Bolton Octagon Archives - North West End UK

2Nov

By Aditi DalalNo Comments

London

A View from the Bridge – Rose Theatre

The Arthur Miller classic was first staged as a one act production on Broadway in 1955. This latest co-production with Headlong Theatre, Bolton Octagon, Chichester Festival Theatre and the Rose Theatre sees it in its full-length version, with the play's central themes resonating just as powerfully in today's world. Set in a working-class Italian American neighbourhood in Brooklyn, the story revolves around the complex dynamics within the Carbone family. Eddie Carbone (Jonathan Slinger) is a longshoreman who becomes increasingly obsessed with his niece, Catherine (Rachelle Diedericks). Tensions escalate when two Italian immigrants, Marco (Tommy Sim’aan) and Rodolpho (Luke Newberry), move in with the Carbone family, leading to a dramatic confrontation as Eddie's jealousy and cultural clas...

Casting announced for new version of Kes at Bolton Octagon and Theatre by the Lake

31Jan

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

NEWS

Casting announced for new version of Kes at Bolton Octagon and Theatre by the Lake

Casting has been announced for a new version of Barry Hines’ northern classic Kes co-produced by Bolton’s Octagon Theatre and Theatre by the Lake in Keswick. It’s set in a 1960s working-class Yorkshire mining town depicting the struggles of 15-year-old Billy Casper. Bullied and neglected, life isn’t easy for Billy, but when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk who he cares for and trains, it gives Billy a passion and freedom that has been missing in his life. This stage version is adapted by Robert Alan Evans, and will be directed by award-winning theatre director and one of The Stage’s 25 Theatremakers to watch in 2022, Atri Banerjee. A trio of performers will star in this poignant coming of age story with Jake Dunn will make his professional stage debut playing the role of troubl...

All-star cast for The Picture of Dorian Gray at Bolton Octagon

21Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

All-star cast for The Picture of Dorian Gray at Bolton Octagon

Russell Tovey, Stephen Fry and Joanna Lumley head an all-star cast for a digital production of The Picture of Dorian Gray at Bolton Octagon. They’ve joined forces with Barn Theatre in Cirencester, the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield and the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich will co-produce The Picture of Dorian Gray with Theatr Clwyd in Mold and the Oxford Playhouse in Oxfordshire to offer the production as co-producers. Fionn Whitehead is in the title role, are Alfred Enoch as Harry Wooton, Lumley as Lady Narborough, Emma McDonald as Sibyl Vane and Tovey as Basil Hallward with Fry as the Interviewer. From the creative team behind the critically acclaimed What a Carve Up!, the belov...

Cast announced for A Christmas Carol at Bolton Octagon

6Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Cast announced for A Christmas Carol at Bolton Octagon

Casting has been announced for a festive broadcast reading of Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol at Bolton Octagon on Sunday 20th December. The classic redemptive tale old miser Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited on Christmas Eve by three spirits will be read aloud by a team of actors, and broadcast from various locations inside the new theatre. It will also give audiences a sneak peek at the newly refurbished and redesigned town centre venue ahead of its opening in early 2021. The cast includes Coronation Street’s Susan Hilton, John Afzal, Brianna Douglas, Brassic’s Neil Ashton, Colin Meredith, Purvi Parmar, Natalie Amber and Sam Black. “I’m delighted to be working with this fantastic cast of talented actors, all of whom are based locally to the Octagon,”, says the...

Bolton Octagon are back with a live online production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

2Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Bolton Octagon are back with a live online production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Bolton Octagon are back with a live online production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream Bolton Octagon are back with their first bash at a live streamed production offering an online version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as the theatre’s £12million redevelopment is completed before reopening in December. They are working with Guildford Shakespeare Company (GSC) to present streamed performances from Thursday 24th to Saturday 27th September 2020. This is a new version of GSC’s acclaimed open air production, which was directed by the Octagon’s Artistic Director Lotte Wakeham, who also directs this latest online version. The 75-minute production, which will be live streamed on Zoom, features a cast of six actors. Making their Octagon Theatre debuts will be Jack Whita...

BAFTA-nominated Ruth Madeley leads cast for new season of monologues from Bolton Octagon

22Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

BAFTA-nominated Ruth Madeley leads cast for new season of monologues from Bolton Octagon

This summer Bolton Octagon are producing a season of 10 new audio recordings of monologues written by local writers. The monologues were penned by winners of the ‘One Night In Bolton’ writing competition inspired by the play which was due to be the opening performance at the theatre as it reopened after 2 years of construction. Due to the impact of COVID-19 the reopening of the theatre has been delayed, and instead the Octagon decided to inspire creativity in lockdown by running a creative writing competition. The monologues will be released online over the summer and a selection broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester. Bolton actor and BAFTA nominee Ruth Madeley, known for her role in the BBC’s critically acclaimed drama Years and Years, who will be performing The Queen of Bolton Baths...

Elizabeth Newman is keeping theatre alive in the hills

31May

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Interviews

Elizabeth Newman is keeping theatre alive in the hills

In the first of a two-part interview with Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s Elizabeth Newman our Features Editor Paul Clarke asks her about the challenges of being an artistic director in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. After eight successful years as Bolton Octagon’s Artistic Director, Elizabeth Newman moved across the border to lead the team at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, but just as she was preparing to launch a new season of productions COVID-19 struck. Elizabeth and her team at the Perthshire venue are in lockdown after scrapping that season of work. They’ve been using that time to create online work in the maelstrom of a totally unprecedented challenge for the theatre world that managed to keep the lights on even as the Luftwaffe were dropping bombs on London. There's not ...