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Sue Hodgkiss, CBE DL
Principal Sponsor
Bolton
octagon
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SEASON
SEPTEMBER 2011 – JULY 2012
“Holding audiences spellbound in Bolton” The Independent on The Hired Man, winner of the TMA Award for Best Performance in a Musical
★★★★★ “Scintillating, powerful and moving” The Telegraph on The Price
★★★★ The Times, The Guardian, MEN on David Copperfield
★★★★ “Sizzles with prickly heat”
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Production photographs: Ian Tilton
The Guardian
Photograph : Joel Pammenter
“Something rather remarkable is happening in Bolton...”
The Independent on A Streetcar Named Desire
“The Octagon has had an excellent year...” The Guardian
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£1 06
st £9 9
se t a i 8 c sh k s o ow e n sa s fo ts r v ju
Gold Season Ticket
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Silver Season 8 great shows for just £99 Ticket Save £106! £81 on full price tickets, plus bonus card worth £25. Includes Saturday nights! • Bang Bang Bang • Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? • Habeas Corpus • Alfie • Macbeth • The Winslow Boy • The Queen of the North • The Rise and Fall of Little Voice PLUS! Get a ninth show for just £12 more! Add our magical festive season production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to your Season Ticket and save a further £7.50 on top price tickets!
See any 5 shows for £75 Save £47.50 £22.50 on full price tickets plus bonus card worth £25 • Choose any five shows (including The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) • Valid for any performance except Saturday evenings
Treat yourself to a PREMIUM SEASON TICKET for £200
Season Ticket Benefits: Silver Season Ticketholders • 2 weeks priority booking • Best available seats • Flexibility to change dates • Tickets transferable to family and friends • FREE Bonus Card giving the holder: half price programmes; 5% off pre-theatre and pre-ordered interval drinks; 5% off a pre-booked evening meal; 10% off full price tickets for other events. • Season ticket applies to any performance excluding Saturday evenings
Gold Season Ticketholders Same benefits as Silver Season Ticketholders plus: • Season ticket applies to Saturday evenings (except the final performance of a production)
Same benefits as Gold Season Ticketholders plus: Ticket Office: 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk
• • • •
Tickets for all NINE shows in the season VIP invites to Press Night parties – including pre-show drinks, interval drinks and an after-show party with the cast Applies to all Saturdays • FREE car parking • FREE programmes • 10% off a pre-booked evening meal 10% off all drinks at the Bar • Reserved table for interval drinks
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Mon 5 – Sat 17 September 2011 octagon theatre Bolton, out oF Joint, the curve, leiceSter, the royal court anD SaliSBury PlayhouSe PreSent
By Stella Feehily
is directed by Out of Joint’s legendary Artistic Director Max Stafford-Clark, who received a Special Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s TMA Awards.
Director: Max StaFForD-clark DeSigner: MiriaM naBarro
What the press have said about Stella Feehily’s previous plays: “You get a cook, a cleaner, a driver and you get paid. I'll be watching out for you.” A seasoned humanitarian worker and her idealistic young colleague get ready for a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. For Mathilde it’s an induction into a life less ordinary. For Sadhbh it’s back to madness and chaos away from her lover and London – exactly as she likes it.
Performance Times Evenings: 7.30pm Matinees: Wed 7, Wed 14, Sat 17 Sep. 2pm
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Ticket Prices £9.50 - £22.50 Discounts available including SEASON TICKETS, groups, schools and young person’s £4 tickets. See page 34 for full list of discounts.
Auditorium seating plan
But while Mathilde lets off steam with a photographer and a spliff, Sadhbh has her own encounter: tea with a smart, brutal young warlord she’s investigating. Or is it the other way round? Playwright Stella Feehily brings her trademark wit and emotional insight to this revealing new play that goes behind the public face of charities, journalists and NGOs. Bang Bang Bang
Special Diary Dates Bargain Nights: Mon 5, Tue 6 Sep (tickets £9.50 - £15.50) Meet the director and cast: Tue 6 Sep (free, post show)
“Immensely engaging and vibrant” Financial Times on Duck “A funny and painfully perceptive play” Sunday Express on O Go My Man
“A modern tragicomedy…. Recommended” Daily Telegraph on Dreams of Violence
Audio Described: Thu 15 Sep, 7.30pm
Ticket Office: 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk
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“Every season at the Octagon seems to bring forth a work of classic American drama...as well as the customary directorial genius of David Thacker.” The Stage
Thu 22 September – Sat 15 October 2011 Following critically acclaimed successes with landmark plays by Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams, the Octagon turns to another masterpiece of contemporary American drama, directed by David Thacker.
The bourbon flows, and it becomes clear that this argumentative marriage conceals deep wounds. And as the young guests are lured into their hosts’ manipulative, savage mind games, they too must bare their fragile souls.
"Party! Party!" cries the drink-sodden Martha as the doorbell rings and two unsuspecting guests arrive for late-night drinks. Nick is a high-flying young professor, just arrived at a North East American University with his wife Honey. Their hosts are George, a tenured professor embittered by his stagnating career, and his dominating and flirtatious wife Martha.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has received almost every major theatre award, including the Tony Award for Best Play, and was adapted into a film starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. It is a ferocious and hilarious rollercoaster of a drama – lyrical, moving and ultimately unforgettable.
octagon theatre bolton presents
Cast photographs: Ian Tilton, Joel Pammenter
“An extraordinary classic that still packs a punch. It is formidably strongly structured and crazily twisted, brilliantly scripted, darkly funny and gripping.” The Independent
Director: DaviD thacker Designer: patrick connellan by arrangement with samuel French limiteD
Performance Times Evenings: 7.30pm Matinees: Fri 23 Sep, Sat 8, Wed 12 Oct. 2pm Schools’ Matinee: Tue 27 Sep. 1.30pm
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Ticket Prices £9.50 - £22.50 Discounts available including SEASON TICKETS, groups, schools and young person’s £4 tickets. See page 34 for full list of discounts.
Auditorium seating plan
Special Diary Dates Bargain Nights: Thu 22, Fri 23, Mon 26 Sep (tickets £9.50 - £15.50) Meet the director and cast: Thu 29 Sep (free, post show) Investigate Day: Sat 8 Oct (£16, £13 concessions) – full day event around the themes and issues of the play, see page 35 for more information
Audio Described: Thu 13 Oct, 7.30pm BSL: Thu 6 Oct, 7.30pm
Ticket Office: 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk
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Thu 20 October – Sat 12 November 2011
octagon theatre Bolton presents
By AlAn Bennett Director: DAviD thAcker
Muriel, craves the reawakening of her passion – with anyone from a travelling salesman to her husband’s bitter rival. While her sister, Connie, is obsessed with developing her flat chest and makes a plan to help nature along... and there are plenty of offers to give her a helping hand!
It’s a balmy summer afternoon in early 70s Brighton – and its upper middle class residents are certainly feeling the heat. The sex-mad Dr Arthur Wicksteed is caught in a compromising position with a gorgeous young patient. His wife,
Will the doctor get away with his clumsy attempts at seduction? Will Cannon Throbbing, the randy local vicar, still be left unsatisfied? Will Connie’s new extensive bust land her the man of her dreams? Will the despairing Mr Purdue finally pop his
cork? (And will anyone notice?) There’s only one way to find out! Alan Bennett’s sparkling career spans over fifty years: from early collaborations with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, through classics like Talking Heads and The Madness of King George III, to the recent smashhit The History Boys. “A gleefully enjoyable comedy” The Telegraph “One of Britain’s best-loved playwrights” The Guardian on Alan Bennett Illustration: Steve Chadburn
By ArrAngement with SAmuel French limiteD
The Octagon returns to the work of Alan Bennett for the first time in fifteen years with his comic masterpiece Habeas Corpus. This hilariously entertaining, bawdy picture postcard comedy combines the fast-paced fun of a classic farce with Bennett’s unmistakably dry Northern wit.
Performance Times Evenings: 7.30pm Matinees: Fri 21, Wed 26, Sat 29 Oct, Sat 5, Wed 9 Nov. 2pm
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Ticket Prices £9.50 - £22.50 Discounts available including SEASON TICKETS, groups, schools and young person’s £4 tickets. See page 34 for full list of discounts.
Auditorium seating plan
Special Diary Dates Bargain Nights: Thu 20, Fri 21, Mon 24 Oct (tickets £9.50 - £15.50) Meet the director and cast: Thu 3 Nov (free, post show) Investigate Day: Sat 5 Nov (£16, £13 concessions) – full day event around the themes and issues of the play, see page 35 for more information
Audio Described: Thu 10 Nov, 7.30pm BSL: Thu 3 Nov, 7.30pm
Ticket Office: 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk
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Follow the magical yellow brick road to the Octagon Theatre this Christmas to experience the enchanting story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
Fri 18 November 2011 – Sat 14 January 2012 octagon theatre bolton presents
The land of Oz will be brought vividly to life as you have never seen before in this captivating new version of L. Frank Baum’s timeless story that has charmed and entranced children and adults alike for more than one hundred years.
l. Frank baum’s
With original music performed live and a whole heap of magic, the enitre Theatre (audience included!) will be transformed into the incredible Land of Oz. There’s no place like the Octagon this Christmas!
Director: elizabeth newman What the press said about Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield:
★★★★ The Guardian, The Times, Manchester Evening News
Suitable for ages 5 and over.
“A superb piece of theatre for family audiences... Absolutely loved it!” Manchester Evening News Performance Times Mornings: 10.15* Matinees: 2.15pm* Evenings: 7.15pm* * Performances vary daily; for details see performance diary on page 33.
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Ticket Prices £8.50 - £19.50 Family tickets: £50 (peak) / £45 (off-peak) max 2 adults Family Saver: book by 31 July and save an extra £5 on your family ticket price Discounts available including SEASON TICKETS, groups and schools. See page 33 for full information on schools, groups and other discounts.
Auditorium seating plan Age Guidance: 5 and over
Special Diary Dates Meet the director and cast: Fri 2 Dec, 7.15pm (free, post show) Investigate Day: Sat 7 Jan (£16, £13 concessions) – full day event around the themes and issues of the play, see page 35 for more information Audio Described: Fri 13 Jan, 7.15pm
Sponsored by
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Illustration: Gary Hall
Lost in a strange and astonishing land, inhabited by wizards, munchkins, flying monkeys and witches, Dorothy and her faithful dog Toto need to find their way back home to Kansas. Heading for the Emerald City, with the help of her new friends; Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the cowardly Lion, Dorothy sets out along the yellow brick road to find the Great Oz – a Wizard with the power to make all of their dreams come true.
OCTAGON THEATRE BOLTON AND NEW VIC THEATRE NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME PRESENT
“An iconic example of rebellion in the swinging sixties” The Stage
Thu 19 January – Sat 18 February 2012 Alfie Elkins: the working class Don Juan of the East End - the man about town with the world at his feet and a new bird every Saturday night. It’s the height of the Swinging Sixties, and no one is embracing the spirit of free love more than Alfie. But all good things must come to an end and when his no-strings-attached life starts to come apart at the seams, it’s time for him to wonder “what’s it all about”?
BY BILL NAUGHTON DIRECTOR: DAVID THACKER
“ARE YOU SETTLED IN NICELY? RIGHT, WE’LL START. MY NAME’S...” Performance Times Evenings: 7.30pm Matinees: Fri 20, Wed 25 Jan, Sat 4, Sat 11, Wed 15 Feb. 2pm
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Ticket Prices £9.50 - £22.50 Discounts available including SEASON TICKETS, groups, schools and young person’s £4 tickets. See page 34 for full list of discounts.
Auditorium seating plan
Special Diary Dates Bargain Nights: Thu 19, Fri 20, Mon 23 Jan (tickets £9.50 - £15.50) Meet the director and cast: Thu 26 Jan (free, post show) Investigate Day: Sat 4 Feb (£16, £13 concessions) – full day event around the themes and issues of the play, see page 35 for more information
Alfie is the most celebrated work by Bill Naughton, arguably Bolton’s greatest ever playwright. Naughton wrote the first ever play to be performed at the Octagon (Annie and Fanny) and his play Spring and Port Wine (2008) is still the best-selling production in Octagon history.
Audio Described: Thu 16 Feb, 7.30pm BSL: Thu 9 Feb, 7.30pm
Ticket Office: 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk
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Original car photograph: Richard Gunn
Alfie was made world famous by Michael Caine in one of the most iconic films of the 1960s. It received five Oscar nominations and was recently voted as one of Total Film Magazine’s top 50 greatest British films of all time. Alfie was later remade with Jude Law in the title role.
Thu 23 February – Sat 17 March 2012 “Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand?” Shakespeare’s tragedy of bloody revenge and naked ambition is one of his finest plays. Macbeth is obsessed by power, but does he have the ruthlessness to kill a King to achieve it? Lady Macbeth thinks not and, empowered by demonic forces, she convinces her husband to seize the opportunity for ultimate authority. Macbeth is propelled on an unstoppable descent into tyranny and merciless brutality. And as they
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Performance Times Evenings: 7.30pm, Matinees: Fri 24 Feb, Sat 3 Mar. 2pm Schools’ Matinees: Tue 28 Feb, Thu 8, Thu 15 Mar. 1.30pm. Tue 13 Mar. 10.30am Schools’ Play Day: Tue 6 Mar. 10.30am
Ticket Prices £9.50 - £22.50 Discounts available including SEASON TICKETS, groups, schools and young person’s £4 tickets. See page 34 for full list of discounts.
Auditorium seating plan
Special Diary Dates Bargain Nights: Thu 23, Fri 24, Mon 27 Feb (tickets £9.50 - £15.50) Meet the director and cast: Thu 1 Mar (free, post show) Investigate Day: Sat 3 Mar – an investigation into Shakespeare in association with The University of Bolton. Full details announced closer to the event.
desperately try to keep their grip on power and sanity, Macbeth and his wife must face the consequences of their monumental crimes. Macbeth sees the Octagon continue its policy of producing fresh and exciting versions of Shakespeare’s greatest plays – following Romeo and Juliet (2011) and A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2010). With the pursuit and preservation of power dominating the news all over the world, Shakespeare’s play remains as relevant today as when it was first performed.
Audio Described: Thu 15 Mar, 7.30pm BSL: Wed 14 Mar, 7.30pm
Ticket Office: 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk
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Ticket Office: 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk
Thu 29 March – Sat 21 April 2012 Arthur Winslow is toasting the engagement of his daughter, when his son Ronnie unexpectedly returns home from the Osbourne Naval Academy – expelled for stealing a five shilling postal order. Believing his son’s pleas of innocence, Winslow appoints one of the country’s top QCs, Sir Robert Morton, to fight the case. Together they set about taking on the establishment in order to “Let Right Be Done!”.
ocTagon TheaTRe BolTon pResenTs
Despite the storm clouds of The Great War brewing across Europe, the case of the Winslow boy dominates the front pages of every paper. The whole nation is gripped by one family’s pursuit of justice. But with fading health, his family’s reputation under national scrutiny and his children’s future happiness under threat – Winslow prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that right will prevail.
By Terence Rattigan
“What a fine piece of craftsmanship this play is. The overall plot is a cunningly laid series of twists and snares… Rattigan's dialogue purrs with silky witticisms” The Daily Mail "Few dramatists of the 20th century have written with more understanding of the human heart than Terence Rattigan" The Guardian
This enthralling and deeply moving drama about the pursuit of justice was inspired by a true story. The Winslow Boy has been adapted into two hugely successful films: the first in 1948, the second (directed by David Mamet) more than fifty years later.
DiRecToR: DaviD ThackeR Performance Times Evenings: 7.30pm Matinees: Fri 30 Mar, Tue 3, Sat 14, Wed 18 Apr. 2pm
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Ticket Prices £9.50 - £22.50 Discounts available including SEASON TICKETS, groups, schools and young person’s £4 tickets. See page 34 for full list of discounts.
Auditorium seating plan
Special Diary Dates Bargain Nights: Thu 29, Fri 30 Mar, Mon 2 Apr (tickets £9.50 - £15.50) Meet the director and cast: Thu 5 Apr (free, post show) Investigate Day: Sat 14 Apr (£16, £13 concessions) – full day event around the themes and issues of the play, see page 35 for more information
Audio Described: Thu 19 Apr, 7.30pm BSL: Thu 12 Apr, 7.30pm There will be no performances on Fri 6 and Mon 9 April
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Legend has it that a television executive, accompanying the Queen on a tour of the set of Coronation Street, said that he had the job of introducing the Queen of England to the Queen of the North.
Thu 3 – Sat 26 May 2012 Octagon Theatre Bolton presents
Pat Phoenix is one of the great iconic figures to emerge from television. Her portrayal of Elsie Tanner in the nation’s favourite soap opera brought fame, riches and a degree of notoriety. Passionate, generous, committed, she had a private life that was every bit as dramatic as her fictional life as the Street’s scarlet woman.
“quite brilliant... not only deals with a vital slice of recent British history but is also a notable landmark in theatre itself”
But where Elsie Tanner took no prisoners, Pat Phoenix lived a whole life in search of the one relationship that would give her back the love and security that was cruelly and unexpectedly snatched from her as a child. And just as it seemed within her grasp, fate was to intervene again…
Manchester Evening News on Ron Rose’s The Enemies Within – winner of the MEN Theatre Award 2010 for Best Studio Production
Ron Rose has enjoyed a varied career as a playwright, screenwriter, producer, director, lecturer and journalist. He has written episodes for much-loved television series’ such as Between the Lines, The Bill and Heartbeat. He also wrote the acclaimed television drama about the life of Pat Phoenix: The Things You Do For Love: Against the Odds, which featured Sue Johnston.
Performance Times Evenings: 7.30pm Matinees: Fri 4, Wed 9, Sat 19, Wed 23 May. 2pm
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Ticket Prices £9.50 - £22.50 Discounts available including SEASON TICKETS, groups, schools and young person’s £4 tickets. See page 34 for full list of discounts.
Auditorium seating plan
Special Diary Dates Bargain Nights: Thu 3, Fri 4 May (tickets £9.50 - £15.50) Meet the director and cast: Thu 10 May (free, post show) Investigate Day: Sat 19 May (£16, £13 concessions) – full day event around the themes and issues of the play, see page 35 for more information
Audio Described: Thu 24 May, 7.30pm BSL: Thu 17 May, 7.30pm There will be no performance on Mon 7 May.
Ticket Office: 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk
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Thu 31 May – Sat 23 June 2012 Little Voice sits alone in the attic room of her terrace house, avoiding the attentions of her loud mouthed mother, Mari. LV’s only means of escape is through her father’s old vinyl collection – especially the great divas: Bassey, Garland, Springfield and Holliday. But LV has a special gift: when the records stop playing the music miraculously continues, as she produces stunning impersonations of all of her favourite stars.
“Cartwright’s play is a rough-cut gem, blessed with filthy jokes, outlandish characters, and moments of both sentimentality and savagery... Little Voice combines a highly original dramatic vision with a heart as big as a house.” The Telegraph
octagon theatre bolton presents
When Mari’s new boyfriend hears her sing, he sees LV as his ticket to fame and fortune. But stardom is the last thing the reclusive LV is after... she just wants to be loved. Will LV face the music or set about finding her own voice? This hilarious, moving and heartwarming story is backed up by a live band of multi-talented actor/musicians. Get ready for a stunning collection of hits including Big Spender, Over the Rainbow and Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien. Jim Cartwright is one of Bolton’s greatest ever writers. His work is amongst the most performed in the Octagon’s history, including the World Premieres of Two and Bed.
by Jim cartwright Director: elizabeth newman
Performance Times Evenings: 7.30pm Matinees: Fri 1, Sat 9, Wed 13, Sat 16, Wed 20 June. 2pm
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Ticket Prices £9.50 - £22.50 Discounts available including SEASON TICKETS, groups, schools and young person’s £4 tickets. See page 34 for full list of discounts.
Auditorium seating plan
Special Diary Dates Bargain Nights: Thu 31 May, Fri 1 June (tickets £9.50 - £15.50) Meet the director and cast: Thu 7 June (free, post show) Investigate Day: Sat 9 June (£16, £13 concessions) – full day event around the themes and issues of the play, see page 35 for more information
Audio Described: Thu 21 June, 7.30pm There will be no performances on Mon 4 and Tue 5 June.
Ticket Office: 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk
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BangBangBang Life on the edge provides a rich seam for the dramatist. During the course of research for another play (O Go My Man at the Royal Court, 2006, which was about the public and private life of a foreign correspondent), I became involved with the stories of humanitarian workers. I found some personal blogs on the internet about working hard and playing hard in a third world country. Crazy stuff like wearing a burka all day and then getting hammered in a Kabul nightclub. I thought “of course, they are going to get up to the same things that any 25/26 year old gets up to”. Except when they get up in the morning, they will be facing the suffering of others; they may have tremendous responsibility. In a two week workshop with the director Max Stafford-Clark and a group of actors, we interviewed aid workers, doctors, human rights defenders, government advisers, journalists and photographers. We found a lot of very serious young people doing important work, much of it going unrecognised. There were stories of wild parties, but what was most
impressive was their commitment and integrity. It's been a fascinating play to research. So many intelligent, colourful, brilliant people work in this sector - as well as insecure and fragile people. Also, the whole industry, and it is an industry, is buoyed by the benevolent spirit of women. The majority of humanitarian workers in most organisations are female. I wanted to write a leading female character, and she sums up the key message of the play perfectly: “Go to Google and type in “humanitarian worker” and you’ll find articles that include kidnapping, injury, robbery, rape, shooting, murder. The threat to safety and security faced daily is very real. Of course you want to make a difference but you don’t do this job for the recognition and you definitely don’t do it for the money. It’s serious stuff." Stella Feehily Writer of Bang Bang Bang
Edward Albee
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Season Overview 24
In 1959 the American theatre seemed in a bad way. Eugene O’Neill was dead, Tennessee Williams was about to enter what he accurately described as his ‘stoned decade’ and Arthur Miller was four years into what would turn out to be a nine-year absence from the theatre. As it happens, though, there were signs of life. Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun – a play about the life of a black family in Chicago’s South Side; Jack Gelber’s drama The Connection – centring on a group of drug addicts; and, most significantly the arrival in New York of a one-act play by thirty-year-old Edward Albee – The Zoo Story, a dramatically powerful two character play set in Central Park. Its impact was immediate. The question, though, was whether he would be able to follow it with a full-length play (though he has always claimed that all his plays are full length). That play was Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Caustically funny, brilliantly articulate, it announced the arrival of a major talent and incidentally offered two of the best acting roles in the history of American drama. Denied the Pulitzer Prize, because one of the committee members regarded it as a ‘dirty play’, and as at odds with the Prize’s supposed remit to celebrate American values, it has now established itself as a classic of American drama and has lost none of its power to shock and amuse.
Habeas Corpus Habeas Corpus is a trouser-dropping farce about sex, which you might guess from a cast list that includes two Rumpers and a Throbbing. Alan Bennett wrote the play in 1973, the year of his tardy discovery of the sexual liberation that Philip Larkin suggested had started ten years earlier. He decided he did not want to echo the cry of his randy vicar (“My life I squandered waiting/Then let my chance go by”) but would instead endorse the message of the play’s final line: “He whose lust lasts, lasts longest.” Bennett wrote in his prose collection Untold Stories:“Having always thought of love as preceding sex, I now cease to care very much…Sex in the seventies is not so particular about gender and boundaries, and so I find myself less often rebuffed and even having quite a nice time.” He certainly had a nice time with Habeas Corpus, and even at times played the charlady Mrs Swabb, with
her appliance leitmotiv call of “Hoover, hoover, hoover”. The oneliners follow one another with giggly speed (“If you choose to commit suicide on doctor’s afternoon off, that’s your funeral”; “Everywhere it’s the same. Sex, sex, sex. Well I’m not having any”) and there is quite a lot about breasts and device for their enhancement. Habeas Corpus was probably the last refuge of the word ‘bust’ in 20th century drama before it went the way of ‘bosom’. It is a very happy play, saner and less cruel than Joe Orton’s What the Butler Saw, first produced four years earlier. Its joyous virtuosity is preferable to the contrivances of The Habit of Art (2009), in which, 36 years on, Bennett took a longer, less exuberant look at sexual desire and explored his own homosexuality. David Ward Journalist and author of Transformation: Shakespeare’s New Theatre.
Christopher Bigsby Professor of American Studies and Director of the Arthur Miller Centre at the University of East Anglia
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Why tell this story one hundred and ten years later? As adults we all know life changes us, it wears us out, can even break us and definitely makes us ‘grey’. The story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz reminds us we all need the Land of Oz. We need colour and vitality to live and not just survive our time on the earth. I look into the eyes of the children that I am privileged to know and see they haven’t forgotten to use their soul gazers as star gazers - they have infinite hope for their life possibilities. Life has not worn them down, and turned them grey like Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. So to the children in the audience I aim to reassure you that you’re right – create your munchkins and your yellow brick road can exist. And to the adults in the audience, I hope to remind you that from time to time it is not irresponsible to head to Oz. In the face of life’s cyclone you have to – as Oz will save you from becoming grey and losing your colour. Elizabeth Newman Director of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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Erna and Bill Naughton
Alfie Bernard Miles (the actor and founder of the Mermaid Theatre) came to dinner and asked to look at the script for Alfie. He said they had just three weeks to fill at the Mermaid, and that they’d put the play on, but didn’t expect it to do well. He engaged Donald McWhinnie to direct and John Neville (one of London’s best actors) to take the part of Alfie. It was a great success and transferred to the Duchess Theatre shortly after. The play was later performed on Broadway with Terence Stamp as Alfie.
There was a massive party to celebrate the film’s success at the Cockney Pride – just across the road from the cinema. Dress was informal, sausage and mash and jellied eels were on the menu. So many friends and people we had not seen for such a long time came to tell us how much they loved the film.
Lewis Gilbert, who had seen the stage production of Alfie at the Mermaid Theatre, asked Bill if he could have the option of a film version. After a long talk, it was agreed. Lewis had a lot of hard work to do, and the film opened at the Plaza Cinema at the Haymarket. Now it was Michael Caine’s chance to show what he could do... and he was great!
I remember Lewis Gilbert with great affection, congratulating Bill saying “I have directed over forty films, but whilst I was sitting there watching Alfie, I was not only the happiest man, I was also the proudest. Alfie has changed my life”.
It was our great night out. I felt when I closed my eyes I could still see the film, and hear Cilla Black’s beautiful voice: “What’s it all about Alfie?”
Erna Naughton Widow of Bill Naughton
Copy
Macbeth
Season Overview
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is best described as one big journey with many adventures. Dorothy and Toto are in search of a way back home, the cowardly Lion in search of courage, the Tin Woodman in search of a heart and the Scarecrow in search of some brains. But in the end we realise their search was not necessary because they’ve had the capacity for all these things from the start. Oz’s revelations about life really do teach a lot, hopefully something you can share. The young can bring back colour to the world with their energy and passion. The older generation can share their knowledge, confidence and belief in their hearts.
Richard Wilson Professor of English Literature at Cardiff University
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Friends and colleagues at the Octagon will know that I have wanted to direct Terence Rattigan’s The Winslow Boy since I joined the Theatre. As a director, I’m passionately committed to great American plays, I love Shakespeare and I’m keen to share with the audiences of Bolton and the North West plays that are rooted in the culture of the region. So why, therefore, would I be so determined to present a play by a playwright who, some might argue, is ‘only interested in middle class angst’? The clue is in the words Sir Andrew Morton QC uses before defending a little boy wrongly accused of stealing a 5 shilling postal order: “Let Right Be Done”. Rattigan, a pacifist and socialist at university, was committed to exposing the values with which he is mistakenly associated. His work explores middle class values, class and gender-based emotional repression and the evasion of truth.
It is based on the very same principles that Octagon audiences admire in Arthur Miller, compelling narratives, the relationship between individual responsibility and society and, above all, the wish to move and engage an audience. Rattigan was keen to write a play examining British justice when he hit upon the celebrated 1910 trial: Archer-Shees v Admiralty. It was brought to court using the unusual procedure of the Petition of Right after the Admiralty had used every possible manoeuvre to stop the case of George Archer-Shee, a 13 year old cadet expelled from naval college, coming to court.
The Winslow Boy, as with the Archer-Shee case, is set against the backdrop of turbulent times in Britain. Today, the statement “Let Right Be Done” is as potent and inspirational as when Rattigan was first inspired by the pursuit of justice for a thirteen year old boy. David Thacker Artistic Director, Octagon Theatre Bolton
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The Winslow Boy
The Queen of the North
Season Overview
Pat Phoenix
Honest writers know that they’re living by the seat of their pants, they believe that they’re getting away with it, they fear being found out. And from time to time a great actor comes along and gets you out of the mire. You watch openmouthed, thinking: ‘I wish I’d thought of that!’ and you’ve written the words they’re speaking!
Elsie Tanner, as created, embodied and acted by Pat Phoenix, was that kind of character. Pat had achieved a more than decent career before she met Elsie. She appeared in films with Sandy Powell and Frank Randle for Mancunian Films, a local film company set up by the legendary John E. Blakely, to provide cinema for the Northern working class in the days before television. Pat also worked in Variety, and picked up parts in the films of the ‘kitchen sink’ genre; and she was a well-paid leading lady in plays that toured the number one theatres throughout the North. She was sexy and passionate, she always had
The central story in The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is a familiar one to the millions who tune in each week to the X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. A shy, damaged little nobody from Up North turns out to be an undiscovered diva – several divas in fact, as LV employs her considerable vocal gifts to produce everybody’s voice but her own, including Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and Edith Piaf. star quality. Her great potential was finally realised in Britain’s greatest soap in a part that she took to her heart. Pat was a ‘celebrity’ before that most contemporary of phenomena had got into full stride. Her life was fodder for the emerging tabloids. She cast herself as the British version of a Hollywood star. But she was insecure enough to stick to home turf – the North – whenever possible Elements of Pat Phoenix fleshed out the character of Elsie Tanner. They call it acting. But the private Pat was not as tough as Elsie, not as hard. She was complex and vulnerable. She was always searching for the personal happiness that she believed was every woman’s right. It was a heroic journey. She was a great lady. She was a Star. And along the way some writers got lucky! Ron Rose Writer of The Queen of the North
But when Jim Cartwright’s play premiered at the National Theatre back in 1992 nobody had even heard of Simon Cowell. Cartwright’s eponymous heroine’s songs are an expression of grief and longing for love, rather than a means to achieve sudden stardom. It’s hard to categorise this quirky play. A comedy (with music) but the title implies a tragedy. It’s set in a tiny northern house, which does indeed have a very dirty kitchen sink – but the savage poetry of Cartwright’s language and the strong fantasy elements are hardly social realism. It’s coarse and tender, and there’s a love story too. The characters are broad and bold. There’s LV’s gloriously vulgar mother, Mari; the gentle giant, Sadie May; and on hearing the name of sleazy wheeler-dealer Ray Say you might be forgiven for thinking you were in a Restoration romp.
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice And what of Little Voice herself? The role was created for Jane Horrocks, but has been reprised by countless actors since – including myself, at the Octagon, back in 1995; and, ironically, X Factor finalist Diana Vickers in 2009. LV has a paradoxically big voice, and a gift for mimicry – but where does talent come from, and what is its purpose? We live in a world seemingly obsessed with celebrity, but this charming play reminds us that singing a song, in whatever voice you have, is primarily an act of self-expression and so much more important than 15 minutes of fame. Deborah McAndrew Playwright and Actor
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Get Involved
Join us Behind the Scenes
With Octagon activ8 Youth Theatre Community Holiday Projects Training Schools To find out more visit www.octagonbolton.co.uk and click on “Get Involved”.
We support Fairtrade
Throughout the year the Octagon brings you some of the UK’s most exciting children’s theatre companies, with work for children aged 3 and over!
café Search “Octagon Theatre Bolton”
Don’t miss @octagontheatre
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see page 12 for more information
With beautiful views over Le Mans Crescent, the William Hare Bar offers the perfect location for a pre-show, interval or post-show drink.
Delicious breakfasts Daytime snacks Homemade soup Locally-sourced cakes Afternoon teas Eat in or takeaway
From 6pm each performance evening. From 1pm for matinees.
Mondays to Saturdays from breakfast time to 3pm. Tel: 01204 556500
Children’s Theatre
A full season of events will be announced in the near future. Visit www.octagonbolton.co.uk or call our Ticket Office on 01204 520661 to find out more.
• • • • • •
www.octagonbolton.co.uk and click on “News & blog”
pre-theatre dining Enjoy delicious and excellent value pre-theatre meals: from classic local dishes to international favourites. All this just a few feet away from your seat... Why not book your table when you book your tickets?
Group Bookings: Order hot food or children’s buffet and we’ll reserve a private area for you.
bar
24 hour advance booking is essential. Visit our website for current menus or more information. Season Ticket holders receive a 5% discount. Tel: 01204 556500
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Support Us Support from individuals and businesses is crucial in enabling the Octagon to produce world-class theatre and life-changing work with young people in the community. Here are just a few ways that you could support your theatre:
Principal Sponsors and Patrons Principal Sponsor
Friends and Best Friends Principal Patron Become a ‘Best Friend’ by donating £1,000 per year and you could play a major part in the Octagon’s future. This support could help provide an entire youth theatre production or improve our facilities for people with disabilities. To say thank you, you’ll receive a whole host of benefits including a sponsored seat in the Main Auditorium and the chance to join our Artistic Director in rehearsal. By making a donation of £100 per year, you can become a ‘Friend’ of the Octagon and get a range of benefits including an annual Friends’ reception and a listing on our roll of honour.
Sue Hodgkiss, CBE DL Community Sponsor
Core Sponsor
Production Sponsors
Corporate Sponsor The Octagon is committed to building and sustaining partnerships with businesses of all sizes from across the Region. Take advantage of corporate hospitality and exciting advertising and PR opportunities, as well as experiencing quality theatre. For more information contact John Edwards on john.edwards@octagonbolton.co.uk or visit www.octagonbolton.co.uk and click on “Support Us”.
Corporate Members: Barlow Andrews CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS
Thanks also to: Jane Harrison and Zonya Marsh
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Fri 18 Nov Sat 19 Nov Mon 21 Nov Tue 22 Nov Wed 23 Nov Thu 24 Nov Fri 25 Nov Sat 26 Nov
10.15 10.15 10.15 10.15 10.15
Mon 28 Nov Tue 29 Nov Wed 30 Nov Thu 01 Dec Fri 02 Dec Sat 03 Dec
10.15 10.15 10.15 10.15 10.15
Mon 05 Dec Tue 06 Dec Wed 07 Dec Thu 08 Dec Fri 09 Dec Sat 10 Dec
10.15 10.15 10.15 10.15 10.15
Mon 12 Dec Tue 13 Dec Wed 14 Dec Thu 15 Dec Fri 16 Dec Sat 17 Dec
10.15 10.15 10.15 10.15 10.15
Mon 19 Dec Tue 20 Dec Wed 21 Dec Thu 22 Dec Fri 23 Dec Sat 24 Dec
10.15 10.15 10.15
2.15
7.15 7.15
2.15 2.15 2.15
7.15 7.15
2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15
7.15 7.15
FRI 18 NOV – SAT 14 JAN
2.15 2.15 2.15
Peak Performances
Off-Peak
FAMILY TICKETS (2 adults, 2 concessions)
£50
£45
FAMILY SAVER Book by 31 July and save £5 off the price of a family ticket
£45 – save up to £29
£40 – save up to £20
7.15 7.15
Band A
£19.50 £17.50 (adult conc) £12.50 (child)
£16.00 £14.00 (adult conc) £11.50 (child)
7.15 7.15 7.15 7.15
Band B
2.15 2.15 2.15
£16.50 £14.50 (adult conc) £9.50 (child)
£13.00 £11.00 (adult conc) £8.50 (child)
Mon 26 Dec Tue 27 Dec Wed 28 Dec Thu 29-Dec Fri 30 Dec Sat 31 Dec
2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15
7.15 7.15 7.15 7.15 7.15 7.15
Band C
£11.50 £10.50 (adult conc) £8.50 (child)
£11.00 £10.00 (adult conc) £8.50 (child)
Mon 02 Jan Tue 03 Jan Wed 04 Jan Thu 05 Jan Fri 06 Jan Sat 07 Jan
2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15
7.15 7.15 7.15
Schools and Groups of 10+ (1 free organiser ticket with every 10 child’s tickets purchased).
10+: £9.50 child £14.00 adult 21+: £9.00 child £13.00 adult 51+: £8.50 child £12.00 adult
10+: £8.50 child £9.50 adult
Mon 09 Jan Tue 10 Jan Wed 11 Jan Thu 12 Jan Fri 13 Jan Sat 14 Jan
2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15
10.15
10.15 10.15
7.15 7.15 7.15
2.15 2.15
7.15 7.15
2.15 2.15 2.15 2.15
7.15 7.15 7.15 7.15 7.15
Reserve now, pay later.10% deposit required within a month of booking. Pay by 31st July and receive a 10% discount. All reservations must be paid 2 months in advance of the performance booked.
Adult concs are available to: full-time students, retired people over 60, jobseekers, disabled patrons and their companions, Equity, NCA card holders. All discounts are subject to availability. For full information on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz see page 12.
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seating plans access
ticket prices
Band A
Band B
Sat eves
Mon-Fri eves
Bargain Nights
Matinees
£22.50
£19.50 £17.00 concs
£15.50
£14.50 £12.50 concs
£16.50 £14.00 concs
£12.50
£19.50
£14.50
£11.50 £9.50 concs
£9.50
£9.50 £9.00 concs
Groups of 10+ (1 free organiser ticket)
n/a
10+: £14.00 21+: £13.00 51+: £12.00
n/a
10+: £8.50 (all seats)
£9.50 (Band B) £8.50 (Band C)
n/a
n/a
Young People (under 26) Remember, you could be eligible for free tickets: ask us how.
n/a
£4 (all seats: 3 days in advance, max 2 tickets)
n/a
£9.00 (Price band B/C only for 2pm matinees, any seat for schools’ matinees) £13 Play Day*
Thrust
Guide dogs can stay with you in the auditorium or be looked after by a member of staff. Please let us know when booking. Hearing Aid Infrared System Receivers must be reserved when booking.
End-stage
Concessions are available to: under 16s, full-time students, retired people over 60, jobseekers, disabled patrons and their companions, Equity, NCA card holders. All discounts are subject to availability.
Stalls – No seat is more than 9 rows from the stage
* Schools’ Play Day is a full day event for secondary schools investigating the themes of the play. Ask at Ticket Office for more information.
Gallery – A 2-row balcony where you can see the play from an elevated level. Not recommended for children under 9 years of age.
Save up to £106 with an Octagon Season Ticket. See page 4 for more information.
Ticket Office: Information is available in large print 01204 520661 and on audio CD Performance days: Disabled Access / Blue Badge Holders: The Octagon has a flat foyer entrance with lift access to the Main Auditorium and Bar. Please book wheelchair spaces in advance. An accessible toilet is situated in the foyer.
n/a
Please discuss all requirements you have with the Ticket Office when booking: 01204 520661.
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In-the-round
£11.50 £10.00 concs
Band C
Schools (1 free adult per 15 tickets. Reserve now, pay later. Please ask about catering & discounted travel)
The Octagon Theatre’s flexible auditorium can be used in different arrangements.
booking
Audio Described performances and touch tours for blind and visually patrons. See show pages for performance dates. BSL (British Sign Language) Interpreted performances for deaf or hard of hearing. See show pages for performance dates.
10am – 7.30pm (until 7pm on the phone) Non-performance days: 10am – 5.30pm We are closed Sundays We accept cheques and major credit/debit cards. A £1 charge applies to all non-cash transactions. Tickets are posted out to you.
24hr ticket bookings: www.octagonbolton.co.uk (booking fee applies)
Theatre Gift Vouchers: Any occasion. Any value Data protection: the Octagon Theatre Bolton collects data in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
find your theatre The Octagon Theatre, Howell Croft South, Bolton, BL1 1SB The Octagon is situated in the heart of Bolton, within easy reach of all main train, bus and road routes and just 5 minutes walk from the bus and train station. Car Parking – next door to the Octagon Theatre APCOA secure multi-storey car park: Great Moor Street, Bolton, BL1 1SW Tel: 01204 361722 Octagon Theatre patrons may park with APCOA Octagon for a special discounted rate of £2 per evening, after 6pm. Just see the Parking Pal in the Bar. (Please note – the car park closes early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and is closed on Bank Holidays) Some productions may contain smoking. Ask when booking for more information.
Investigate Days: “The most important discussion on theatre I have ever attended” Award-winning playwright David Edgar on his experience of Investigate Join actors, directors and theatre specialists in full day events exploring and discussing some of the burning issues behind the Octagon’s programme of plays. Investigate Days start at 10.30am and include a matinee performance. Call our Ticket Office or visit www.octagonbolton.co.uk for information on the Investigate Days. See show pages for dates of the Investigate Days.
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Ticket Office: 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk The Octagon Theatre, Howell Croft South, Bolton, BL1 1SB
Bang Bang Bang Mon 5 – Sat 17 September 2011
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Thu 22 September – Sat 15 October 2011
Habeas Corpus
Production Sponsors
Core Sponsor
Community Sponsor
Sue Hodgkiss, CBE DL
Principal Patron
Principal Sponsor
Bolton
“ c th s on e octagon p tr ti O T ro ik n ct h e g e u a In r o in g o a u g d n e m t p t i e o , m n n d i i e n t n t g s b ” o l d
Thu 20 October – Sat 12 November 2011
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Fri 18 November 2011 – Sat 14 January 2012
Alfie Thu 19 January – Sat 18 February 2012
Macbeth Thu 23 February – Sat 17 March 2012
The Winslow Boy Thu 29 March – Sat 21 April 2012
The Queen of the North Thu 3 – Sat 26 May 2012
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice Thu 31 May – Sat 23 June 2012 All information is accurate at the time of going to print. The Octagon Theatre reserves the right to make alterations if necessary. Registered Charity number: 248833
www.anonymousdesign.net