BOLTON Octagon is preparing to serve up some special productions.

Clare Forster is the theatre's new bar and catering manager, and as well as reintroducing pre-show dinners, she intends to make a debut afternoon performance.

A new first-floor lunch bar has opened at the theatre. It will run from Monday to Friday, 12.30pm to 2pm, and will be aimed at giving town centre workers the chance to eat light lunches within their lunch hour.

The pre-show dinners were reintroduced to the theatre this week, and have returned due to popular demand.

Clare said: "We carried out market research with our audiences earlier this year and the one question we kept getting asked was would we be reintroducing pre-show dinners. They were obviously very popular.

"I think people coming to the theatre want to make an evening of it and coming here to eat means there is not a problem with time."

The dinners will run from 5.30pm to last orders being taken at 6.45pm, and people can book or turn up on the night.

Clare said: "We decided to have the first floor lunch bar to cater specifically for people who work in the town. We understand people want a quick turnover at lunch. There will be sandwiches, chips, pasta and salad bars, deserts and drinks. The bar will also be open." Lunches will be served from 12.30pm to 2pm.

Clare, aged 32, from Westhoughton, has come to the Octagon from Granada Studios. She said: "It is very exciting to be able to start something like this from scratch.

"I was always a theatre-goer so being from Bolton and working here in this role is a perfect combination for me."