BOLTON Little Theatre plays an active role in this year's festival.

Not only does the theatre play host to other companies, members will also be putting on repeat performances of one of its best loved productions in recent years.

The Little Theatre takes centre stage tonight with Max and Moritz (5pm and 7pm), the slapstick tale of two mischievous schoolboys.

It is brought to the festival by members of Paderborn Youth Theatre, who have translated the production especially for Bolton audiences. Tickets are £2.50.

The spotlight remains on the Little Theatre tomorrow night when the audience will have the opportunity to see three new plays in one evening.

Festival Shorts, which starts at 7.30pm, features script-in-hand performances of three winning entries from the festival's one-act playwriting competition, launched in April with Launchpad, an organisation renowned for bringing new writing to the stage.

Out of the many entries, three female writers beat off the competition to have their plays performed.

Styles vary from gritty, contemporary drama to side-splitting comedy.

The show features 10 out of Launchpad's 50 professional actors. Tickets are £4.50 and there is a warning that the show contains strong language.

However, Bolton Little Theatre's own contribution will be its repeat performance of Trotters, which is back due to popular demand. This popular revue takes a nostalgic look at the events and people that have shaped Bolton over the years. It runs from Wednesday, August 29, to Saturday, September 1. Tickets are £5.50 on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and £6.50 on Friday and Saturday. Tickets to all events are from the Albert Halls Ticket Centre on 01204 334400.