THE PUBLIC have been given a glimpse of the future at Bolton's biggest theatre.

Images of the proposed redevelopment of the Octagon Theatre came under the scrutiny of shoppers in the Market Place shopping centre.

The plans were out on show on Friday as part of a public consultation about thePublic gets glimpse of plans for £10 million theatre revampproject.

Chief executive Roddy Gauld said: “It was really well attended, better than we might have hoped for.

“Lots of people stopped by, people who have come to the theatre before but also people who wanted to find out more about the theatre and the project.

“They were all very supportive. The most asked question was about protecting the original auditorium, which we are going to do and build around it so it remains at the heart of the theatre.

“We wanted to make the consultation really as visible and accessible as possible in order to get as much feed back from the public as possible.

“It is exciting to see how many people know the theatre and care for it.”

The plans have been revealed as the Octagon celebrates its 50th anniversary.

It will see the building in Howell Croft Street enlarged and modernised in order to improve improve accessibility and accommodation.

This will involve demolishing large sections of the building and rebuilding around the core of the auditorium.

Plans, which include creating two multi-purpose studio spaces and new, revamped café and bar areas, will be submitted for planning consideration in July.

Funding for the project has been secured through Arts Council England and Bolton Council, with a further fundraising campaign led by the Octagon Theatre.

The timescale for the project will mean that the building will close from mid-2018 and re-open in autumn 2019.

Mr Gauld added: “People also wanted to know what was happening during the redevelopment.

“We will have a lot of work off site including two shows, Summer Holiday and Gullivers Travels, and we are finding a space to work with our youth groups in the town centre.

“We will also have a box office and cafe running. We can reassure people it’s business as normal!”