A LOCAL writer has shared his memories of the old Bush theatre after its recent reopening.
Frank Wright, 74, author of the Bermondsey Boy, has said he is glad to see the theatre back up and running after it moved home recently to Uxbridge Road.
The Theatre opened in 1972 above the Bush Hotel, in Shepherd’s Bush Green in a room that had previously been Lionel Blair’s dance studio.
Mr Wright, 74, of Bloemfontein Road, Shepherd’s Bush said: "I remember when the theatre first opened so it’s great to see it open its doors in its new home. It’s so different now with the plush new seats. We sat on orange cart boxes and paid a tuppence to get in.
"The theatre was above the pub so during the interval we’d all go downstairs for a pint, or whatever we fancied before going back upstairs to claim out orange box again.
"It didn’t matter what was showing, it was an experience for us lads then to have the chance to feel like we were at the theatre experiencing something exciting."
The author of Bermondsey Boys, his first book about Mr Wright’s experience of being a butler, has remained in the area for over 40 years and is now a carer for a friend.
Bush Theatre has just relocated from its home of 41 years in Shepherd’s Bush Green moving to the old Shepherd’s Bush library, in Uxbridge Road.
