Blowing our own Trumpet

As I think I have mentioned before the 2007 / 2008 season is surpassing all expectations, with every show exceeding audience and income targets and the two most recent productions smashing all previous box office records at the Octagon. A Christmas Carol became the most successful production ever in Box Office terms at the Octagon Theatre, bringing in £220,000, (five years ago the Christmas production yielded £69,000). Following the festive fun, The Crucible opened to the highest Box Office figures for a non-Christmas show in the Theatre’s 40 year history and closed to a record high of £100,000. Schools travelled from as far as the Midlands and South Wales to attend this production of an Arthur Miller classic.

John Blackmore, Executive Director at the Octagon, says:

'This record-breaking season is the culmination of a staggering resurgence of the Octagon’s fortunes since 2000. Tribute must be paid to all those who have worked imaginatively, creatively and with outstanding dedication to lift the Octagon to its current level of achievement. None of this could have happened without the passionate support of our patrons, who have turned out in ever increasing numbers, our principal patron Sue Hodgkiss, and our principal sponsor the University of Bolton. It has been an inspiring experience to see and feel the love and appreciation in which the Octagon is held by our community and those who have worked here, as exemplified by this 40th anniversary season.'

The season was made up of four World Premieres; Lisa’s Sex Strike, which was a co-production with Northern Broadsides, And Did Those Feet, Meet the Mukherjees and the specially re-commissioned end of season show Once Upon a Time in Wigan – LIVE!, as well as featuring classics such as Oh What a Lovely War and The Crucible. And Did Those Feet won Best New Play at the Manchester Evening News Awards and Lisa’s Sex Strike toured nationally, following its triumphant run at the beginning of the Octagon’s 40th Anniversary Season.

Jim Cartwright’s Road opens at the Octagon on Thursday 6 March, having already exceeded its closing target.

Manners cost nothing.....

...so my Mum always told me. She was big on manners and particularly 'Thank You 'letters for those that ever showed kindness or gave me presents. I was delighted to see that some still take the 'Thank You' letter seriously when a whole batch of these landed on my desk from both Salesbury CE Primary School and Lord Street Primary School thanking us for their enjoyable visits to see our festive show. I have scanned in a few of the letters below and as you can see the children have been very generous with their compliments and kind words and we've had some fantastic pictures. You should be able to click on the images and enlarge them if you are having trouble reading them - it's worth it. They're great!

Thankyou Letters

Not only has A Christmas Carol got some nice press reviews, we have also have had some fantastic feedback from our audience. Here's a lovely letter that we were sent recently. There's something so nice and personal about 'snail mail' in this internet age.

If you can't read the above here are a few edited highlights:

We have been to see many productions at the Octagon but must say this was the
best performance I have ever seen there.....It was brilliant from start to
finish. Thanks to all the cast for their performance and last but not least all
the backstage people who helped to put on this production. A job well done!

And not only have people take the time to write to us to say how much they have enjoyed the show but also have written to The Bolton News.

If you can't make out the text above you can read the letters online here and here. So many thanks to those that have come to see the show and special thanks to those that have put in the effort to write about their experiences!

A Christmas Carol - The Movie

I am not talking about the Christmas Carol movie featuring the voice of Kate Winslet, the one featuring Alastair Sim or the one with Michael Caine and the Muppets (my personal favourite) but the video promo for our current production of A Christmas Carol.



If this trailer isn't enough to tempt you, you can see production shots here and here or read the reviews here.

Festive Christmas Slideshow

Some more of the lovely festive production photos by Ian Tilton - this time in Slideshow format! Enjoy.

A Christmas Carol - What's Being Said....

Grisling, grouching, picking, pinching, scrimping, skulking Scrooge (Rob Pickavance) in all his sourpuss glory.

Seems those of you that have seen it are enjoying our production of A Christmas Carol. Here's a few comments from you, our audience:

'The show is really well done and the set is amazing'

'One of the best shows I've ever seen'

'Loved it'

Here's a review by one of the young people who came to see our show. She has even posted it on her school website. Thanks Frances.

And it seems it's not only the audience that is enjoying themselves:

'This is a show which the whole family can enjoy as it is timeless, funny and poignant. The Octagon has done it again: this could be the show to beat this Christmas.' Read the rest of the review here.

What's On Stage

I will add links to other reviews as I find them. Here's one from The Bolton News. One from The Stage here and Manchester Evening News here.

And another review from the Metro. Unfortunately I can't find a link to the online one so take a look at the article below:

It's always difficult to present such a timeless story while finding ways to make it feel fresh and interesting, but the Octagon has pulled it off with style here. ..you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be filled with Christmas spirit by this. The Metro (5 stars)

And here's another review from there Lancashire Evening Post.

If you are finding it hard to get into the festive spirit, then you must come and see the show. If you are anything like me you will leave the theatre with a rosy glow, humming Christmas Carols (despite it still being November) , hankering after Turkey, Christmas trees and even snow!

The cast of A Christmas Carol (with Team Marley)

A Christmas Carol - Lithography!

A Christmas Carol opens tonight preceded by the Lantern Parade. Here are some of the production shots to get you feeling festive and to see what you are missing if you haven't yet bought your tickets.

Scrooge doing his miserly thing - Robert Pickavance as Scrooge and Thomas Frere as Bob Cratchit

The Cratchit Family making merry - Clockwise: Robert Pickavance (Scrooge), Katie Ball (Tiny Tim), Thomas Frere (Bob Cratchit) and Sarah Groarke (Mrs Crachit)

Even Scrooge gets into the party spirit at the Fezziwigs. The cast and Team Scrooge.

The festive makeover is complete. Merry Christmas! Robert Pickavance as the new and improved Scrooge!

An Interview with Dawn Allsopp (Designer)

Dawn Allsopp has worked with us, as a Designer, on a few productions over the years including Shining City and Kindertransport for which she was nominated for a Manchester Evening News award in 2004. I managed to grab a few minutes with her to ask a few questions and have included some of her rather lovely designs for A Christmas Carol.

If you could produce designs for any production, what would that production be?

I am not someone who has a great yearning to do something that has so far eluded me. I accept projects which fire up my imagination and instinctively I know will be fun and challenging to work on.

Can you describe a bit about the process you went through to design the set and costumes for A Christmas Carol.

Conrad Nelson (Director) and I met and discussed various ideas before beginning the design process. We talked in general terms about the pile of cash boxes leading from stage level and up to the shelf and specifically about the various locations we would need to include.

I then went away, gathered visual reference material and put together a rough model (see finished model below) and costume thoughts. At our next meeting with this model, we solidified some ideas, chucked out others and introduced new ones.

Photo of the set model of A Christmas Carol.
Designed by Dawn Allsopp

The process continued in that way, with each meeting the design becoming more refined until it arrived at what you see on the stage.

What were the biggest challenges of designing A Christmas Carol and what was most enjoyable about working on the production?

The biggest challenge within the play is to create a sense of flying, without anyone actually leaving the floor.

During the design process, the pile of cash boxes grew out of the stage floor and as they reached the shelf had become a jumble of small houses. These houses hem in Scrooge's bedroom area and help create a sense of an overcrowded city in which he works and lives.

In addition Scrooge's four poster bed moves when the down stage bed post is pushed. This sets the canopy swaying and creates a great sense of movement. With the bed swaying and specific lighting effects we get a fantastic sense of Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present soaring high over a cityscape. All without ever leaving the ground!

It has been a great challenge and hugely enjoyable to work on an adaptation of a Dickens classic here at the Octagon.

Tell us about how you got into theatre design and do you have any advice you would offer to those interested in this type of career?

I trained in fashion and textile design and then did a post graduate year at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School on The Wardrobe course. I realised by the end of that year I wanted to design scenery as well as costumes, so spent two years working on small fringe projects in London, while earning a living working as a dresser on West End Musicals.

I was then lucky enough to get an assistant design job at The Palace Theatre in Westcliff on Sea, where I designed various main house shows and painted on all the shows. This job gave me a fantastic foundation on which to build.

Clearly my degree choice was in a different design discipline and I had to learn aspects of my job as I went through my career. I think now, if you want to go into theatre design then theatre design training is advisable as it is a very competitive market. There are a lot of courses to chose from and with most things you will need to do some research and pick the course that most suits your needs and expectations.

Which project have you undertaken that you are most proud of?

I designed a show in August 2005 for the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich called Sugar. This is a fantastic musical version of the film Some Like It Hot.

You've got a great period setting of the late 1920's and a terrific comic story of boys dressing as female musicians to escape the mob and a girl running away with the same band to find a millionaire husband in Miami.

With its great score and performed by a hugely talented company of actor/musicians this was an exceptional show and one I am really proud to have worked on.

Scripts for Sale

Cover: courtesy of Aurora Metro Press. Image: Joel Chester-Fildes and William Chitham

About the author's previous work

"...simple, unaffected theatrical magic..."
The Sunday Times

It felt a bit like Christmas yesterday as two big packages arrived. Unfortunately not a gift for me,as such, but it could be a gift for you! You can now buy the published script for A Christmas Carol. There's the cover above. So if you fancy re-creating a bit of the festive magic with your friends or family, using it as a study text at your school, fancy reading along in the performance (quietly!!) or are simply looking for a nice Christmas gift for someone theatrically minded why not buy a copy?

And even better news, you can buy them for just £5 - a price so good I am sure even Scrooge himself would see fit to part with his cash. They will be selling in the shops for £8.99, that means we are selling them almost half price!! Just ask one of our ushers or at Ticket Office for a copy.

A Christmas Carol - Casting News

Conrad Nelson (Director) has announced the cast for ths year's festive show, A Christmas Carol, so let me introduce you!

Robert Pickavance returns to the Octagon, having previously appeared in Broken Glass, Anna Karenina and Neville’s Island amongst others.

Robert Pickavance and Barbara Marten in Broken Glass

Another Octagon Theatre regular, Simeon Truby, currently wowing audiences in the smash-hit Oh What A Lovely War will also feature. What with rehearsing A Christmas Carol and performing in Oh What A Lovely War he is a busy man! He's obviously enjoying himself though - here he is in rehearsals for the current production.

We are also pleased to welcome back, one of the stars of the Octagon Theatre and Hampstead Theatre award-winning co-production of Blonde Bombshells of 1943, Sarah Groarke (Vera) and also Pam Jolley who toured with the production.

Left to right: Sarah Groarke, Ruth Alexander Rubin and Elizabeth Marsh in Blonde Bombshells of 1943

As well as the familiar faces I have already mentioned, we are pleased to introduce Thomas Frere and Dan Willis who will be making their Octagon Theatre debut as well as more fresh faces in the form of local, young people from activ8, Urban Stage (the Theatre School run by Simeon - told you he was a busy man!) and Bolton Stage School.

The young members of A Christmas Carol cast work on the famous festive scarecrow scene!

So that just leaves me to say welcome to the Octagon chaps and in the words of Tiny Tim 'God bless you, every one!'.