A FULL scale major production at Bolton Little Theatre has been taking place...but behind closed doors!

No sooner did the curtain come down on the theatre's last play than members went into action to undertake a massive refurbishment of the Hanover Street venue.

Renovations have cost more than £30,000 and have included rewiring to accommodate new sophisticated smoke alarms, redecoration and new seating in the auditorium.

But the cost would have been much greater if not for a team of volunteers from the theatre.

Under the watchful eye of house manager Steve Gill, work parties of theatre members have been rolling their sleeves up each day, including weekends, to undertake much of the decorating and manual work.

A spokesman for the theatre explained: "We had wanted to refurbish for a long time. But we were then told that to comply with all the new safety regulations that we needed new seating and sophisticated new smoke alarms. The new alarms meant as a consequence that a lot of re-wiring would be needed, which in turn means redecoration."

The refurbishment should be completed for the theatre's next production, the thriller Betrayal, due to take to the stage from Saturday, April 5.

New seats in the auditorium have been fitted this week, and to help with the financial burden, the theatre is inviting sponsors to make their mark.

People can sponsor a seat for £50. In return they will get their name on a plaque on their chosen chair.

Anyone interested in expressing an interest should contact Michael Haworth on 302329 or write to him care of Bolton Little Theatre, Hanover Street, Bolton BL1 4TG.