RECENTLY the cast of 'How the Other Half Loves' gave its final performance at the Octagon Theatre. I appeared in this play and enjoyed the experience immensely. The operation both backstage and front of house was professional and efficient. I could not fault the artistic judgement of the director, Lawrence Till, and, along with the rest of the cast, was horrified to learn that the future of Bolton's subsidised Repertory theatre was under threat.
Last week I attended a regular Council meeting of the Actors' Equity Association at Guild House in London. I am happy to report that every single councillor present signed the petition of the Support Campaign for the Octagon Theatre (SCOT) thereby supporting it in its fight to keep the Octagon as a full-time producing house. Those adding their name to the campaign include Miriam Karlin, Tony Robinson, Colin Tarrant (The Bill), John Burgess (Brookside), Frederick Pyne (Emmerdale), Kenneth Haigh, John Woodvine, the General Secretary Ian McGarry and many more.
I was sorry that the Octagon Theatre Board forbade me to continue an appeal to the audience at the end of performances asking for their support in the fight to save their theatre. The Board must surely now realise that their business plan, however well intentioned, is both drastic and unproven and should never have been implemented until ALL avenues had been investigated. Like ripples in a pool, the word is spreading and we in the theatre industry will not allow the Octagon to go to the wall in this unnecessary way. So, people of Bolton, be assured we are all with you in your fight to keep the Octagon Theatre functioning full-time, both as a playhouse and in its commitment to youth and education in the area.
Jean Rogers
Woodland Croft,
Horsforth,
Leeds
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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