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.

History is about winners....

There is a definite feeling of celebration at the Octagon at the moment. Last night was the Gala night held to thank the University of Bolton for all their support during our 40th Anniversary Season.

It was a good night and a good time was had by all. One of the highlights for me was when Matthew Kelly introduced George Holmes, Vice Chancellor at the University. I am a little jealous as he took to the stage with the words 'Tonight Matthew, I am going to be....'. Brilliant!

And the celebrations continue for us, and the University, today with the announcement of the nominees for this years MEN Theatre Awards. The Octagon has got a fair few nominations so in true award ceremony style, the nominees (for the Octagon Theatre) are:

Best Actor

George Irving in Shining City

Best Actress

Becky Hindley in Lisa's Sex Strike

Best Design

James and the Giant Peach


Family Show

James and the Giant Peach

Best New Play

And Did Those Feet

Best Performance in a Supporting Role

Martin Barrass, And Did Those Feet
Knight Mantell, What The Butler Saw

Best Production

And Did Those Feet

For the full list of nominations click here. So a nomination hat trick for And Did Those Feet. Hurrah! Let's hope that we walk away with the cup!

Lisa's Sex Strike - The Movie!

Below is a short film promo for Lisa's Sex Strike to give you a taste of the production. There is footage from the production itself, a glimpse at rehearsals and the Director, Conrad Nelson, talking about the show. Have a look......

Thanks must go to Donna Gidman, the video producer, for all her help. She has done a great job getting the filming and editing completed in super-quick time.

Lisa's Sex Strike - What's Being Said...

You can read what is being said about Lisa's Sex Strike in the Guardian here and Manchester Evening News here. The Guardian have also published an article about the history of the sex strike - have a read.

Blake Morrison also recently featured on Radio 4's Woman's Hour and you can listen to it here.

And if the above isn't enough to wet your whistle, we are in the process of pulling together a short film which we will post on the blog soon (technology permitting!).

If you have seen the show why not let us know your thoughts by posting a comment or emailing your thoughts to sally.boyd@octagonbolton.co.uk.

Barrie Rutter's Rehearsal Diary - part 1

Barrie Rutter is the Founder and Artistic Director of Northern Broadsides the multi-award wining touring company based in the historic Dean Clough Mill in Halifax. He is also playing the part of Old Man Mars in Lisa's Sex Strike . This is his diary......

Day 1
I love first days – new words, new folk, new tour, new mates – made all the sweeter by the Octagon’s famed tremendous audience response, good at any time but greater still as we are the first play in the 40th year celebrations.

We were last here in 2001 with Oedipus and Cracked Pot, both by Blake Morrison as is Lisa’s Sex Strike out of Lysistrata by Aristophanes but not since more's the pity. But we're glad to be back. Rehearsals have started, tickets are selling well so you might want to buy yours now, just so you don't miss us!

So the pleasure is all ours to be invited to kick off this years’ terrific programme.
Rehearsal photography: Nobby Clark

Day 2
Blake Morrison and Conrad Nelson, the Director, have served up a text which is light years away from the severe, faithful narrative that I read four months ago – a mouth-watering feast of verbal dexterity and invention, with more changes to come as Blake hears actor’s voices for the first time, delighting in the creative juices released with utterances. Many songs have appeared, more yet may. It’s wonderful to have a poet in rehearsal – two, in fact, as Con’s a poet of music, recent Tempest as evidence.

Overnight edits and new lines allow Blake to catch the 2 o’clock back to his family in Greenwich – there’s plenty to work on ‘til he arrives back next week with more. More – give us more: how exciting!

Rehearsal photography: Nobby Clark

Day 4
Suddenly the building’s louder, fuller – staff and production crew back from holiday; Youth Theatre running to and from the BNT; the Spotlight Café open to the public and most of our 14 actors in every day – singing, dancing, learning going on around every corner. It’s buzzing.

Day 5
A day off for me. The first time ever in the history of Northern Broadsides.

Day 6
Return to find a chorus of whistling appendages (!) – you’ll just have to see the show, I am not giving anything else away – and a tumbling, trotting, truncheon-toting troupe of silly police of course!

Ambling around the Precinct and popping in to place a bet do I detect a less than favourable atmosphere towards the chap known as ‘Little Sam’? Hmmm. If I do it fits in with mine, being a supporter of the Tigers of Hull City, similarly throwing away home advantage on the first day of the new season. Good job the horse wins, and I whistle away with £30.

Day 7
I’m a God! Many have suspected this for some time I know but the vagaries of Aries, God of War (Mars to the Romans) are now realised in a half-deaf, half- blind, hip replacement needing old geezer from Hull – that’s me!

Another Day.....

A frightening day, a nervous day, a ‘will-I-get-found-out’ day – choreographers in!

The girls love it of course. The lads love watching the girls of course!! It’s always delightful to see the grace that women’s bodies seem to naturally possess. And as always, the movement queen herself is just sensuality on legs….

A serious discussion ensues on how men walk when armed with a certain theatrically enhanced, mechanical strap-on, battery operated 'prop'. Intrigued? You might just have to come and see the show! Oh girls, what you don’t know or haven’t observed – we waddle. Relaxed sauntering is not possible. So it’s legs slightly apart too when stood at attention.

It’s gratifying to know that a certain mechanical prop rescues the possessor from intricate dancing steps. So, being condemned for having two left feet is put off for another day. What’s more the girls will be in various Ann Summers garbs at this stage in the show and so will carry the ‘dance’. For this relief much thanks. “Relief”? Oh stop it Rutter….

All the world wide web is a stage

Welcome to the inaugural post on the Octagon's new blog! We have decided to launch a blog to keep a record of various goings on during the 40th Anniversary Season and beyond and give audiences a glimpse at what might go on behind the scenes at a successful producing theatre.

Quite simply it is a place to put things and publish information additional to that which features on our website. Not only that, it allows are audiences to get involved and comment on what's happening at the Octagon. If you feel you'd like to have more of a say then we'd welcome your words. You might feel like writing a review of one of our productions, a piece about a member of the cast or creative team you admire or even to simply send us your memories and experiences of visiting the Octagon Theatre. Any aspiring contributors can email information to sally.boyd@octagonbolton.co.uk.

During Summer the theatre has been dark so not much happening from a performance point of view but allowing us time to dust ourselves off after the launch and end of Spring Summer 2007 season and get ourselves in shape for the 40th Anniversary Season. New carpets have been laid, bits of painting done - check out our new Ruby Red Stage door - new banners on the front of the building and automatic doors installed and much more.

Over the last couple of weeks though it feels as though things stage-wise are really starting to happen. The cast are in rehearsing Lisa's Sex Strike which is looking great and you can read about how rehearsals are progressing from the perspective of one of the cast and activ8 Youth Theatre have been running their summer school and working hard on their production of Millboys, Chavs and Space Cadets - a multimedia musical journey through past, present and future of Youth Culture in Bolton that celebrates local talent and the rich culture of Bolton.

So after months of preparation, the Anniversary Season kicks off next week with music from Clive Leyland and the opening night of Lisa's Sex Strike. We look forward to welcoming you and celebrating our Anniversary Season with the audiences that make this theatre such an exciting place to be. It's going to be a blast........