The Bush is one of the country's leading new writing venues. Since its foundation in 1972, it has gained an impressive reputation for its ability to spot and nurture new playwrights and has launched the careers of highly respected talents including Tony Kushner, Catherine Johnson, Stephen Poliakoff, and Victoria Wood. Lead paragraph for The Bush Theatre page. For the past decade, the Bush has desperately wanted to move from its cramped home above a pub. In partnership with the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, they have secured a 125-year lease with a peppercorn rent on the Old Shepherds Bush Library, a spacious, historic and beautiful building in the heart of the community. The work ahead means transforming the library space into an intimate theatre with a workshop, rehearsal rooms, writing rooms, spaces for arts education and professional development, and a café bar and quiet reading room. This capital programme is a challenging one but with the first phase of their development they are aiming to launch their first season in October 2011 in a new auditorium, with a fully working bar and a flexible community and educational space. In July 2011, the Trustees of The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation agreed to a one off grant towards the first phase of the transformation of the old Shepherds Bush Public Library into new premises.