‘My abiding memory is when I came down to the box office one day and saw two lads in their work gear, full of dust, wanting four tickets for that night’s performance. That proved to me that the Octagon was a place where anyone could walk through the door and feel at home.

I felt my time at The Octagon was heady, exciting and irreverent. I think I upset a few of the more conservative people of Bolton who thought some of the productions were too racy. They thought I was being too political but I wanted to make people have a good time when they came to the theatre but also question things at the same time.

To sum up my time in Bolton, I would say my ambitions were to be bold, adventurous and forward thinking. The hearts and minds and voices of all those people who have performed at the Octagon, worked there, watched a performance in its unique auditorium, leave a lasting legacy. I feel very proud to have been a cog in the chain of the artistic provenance of The Octagon Theatre and I wish it great longevity’
Andy Hay, Artistic Director, 1987-1991 (now TV Director - Trial & Retribution/Waking the Dead)

‘Bolton Octagon Theatre’s leading lady has undergone a sex change. Jane Cox, who plays the blousy, tough and determined Blackpool landlady in their Christmas show ‘Fangs’, was suddenly robbed of her voice when bronchitis struck and ordered to rest. So with just 30 minutes to go before the start of the show, director Andy Hay donned Jane’s blonde wig and wiggled his way into her tight-fitting dress to take over the role’
Bolton Evening News

John McArdle recalls that he and Sue Johnston were surprised when the audience applauded them as they walked on stage for the production of Two by Jim Cartwright in 1989, ‘It threw us a bit at first but it was obviously a TV crowd that night who knew Sue and I as Billy and Sheila Corkhill (from TVs Brookside). I have fond memories of that play because it was a challenge. We both had to play 7 parts each and often there was no time to change when switching between characters so we just put another hat on. Jim wrote that play especially for us and he originally had us down to play 14 parts each! But at one point, when I found myself talking to myself as another character, I said to Jim 'Look I can’t do this' — so he cut it down to 7 each’.

One night a party of pensioners came to see the play and one of John’s roles was that of an old man who conjured up images of his dead wife in his mind. ‘As I was talking an old lady sitting close by said out loud to me “Don’t worry — it’ll be alright Billy”, and I had to reply and said “Yes, I know love,” and then carried on with the play!’
John McArdle, Actor and Octagon Patron

‘I have so many positive and enthusiastic memories of working in Bolton throughout the 1990s. It is one of the most exciting theatre spaces in the country. It’s flexibility is clearly its greatest asset. Where else can the shape of a play be matched to the shape of the auditorium? I am proud of the work I did and confident that the theatre can proceed for another 40 years with the courage of its convictions’.
Lawrence Till, Artistic Director, 1991 – 1999

Many thanks to Andy Mosley and the picture desk at The Bolton News, for their assistance and editorial support. For more information on the Octagon's history, please visit The Bolton News website.

‘In the summer of 1999 I had a call from my agent asking me if I would be interested in attending an interview for the post of Resident Director…I came for the interview, which was only really for three shows and they offered me the job. I have a suspicion that somewhere along the way someone forgot to ask me to leave as nearly eight years and thirty four shows later I find myself in the position of still being at the artistic helm at the start of the theatre’s 40th Year.

I’m immensely proud to have been the Artistic Director over a time of enormous transition and change. The challenges that my colleagues and I set ourselves at the beginning are now bearing fruit in what is a very ambitious season for us. When I first started here the average cast size was four and even slipped down to two at one stage. Now we are in the unique position of being able to perform works with up to 19 actors on stage. A remarkable journey. Working here has instilled in me values that I will never forget and confirms my belief that theatre still matters in our lives be it as an artist, a spectator, or a participant. What keeps me here is the overwhelming feeling that this theatre belongs to Bolton and that it somehow matters’
Mark Babych, Artistic Director 1999 - present

‘I am full of admiration for the management and staff of the company whose resilience, commitment and hard work have seen the theatre through some difficult times. The Octagon continues that proud tradition of a regional rep: to serve its community with a consistently varied and high quality artistic programme. And it has given me two of my most treasured acting experiences: “My Children! My Africa!” in the Studio in 1995 and “ I Just Stopped By To See The Man” in the main house ten years later’
Wyllie Longmore, Actor, Director and Octagon Patron

‘I got a call from Ian Tabbron at the then North West Arts Board in September 2000 saying “the Octagon have a bit of a crisis – the Executive Director has walked out, the Chair of the Finance Committee has resigned, the staff are unhappy and they haven’t submitted any plans for further funding from The Theatre Review (which was about to distribute £25m of new money). Do you want to take it on?” I said “Ok. I’ll have a look.” I met the Chair, Les Harvey and the Senior Management Team. I said “Is this the Senior Management Team”. They said “Yes.” I said “how often have you met?” They said “never.” So I said “well this is the first meeting then.” I accepted the offer of a consultancy to see what I could do. When I arrived, I found a note on the back of an envelope from the departed Executive Director with five bullet points:

• The money raised by Sue Hodgkiss to maintain the Octagon’s ability to produce plays runs out the end of next year.
• The activ8 money from the lottery runs out in 6 months
• The café and bar (a separate company) have lost £30k and are continuing to lose money hand over fist
• The new lottery funded heating and ventilation system doesn’t work
• Good luck