David Thacker, our Artistic Director, is today announcing the launch of BoltON. This is a new programme of special events and activities to complement the work in the main auditorium, covering a wide range of theatre productions, children’s theatre, poetry readings, discussion days and talks.David comments, “My aim with BoltON was to programme events which link, thematically, to the plays staged on the main auditorium and those programmed in the Studio.”
Theatre in the Studio allows the Octagon to stage a diverse programme of theatre such as Three of the Best from 24:7 Theatre Festival (16-18 September), from the Manchester’s award-winning annual showcase of new one-hour plays by local writers; appearances from Corin Redgrave in De Profundis (23-24 September) and Trumbo (6 November); Oxfordshire Theatre Company presents Dancing in my Dreams written by Neil Duffield (12-17 October); and in the 25th Anniversary year of the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike David is thrilled to be reviving his 1985 Young Vic production of The Enemies Within (14-19 December).
BoltON also feature Literature Live events from Poetry and Prose Now!, where contemporary poets and novelists read their own work to Poetry on a Plate where the actors from the Octagon Theatre Bolton will present lunchtime programmes on the life and work of major poets.
A new series of conversations between theatre practitioners and informed interviewers see The Royal Family’s Sue Johnston in Conversation with David Thacker (23 October).
Also, new to the Octagon are Investigate days, which encourage the analysis and investigation of plays and the issues that arise from them. These will be regular day-long Saturday events involving morning sessions, a matinee viewing and a post-show discussion. Investigate days include Who Needs Writers? (12 September), an investigation into verbatim theatre with panellists including Max Stafford-Clark, Robin Soans, David Thacker, Stephanie Street and Alecky Blythe; Investigating Three of the Best 24:7 (19 September), a day that gives time for analysis and discussion between each play with the writers, directors and casts; All My Sons An Investigation into the Play (14 October); Christopher Bigsby on Arthur Miller (17 October), telling the compelling story of the life of one of the 20th Century greatest playwright; Who Needs Translators? (14 November) David Thacker, Erik Skuggevik, actors from the Ghosts company and Brid Andrews of the University of Bolton and Professor Richard Wilson investigate the challenges and opportunities of translating classic and contemporary plays; and the season concludes with Who Needs Socialism? (19 December), which examines The Enemies Within.Other events include Working with Arthur Miller (5 October), and All My Children (24 October). Caryl Churchill’s, Seven Jewish Children will be performed alongside an extract from All My Sons as a stimulus for investigation into the relevance of Chris Keller’s shattering indictment: “Once and for all you can know there’s a universe of people outside and you’re responsible to it”.
For more information visit our website http://www.octgonbolton.co.uk/ or you can view the online brochure here.