I'm hopeless at saying goodbye to buildings.
I still can't quite believe that Highbury, Arsenal's beloved old stadium, is no more and now the Bush is poised to move around the corner to a shiny - and much-deserved - new home. Its lovably ramshackly old premises above a pub overlooking Shepherd's Bush Green has long been a playgoer's delight but Health and Safety's worst nightmare and last orders have been called. Something special was required to celebrate 39 years of top-quality theatre-making.
And this is where non zero one come in, in collaboration with writer Elinor Cook. Whereas a logical choice might have been to stage a final cracking new play, or revive a greatest hit from the archive, ever-enterprising outgoing artistic director Josie Rourke and her team have commissioned a valedictory piece from this young company specialising in interactive performance.
The resulting work is humorous but poignant, and left me in tears as I descended those unforgiving stairs for the final time.
In groups of four, a number that allows a startling camaraderie to develop, we explore the nooks and crannies of the building whose fires, floods and dubious electrics have strangely made it more endearing. A voiceover guides us, sometimes via speakers and sometimes via our own personal headphones. Actors, writers and artistic directors past and present share their memories.
We pass already-packed boxes, waiting to transport all that life and creativity to the new venue.
It's thrilling to be allowed up the forbidden stairs marked "private", into the cosy eyrie of the communal dressing room, where the recollections of actor Geoff Streatfeild encourage us to recreate the "nap time" rituals he enjoyed with fellow cast members of The Contingency Plan, one of the finest recent shows. From there, we head backstage, awaiting our cue light and the biggest lump-in-throat moment of these powerful 60 minutes. The stage - and auditorium - that has given us so much pleasure lies forlorn.
A wonderful new era beckons for the Bush but for now it's right and proper to mourn the passing of the old one.
Until Sept 30 (020 8743 5050, bushtheatre.co.uk).
This Is Where We Got To When You Came In
The Bush Theatre
Goldhawk Road, Shepherd's Bush, W12 8QD
