Experiments in the Lab

You might remember me talking about the work that is going on here at the Octagon. I posted about the changes to the Dressing Rooms and the Bill Naughton Studio Theatre aka the Studio. These are pretty much finished now so I need to post some updated pics but we also made some changes to what was the Rehearsal Room.

It has been given a lick of paint...

And a tidy to brighten it up...

We have moved the door which makes an unbelievable difference. You can just about see the outline of where the old door was and the new door...

It looks fresh and bright and all ready for the experiments to begin. The Lab will be used as a space for rehearsals still but will also be used for workshops, experimentation, risk-taking and sharing new work.

More details on workshops and other events taking place in the Lab and the Octagon's other spaces will be announced soon. Watch this space...

Cityscape Presents

A very belated Happy New Year! I thought is appropriate that the first post of the new year features a whole load of new music. Cityscape Presents returns once again to the Octagon next month (Saturday 7 Feb) with some bright, shiny, new musicians. Well new to the Octagon anyway.

First up is Micky P Kerr. Here's the skinny...

Five things your should know

1. Micky is friends with The Pigeon Detectives.

2. Apparently he is a legend in his home town of Leeds.

3. He has supported such names as Reverend & The Makers, Girls Aloud, The Ordinary Boys, and Kate Nash.

4. Feb 07 'Jet2' TV ad hits the airwaves featuring Micky's track Dreamers Club.
5. He has played for Huw Stephens’ famous ‘Introducing Christmas Party’ show (from Maida Vale) which was broadcast on BBC Radio 1 on 18th Dec 08

Not only have his singles garnered huge support from a host of the most influential DJs around, including Huw Stephens, Colin Murray, Rob da Bank, Steve Lamacq and Lauren Laverne, the press seem to ahve a lot of nice things to say about him.

Here's what the press are saying:

‘Absolutely brilliant!’ - Rob Da Bank, Radio 1
‘Very, very good - an Indie Ronnie Lane!’ - Gideon Coe, BBC 6 Music
‘A catchy Christmas single which is already proving a YouTube hit!’ - The Telegraph
‘Amazing!’ - Jim Gellatly , Xfm/BBC Scotland

If the above isn't proof enough you ought to give him a go, then you can hear him via his MySpace page or watch a video for this timely ditty Credit Crunch Christmas below



Ably supporting Micky will be the delights of Andrea Glass, who describes her sound as Americana soaked in Bolton rain....if you don't know what that sounds like then have a listen here. She might hail from Bolton but her debut album was recorded in arguably her spiritual home – Nashville,Tennessee.

Completing the line-up is 17-year-old singer-songwriter Alex Hulme whose unique acoustic sound is full of sweet melodies and intricate guitar work. Think Nick Drake-style guitar with more commercial vocal melodies reminiscent of the likes of Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly. You can hear him here. Promises to be a fun night.

Click here to book online or call our Ticket Office on 01204 520661. Hope to see you there....

Moore acts announced for musical showcase...

Eclectic North West musical showcase night Cityscape Presents returns to Bolton’s Octagon Theatre on Friday 12 December to unwrap some pre-Christmas treats.

Headliners are Moore Marriott who will be showcasing their perfect pop including tracks from forthcoming EP The Catcher which will be released on Cityscape early next year.They boast soulful songs with infectious arrangements - Elliot Smith, Neil Finn and Badly Drawn Boy are recited among their influences - and will be playing as a five-piece featuring banjo, guitars, flugelhorn, cello and double bass.

Next up are the intriguing Kirsty McGee & Mat Martin whose songs of vagrancy and restlessness have been described variously as reminiscent of a Coen Brothers film and as “Simon and Garfunkel - the TimBurton version.” If it’s musical rather than cinematic references you’re after, think folk noir, Tom Waits, John Martyn, Boo Hewerdine…and go on, you can have an author - Jack Kerouac - as well. Click here for a video for their song 'Bonecrusher'...

Opening up proceedings will be brother and sister duo Liam Carter and Lauren Carter-Bridges who perform as Get Carter. The Bolton born-and-bred siblings’ talents developed when they were thousands of miles apart, Lauren in England writing songs while Liam was on the other side of the world in Queensland, Australia. They credit a 24-hour flight, many arguments and magic ‘Mozart’ voice-saving liqueur with the alchemy that resulted in their infectious lo-fi pop.

Comedian Lou Conran, a feature on what she calls the “Manchesterford” comedy scene since 2005, will be compere for the evening. Brad B Wood, founder of Cityscape Records, said:

“Once again we’re delighted to have some talented and varied acts grace the stage. Moore Marriott are a great band who I love so much I signed them! Seeing them live is always great so I’m looking forward to the night very much. I first met Kirsty when my band Merchandise supported her friends’ band Truckstop Honeymoon in Bolton. They’d recorded her music in Kansas and, with Mat Martin, she’ll be a real treat! Get Carter first came to my attention when Kat Dibbits of The Bolton News sent me an early demo. I heard the potential straight away and knew I had to get them on.”

The show starts at 7.30pm. Tickets, priced £9 for adults (£7 concessions), are available from the Octagon Ticket Office. Call 01204 520661 or buy online at http://www.octagonbolton.co.uk/

For more information about the acts, and a taste of their songs, visit their My Space sites at, respectivelywww.myspace.com/mooremarriott, www.myspace.com/kirstymcgeeandmatmartin, www.myspace.com/getcarters

Future Cityscape Presents nights will take place on 12 December, 7 February, 14 March, 18 April, 9 May and 20 June.

Bolton's Big Switch On 2008

So much to do but so much festive excitement! The girls in my office are getting carried along with Christmas excitement and festive show giddiness (hence the picture above!)

We are excited to announce that some of you may be able to see a sneak preview of our Christmas production of Danny the Champion of the World at the Christmas Light Switch On on Sunday 23 November. There will be entertainment, music, parades and some well known faces including Frosty the Snowman and a special guest appearance from the big man himself.... Father Christmas, oh and some chap called Vernon Kay!

Here's a run down of the afternoon.

Warm up time!

3pm Tower FM

3.05pm Teresa Harpers Dance School

3.10pm Tower FM

3.15pm AJ’s Dance School

3.20pm Tower FM

3.25pm Tommy Govan’s Band

3.30pm Tower FM

3.35pm A Foreign Town x 5mins

3.40pm Tower FM to announce break until kick off at 4pm

Bolton’s Big Switch On!

4pm Tower FM

4.05pm Alison Powers Saturday Club Kids

4.10pm Tower FM

4.15pm Dance Crazy and Infamous RDC

4.25pm Tower FM

4.30pm Bolton’s Sporting Heroes including Jason Kenny and Paraolympians: Tony Griffin, Sophie Hancock, Rachel Latham.

4.40pm Tower FM

4.45pm Albert Halls Panto Cast

4.55pm Tower FM

5pm Octagon Theatre cast from “Danny the Champion of the World”

5.10pm Tower FM introduce parade onto Victoria Square

5.15pm Surprise performer

5.25pm Big Switch On with Vernon Kay, M&M & Father Christmas

5.30pm Firework Finale from the roof of the Town Hall

Forgotten Things - What's Being Said...

Stef from Red Ladder has sent me through a few reviews for Forgotten Things (30 Oct). Thanks Stef.

Reaction & reviews from audience so far:

"A play that swings around your head, not always gently – Forgotten Things is funny, provocative, sad and strange all at the same time. The set and puppetry are clever without being clever-clever and the whole thing is tight and concise. And it's funny, did I mention that before? Very funny.”

“A real innovative piece that questions not only our society, but how we interact with one another, and how we deal with authority. A dramatic piece that leaves you thinking long after you have left the theatre.” Quotes taken from Red Ladder’s Facebook group

"A weird and wonderful production.” THE METRO

“Thinking theatre.......” THE STAGE. Read more...

“Just seen the show, absolutely stunning, actors were fab, set spot on and I was impressed with Rod in the after show chat. Loved the interface of comedy and tragedy, I found the psychiatrist particularly evocative!

Too much praise for the use of the "trapdoor" thingies and the pace and surprise elements, really loved the eggs. All the actors were brill but have to say I was entranced by the little outbursts of suppressed emotion in the mother. The ending was shocking and because I was so involved with the show, I was floored by it, felt those feelings like the end of Romeo and Juliet when you want to rush in and say no, don't!

In the feedback I asked Rod about his confidence in support for young people who may be affected or even involved in some of the feelings in the show, I am without a doubt one of the protective ones! Once a youth worker, always a youth worker. Rod's response was what we know and love about Red Ladder, that the company will continue to provoke discussion about issues affecting young people however painful. He had quite a pessimistic view of society which I understand but don't neccessarily share. Society and young people in particular are forever changing and forever the same. I continue to be amazed at their humour and resilience.

Please pass on my congratulations to everyone involved and I'm sure the guy from The Stage will have been as impressed as everyone else at the show.” AUDIENCE MEMBER

For behind the scenes youtube footage about the creative process of making the show & rehearsals visit onto http://www.redladder.co.uk/

Wordsmithery

I went to see the Apples and Snakes event on Tuesday night. I have never been to see any performance poets before so this was a whole new experience for me.

In the afternoon members of Write Out Loud, had been on a masterclass workshop on performance poetry led by Steve Tasane. Seems that the workshop had had the desired effect and encouraged a few of the attenders got up to read some of their work! I think being able to express yourself eloquently is challenge enough without having to read aloud to a crowd and not just read, perform. There was some good stuff from the Write Out Louders and I particularly liked Gemma O'Neill's poem about her bed. Lovely how she can make a relatively small subject matter so involving and romantic. Not only is Gemma a poet, she is also a teacher, festival organiser, singer and children's writer.....You can read a bit more about her including some of her work here (unfortunately the bed one isn't there!)

I was also totally enthralled by Andy Craven-Griffiths' poems about his family. If you have never seen performance poetry, I would definitely recommend him for first-timers. His performance has a great balance; accessible subject (family in this case - hear some of them here), his observations sharp, his choice of words mesmerising and not due to their complexity but due to their exactitude and you get carried along in the rhythm of his words. Magnetic...

As soon as he had finished I wanted to hear him again and, what do you know, he is performing in the Manchester Literatute Festivals Poetry Slam tonight (8pm) at the Northern pub. Oh and he also sings.....

Octagon faces doing screen time

A couple of little snippets that you might find of interest. John Doughty has appeared a few times at the Octagon over the last couple of seasons with his talk about The Pendle Witches. Well it seems that Octagon isn't the only place he is appearing, he will also be on BBC's One Show on 27th October (it starts at 7pm) so if you are fan of Pendle Witches or of John D then why not give yourself a Hallowe'en treat? Grab a cuppa and some cinder toffee, light the fire and give him some screen time.

On a screen of a different type, I was also sent a link to the following video round-up of the wonder that is the 24:7 Theatre Festival (thanks David!). Not only does it feature some of the shows that featured here at the Octagon as part of Four of the Best, one of our my previous colleagues, Marketing Marvel and ex-Communications Director (and 24:7 Theatre Festival 2007 writer and entrant!), Lesa Dryburgh and her partner in crime Michael Trainor also have a little chat....she tells me she reads the blog so Hi Lesa! Here's the vid...

Happy and Married?

We have been sent a video for the upcoming produciton of Happy and Married? If you want to learn a little more about the production and Freedom Studios why not take a look?

Here it is....

Afternoon Delight

Although still a bit risque, I had to try really hard to reign in the smut factor for this title of this post. Apparently, our audiences can't get enough of the Vagina Monologues (see this is why the post title could have been much worse!) and performances are nearly sold out so we are delighted to announce that we will be putting on an additional performance.

Date: Wednesday 15 October 2008
Time: 2pm
Where: Here at the Octagon Theatre
Tickets: £16 (£14 concessions)

You can order your tickets via those marvellous people at Ticket Office on 01204 520661 or click here to order them online.

Four of the Best from 24:7

We are delighted to welcome the 24:7 Theatre festival back to the Octagon this week. This year we are showing four of the best shows from this year's festival (2 shows per night in relay). You can read the MEN round-up fo the Theatre festival here and you can find reviews for all the shows featured in Four of the Best on the 24:7 website. I can't link directly to the press section but if you click on the link to the website there is a 'Press' button at the top of the page.

You can read more about the shows here or on the 24:7 Theatre Festival home page. Four of the Best also featured in this weekend's Guardian Guide!

Cityscape presents...The Loungs and a new single

I have had a chat today with the lovely Brad from Cityscape Records (Hi Brad). Brad is the organiser of our new music nights, Cityscape presents, that take place in the Bill Naughton Studio Theatre. The evenings focuses on showcasing the local music scene and the range of new music and talent from all over the North West.

The next event will be The Loungs (pronounced The Lungs not The Lounges apparently - so you can look like you are in the know - I wasn't!) on 21 June. Tickets are selling nicely but you can still buy one if you fancy some 'foot-tapping, heart stonking trippy folk' - they will get you bopping and waving your arms!

They are being ably and suitably supported by the ever popular acoustic six piece, Moore Marriott, and the home-grown talents of Merchandise. You can read some of the reviews of Merchandise's new single here. Music Week has picked it as a tip and you get your copy from HMV Bolton and Manchester or if CD's are just to passe then, of course, you can do some computer jiggery pokery and download it from iTunes! If you want to have a quick listen and see them in action, have a look at the video below:

Special Event Announcement

In advance of the launch of our Autumn Winter 2008 programme, we are delighted to announce to the readers of this blog, a new event. Yup, you heard it here first!

On Friday 5 September, Jason Manford will be appearing in the Main Auditorium. That's him above. Here's the blurb:

'Very funny' Peter Kay

'Hilarious' Johnny Vegas

Phil McIntyre Entertainment presents the multi-award winning comedian and star of 8 out of 10 Cats, Live at the Apollo, and XfM. In his first live national tour, this exciting and hilarious show will have audiences begging for more.

Performance Time: 7.30pm

Ticket price: £16 (£14 concessions)

Space: Main Auditorium

Booking: Call the Octagon Ticket Office on 01204 520661 or click here to book online.