THE Octagon theatre opened its door for the first time in 1967 with Bill Naughton's Annie and Fanny and now as the theatre prepares to close for refurbishment, award-winning director Lawrence Till returns to his Bolton home to stage the world premiere of his new comedy — adapted from the stories of the celebrated playwright.

Mr Till, artistic director of the Octagon from 1992-1999, has woven together Naughton’s stories and memoirs of Bolton life in his The Big Corner.

Celebrating Bolton and the work of Naughton, the play follows Bill and Alf, two young local lads growing up together hungry for adventure, discovering the mystery and the delights of girls in the coming of age comedy, travelling through time and round the streets of the town.

Writer of Alfie, The Family Way, Spring and Port Wine, Naughton is Bolton’s most celebrated writer and is currently being commemorated by Live from Worktown which has opened a Bill Naughton Information Centre in the Market Place.

In this new play, audiences will recognise the writer's stories and characters such as Spit Nolan, an early incarnation of Alfie Elkins and the story of Seeing A Beauty Queen Home.

BAFTA nominated producer, director and Writer’s Guild award winner Mr Till said: "More than anything I want people to go out having had a really good laugh and knowing the quality of Bill’s story telling. It’s about how you get by when your best friend is in love with your wife."

"Bolton’s mills, parks, theatres, and dance halls, are all part of the tapestry that made Bolton a distinctive place to grow up for the people who lived here. And the street corners are where the excitement of daily gossip, humour, gambling and scandal offered the opportunity to tell and hear exciting tales for the first time."

The production brings together a cast of talented actors including Boltonian and Octagon regular Jessica Baglow, most recently seen in Hamlet and Jane Eyre at the Octagon and Mitesh Soni who is currently appearing as Abdul in East Is East showing at the Octagon until Sat 14 April.

Elizabeth Newman, current artistic director commissioned the play to celebrate the Octagon 50th anniversary, said: "I wanted to invite previous artistic directors back to mark the legacy that the Octagon is built on. Lawrence Till is a great talent and I’ve been very lucky to have come to know him and his work in recent years. The Octagon has always championed new writing so commissioning Lawrence to write The Big Corner felt like a great way to celebrate the past as we strive towards our future.

"It was also important to celebrate the great work of Bill Naughton in our 50th anniversary season. We opened the Octagon with a Bill Naughton play. I felt passionately that, as we are about to head out of the theatre for a time, we needed to turn the lights off with Bill there in some way. It is a moment to remember what’s made the Octagon great for so many decades — exceptional stories shared with great audiences. His writing has been a constant source of inspiration to me during my many years in Bolton. I can’t wait to work with such a talented company of actors to bring to life this wonderful story Lawrence has created inspired by the legendary work of Bill Naughton."

The Big Corner opens at the Octagon Thursday, April 19 until Saturday May 5.