Exciting line-up as new season at Bolton Octagon revealed

A WORLD premiere, a new version of a modern classic and a smash hit comedy will all form part of Bolton Octagon’s spring programme.

The Octagon’s artistic director, Lotte Wakeham said:”After an extraordinary year for the Octagon, which has seen us re-open our building and welcome audiences back for our Warm Up season and autumn programme, it feels wonderful to now be looking ahead to 2022 and announce our new spring/summer season.

“I am incredibly excited by the shows we have lined up for audiences over the coming months â€" there is a real mix of laugh out loud comedy, classic drama and new writing.”

The season gets underway with An Adventure, an epic love story spanning seven decades and three continents. Running from Friday, February 4 to Saturday,February 26, the play follows husband and wife Rasik and Jyoti as they navigate political tensions in 1950s India and Kenya and the turbulence of first-generation life in Britain in the 1960s and beyond.

The production will feature stage designs by T K Hay, winner of the Linbury Prize in 2019, the UK’s most prestigious award for stage design.

The Octagon will then present a powerful new adaptation of Barry Hines’ classic story Kes in a co-production with Theatre by the Lake.

Set in 1960s Yorkshire, it’s the story of bullied and neglected teenager Billy Caspar whose life is changed when he finds Kes, a kestrel hawk, who he cares for and trains.

The production runs from Thursday, March 10 to Saturday, April 2 and will be directed by Atri Banerjee, who recently won the The Stage Debut Award and was nominated for the UK Theatre Award for Best Director for his production of Hobson’s Choice at the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Next up is the world premiere of Habibti Driver, running from Thursday, April 21 to Saturday, May 7, a new ‘East meets Wigan’ comedy centring around the relationship between an Egyptian Muslim taxi driver â€" and his half Egyptian, half Wigan daughter

The season closes in style with the smash hit comedy One Man, Two Guvnors (Thursday, May 26 to Saturday, June 25) Richard Bean’s much-loved modern farce, an adaptation of the classic A Servant of Two Masters which will be directed by the Octagon’s artistic director, Lotte Wakeham.

The season will also include a variety of one-night events including comedy, music, play readings and family entertainment still to be announced. The Young Octagon company will also be taking part in the National Theatre’s Connections programme â€" producing a performance of the powerful play Remote by Olivier Award winning writer Stef Smith.

The Octagon has also revealed that its festive production for 2022 will be a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale A Christmas Carol.

Lotte Wakeham said: “The productions of An Adventure and One Man Two Guvnors were originally announced as part of our original 2020 opening programme, and then postponed due to the pandemic, so I’m thrilled we can now bring them to the stage as part of our new spring/summer season.

"Following the recent success of Home, I’m Darling it will be fantastic to work with theatre by the Lake once again, with a gripping adaptation of Kes, based on the much loved book and film. Then completing the season we have a real treat for audiences with the world premiere of brand new comedy, Habibti Driver.

"I fell in love with this script when it was part of our First Bites play-reading series in 2019, so I cannot wait to share the full production with our audiences next year â€" I am sure this new ‘East meets Wigan’ comedy will leave audiences smiling!"

Season tickets for all performances go on sale today with individual shows on sale from Thursday, November 25. Details from www.octagonbolton.co.uk

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