A play celebrating the history of the town came to Bolton Museum.
Director and author Farjana Kabir has lived in the town for six years and is fascinated by the relationship between the hosts and the newcomers.
The backdrop to the performance of The Storyscapes was a wall decorated with items from the town relating to its past including W.T Coward & Songs Skip and Basket Works, Caledonia Works, a sign for the Castle Hill Council School which was opened in 1930 and Magees Ale.
There was also a sign of the Bolton Evening News.
And once the performance began, six woman took to the stage to explore areas of Bolton’s past.
They focused on the museum, Queen’s Park, and The Old Man and Sigh.
The audience was told the museum was opened 1857 and the most famous inventor from Bolton was Samuel Crompton who invented the spinning mule in 1779.
Spectators were informed that Queen’s Park opened for the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria.
Visitors were also educated about the execution of a man in Bolton and how a ghost is believed to still over in the same spot.
A debate then followedabout whether the past or the present of Bolton was better.
The "past" argued that the Octagon Theatre endured from history, but the "present" said that it had to be changed and made modern.
The play also explored how some of the group came to Bolton, with one member saying she came from Georgia through Russia, Turkey and Manchester.
The performance was made possible after four days of rehearsals at the Octagon.
After the performance, Farjana said: “I have lived in Bolton for the last six years.
“I am doing a PHD in theatre and performance at the University of Warwick, my search area is the relationship between new Boltonians and old Boltonians.
“The play went well, it worked because of the work we did in the Octagon Theatre.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel