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GRAND REOPENING: The theatre now boasts a combination of class and practicality in its interior thanks to its £4.3m refurbishment (photo credit: Philip Vile)

MADANI YOUNIS said it was important that he delivered the £4.3 million redevelopment of The Bush Theatre on time and on budget as the iconic venue re-opened its doors to the public after a year.

Talking to The Voice prior to the grand re-opening last weekend, the artistic director of the Bush Theatre said he was aware of the significance the venue had and his responsibility to executing his role to the highest specification.

“£4.3m is a lot of money for a small organisation,” said Younis.

He added:

“Sadly, in terms of projects being led by people of colour in our industry, they either struggle to get off the ground or when they have, they have then encountered major problems down the line and that was playing at the back of my mind, of course it was. This might sound arrogant, but I plan for success.

“So the idea of trying to mitigate failure is just not the way I think.”

On what the public can expect from the re-opening, Younis said:

“Following this landmark capital project, we couldn’t be more excited to re-open our building to the world. We’re looking forward to welcoming audiences old and new to this incredible space.

“It was important to me that we re-open with a week of celebrations that embrace the diversity of the world we live in. Black Lives, Black Words is a bold statement about one of the most important movements of our time: #BlackLives Matter. This, followed by Rajiv Joseph’s award-winning Guards at the Taj directed by Jamie Lloyd, sets the tone of the stories we want to tell in our beautiful new home.”

For more information visit: www.bushtheatre.co.uk.

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