Octagon Theatre, Bolton

Venue information

We are a theatre situated in the heart of Bolton and aim to be bold, adventurous and popular, making theatre of the highest quality and to be a brilliant creative home for the people of Bolton and beyond.

We lovingly bring stories to life on our stages designed to make you laugh, cry and sit on the edge of your seat. Over the course of a year, you might see a comedy or two, a brand new play, a musical, thought-provoking drama, a historical retelling and more.

Off our stages, we help nurture and develop stories of others. Through our work in the communities from our storytelling sessions for under 5s to our drama group for over 50s we believe everyone should have the opportunity to be creative.

The Octagon Theatre was officially opened on 27 November 1967 by Princess Margaret. To prepare for the royal arrival, the local council and theatre management had a luxury toilet installed with gold-plated features for their visit (this has since been turned into the theatre’s office space). The premiere production held at the venue was Annie and Fanny by local playwright Bill Naughton.

We are Bolton and proud and even have our own stamp to prove it. We believe in making in Bolton and the majority of our theatre is created in the town. To facilitate this we have a large workshop where sets are constructed, a small sound engineering studio, a wardrobe department where all costumes are cut, fitted and sewn, and a prop store where furniture and smaller items are housed.