FAMED Northern comedienne Victoria Wood has thrown her support behind a campaign to keep the Octagon Theatre a producing house.

The former Bury Grammar School pupil has sent a letter congratulating theatre enthusiasts on their efforts to ensure the Octagon will still produce its own plays.

As it fights back from crippling debts, a two-year rescue plan has been implemented which means locally produced plays will be cut from nine to three a year.

Under the proposals touring companies will visit the theatre for the next two years to help pull in cash.

But an independent group, SCOT - Support Campaign for the Octagon Theatre - is desperately trying to raise £100,000 to ensure Bolton plays can still be produced.

And now Ms Wood - whose play Pat and Margaret was recently staged at the Howell Croft South theatre - has added her support to growing calls to abandon plans to bring in touring work.

In a letter to artistic director Lawrence Till - who himself is facing redundancy as part of a cost-cutting exercise - Ms Wood stressed her support for the group's campaign.

She said: "As someone who benefited directly as a young person by having access to local live theatre, I think it is really important that theatres like the Octagon continue to produce their own work.

"It is becoming harder for towns to have their own identity and having a local theatre creating work that reflects the community is vital. I think Bolton has been very lucky to have the Octagon."

It comes as theatre bosses stressed that they hope to work in tandem with SCOT to reduce the planned two-year recovery period.

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