I HAVE read with great concern of the difficulties at present facing the Octagon Theatre in Bolton.

As a regular theatregoer who has seen many first-rate productions at this theatre in recent years, and as a professional actor who has performed there with some regularity, I feel in a good position to judge just how disastrous this makeshift policy will prove for the theatre's long-term survival. The particular design of this theatre (to cite just one of many objections), while providing an exciting and variable playing area for a resident company, is in no way suited to the traditional demand of a touring house: with no proscenium arch, most mainstream touring shows would be faced with insuperable problems of adaptation. This severely limits the nature and variety of travelling shows that the theatre might attract.

The Octagon Theatre is recognised throughout the North as a centre of great originality, providing challenging reinterpretations of the classics alongside thought-provoking contemporary work. It would be a great loss to the community if this theatre were to fold.

Christopher Wilkinson

Yates Lane, Milnsbridge, Huddersfield

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