
Competition for a successful off West-End run. Its sequel, Tony of Arabia, debuted at the Pleasance
Pleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
Dome, Edinburgh in 2008, running in rep with the original show.
Earlier works include Harsh Reality, a winner of The National Young Playwright's Festival in 2000, and the philosophical comedy Man & God, originally written in 2004 and revived in Edinburgh 2006 at the Underbelly.
In November 2009, Bush appeared on an episode of the Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
reality television programme Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
. Bush placed joint first and received £500 of the £1000 prize, which according to him equated to a "year's wages in the theatre".
Bush is currently working on a number of projects, including a revival of Lost Soul Music
Lost Soul Music
Lost Soul Music is a series of tragicomic musicals by playwright Chris Bush and composer Ian McCluskey, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008. Consisting of six parts, they explore the idea of various ways to lose or sell ones soul...
at the Pleasance
Pleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
Islington in Spring 2010 and co-writing the book and lyrics for a new musical with Rock Bottom Operas.
Stage works
Harsh Reality (2000) New Wimbledon TheatreNew Wimbledon Theatre
The New Wimbledon Theatre is situated on The Broadway, Wimbledon, London, in the London Borough of Merton. It is a Grade II listed Edwardian theatre built by the theatre lover and entrepreneur, J B Mullholland. Built on the site of a large house with spacious grounds the theatre was designed by...
Studio
Man & God (2004) Rotherham Arts Centre, Underbelly Edinburgh
Dearly Departed (2005) Diorama Arts Centre
Olympia (2005) Drama Barn, York
TONY! The Blair Musical
TONY! The Blair Musical
TONY! The Blair Musical is a satirical comedy musical written in 2007 by Chris Bush, director of the White Rose Theatre, with music composed by Ian McCluskey...
(2007) York Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal
The York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St. Leonard's Place, York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 847 people. This reduced capacity takes into account removal of the mixing position seats and the stage side boxes which are normally not sold...
, Pleasance
Pleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
Tony of Arabia (2008) Theatre Royal, Wakefield
Theatre Royal, Wakefield
The Theatre Royal Wakefield is a theatre in Wakefield, England, which dates back to 1894. The theatre was originally known as the Theatre Royal and Opera House....
, Oxford North Wall, Pleasance
Pleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
Lost Soul Music
Lost Soul Music
Lost Soul Music is a series of tragicomic musicals by playwright Chris Bush and composer Ian McCluskey, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008. Consisting of six parts, they explore the idea of various ways to lose or sell ones soul...
(2008) C Venues
C venues
C venues is the home of the largest theatre and new writing programme at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which is held annually in August each year...
, Edinburgh, Square Chapel
Square Chapel
The Square Chapel in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England, was designed by Thomas Bradley and James Kershaw at the instigation of Titus Knight, a local preacher...
, Halifax, Pleasance
Pleasance
The Pleasance is a street in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is largely residential, although the University of Edinburgh owns property in the area.-University of Edinburgh union:...
WOLF (2009) The Theatre, Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton is a market town in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about southwest of Banbury.-History until the 17th century:...
and Latitude Festival
Latitude Festival
The Latitude Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Henham Park, Southwold, Suffolk, England. It was first held in July 2006....
Political views
Despite lampooning him on stage, Bush described Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
as "a decent man who made some bad decisions", and stated that he had "come to ridicule Blair not vilify him". Some have argued that Bush is not critical enough of New Labour. Writing in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, Dominic Cavendish claimed that "the country is angrier than [Tony, The Blair Musical] allows". Contrarily, Paul Lowman of The Press (York)
The Press (York)
The Press is the local daily paper for a substantial area of North and East Yorkshire, based on the city of York. It is printed by the Newsquest Ltd, a subsidiary of the Newsquest Media Group....
has praised Bush's even-handedness, stating that his greatest strength is his ability to "camouflage complex issues in a vastly entertaining, glossy, media friendly package."
Bush has stated that he is proud of his British heritage, and is a supporter of immigration to the country. On a 2009 episode of Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
he stated that "what makes [him] really proud of Britain [is] the number of people who want to be here".