LynetteLinton, 29, is artistic director at London’s
Bush Theatre. Earlier this year, she co-directed
Richard IIat the Globe Theatre with Adjoa Andoh.
It was the first ever UK staging of a Shakespeare
play to feature a company of women of colourBeing in a theatre for the first time was uncomfortable.
I was 15 and didn’t feel I ‘belonged’. It was a long time
before I began to see stories like mine on stage. Now we’re
in a place where people running venues are listening.
One of my aims is to braid our community further into
theatre so they influence the work on stage, and vice versa.
Collaboration is key.Remember you’re not in this alone.
Work hard to find mentors and other women to look up to,
building a supportive network around yourself. I make sure
the way I work is collaborative – at the Bush we make decisions
including programming together. I value everyone’s
The theatre trailblazeropinionon that team because that’s how you make art.
The path isn’t always obvious, but stick with it.
While working in the food hall of John Lewis, I joined the
National Youth Theatre, which led me to meet the director
Rikki Beadle-Blair. He gave me the confidence to writeStep,
which was later produced at the Theatre Royal Stratford
East. The production led to directing jobs at the Gate
Theatre and Donmar Warehouse, including a production of
Lynn Nottage’sSweat. Working with Lynn Nottage [the only
woman to win the Pulitzer Prize twice] highlighted how
important it is to pass the baton on to the next generation.
Be mindful of language.I’ve banned the word ‘risk’
in the theatre because all art is ‘risky’, particularly if
you’re a woman of colour. It’s important to look past the
boxes you are put into by society. ‘Risk’ is regarded
as negative but some of the most incredible shows
I’ve seen are the ones we might call ‘risky’.