I HAVE recently played Margaret in Victoria Wood's Pat and Margaret at the Octagon Theatre Bolton.

My contract ended on February 20, and I am now free to reveal the truth behind the headlines: Octagon Theatre saved.

The Octagon has become a victim of its own success. Two years ago it attracted box office and critical acclaim. It then entered into a programme of rebuilding and refurbishment funded by the Lottery. Like other buildings winning Lottery awards, it has cost the company dearly. The expense of moving out of the building both administratively and artistically during the refurbishment has amounted to a large deficit, resulting in the adoption of a business plan to "save the theatre", which will reduce its own productions from nine to three per year, supplementing the season with incoming tours and one-off events.

The Octagon Theatre is a unique building, modern, beautiful and bold. It has however enormous limitations, no fly tower, very poor access for scenery and staging, and a seating capacity of 400 max. Its role as a receiving house is therefore highly suspect. The handful of touring drama productions that could fit into the theatre are on a small scale. The technical requirements for visiting dance companies little or non existent. The seating capacity is too small to attract music, comedy events of any reasonable standard that would attract good box office. So why has this plan been adopted?

There appears to be an agenda emerging from the Arts Boards, particularly North West Arts. The Dukes Playhouse in Lancaster has already had its productions reduced to three per year supplemented with a mixed programme of incoming tours and one night stands. Sounds familiar?

The agenda would seem to be reduction or closure of small producing theatres, leaving only the large, strong companies in place.

I do not believe that the will to maintain regional producing rep is any longer present in the Arts Board's agenda.

As for the Bolton Octagon? Those board members and funding bodies who accepted Alun Bond's recommendations and have now employed him to implement his business plan must be prepared to stand or fall according to its success. Meanwhile, 18 people lose their jobs. After June, the next Octagon production will be in March 2000, and the people of Bolton will be offered small scale, low budget entertainment.

Christine Moore

South Croydon, Surrey

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.