AFTER receiving over 800 submissions, the Octagon Theatre Bolton has announced the line-up for its Top 5 Season.

Rehearsed readings of All in a Row by Alex Oates, Three Mothers by Matilda Velevitch, ROOST by Rosie Kellett, The Rub by Gareth Jandrell, and Bleeding Hearts by James Leach will be performed in the theatre's Studio by professional actors, script-in-hand.

Once a year, the Octagon opens a two-month window for anyone to send in their scripts to the artistic team with a chance to staged at the theatre.

New writing associate Janys Chambers said: "The standard of the scripts received this year has been fantastic.

"The sheer volume of them was phenomenal – over eight hundred scripts, from people who’ve just started writing through to professional scriptwriters. "We’ve had a wonderful time reading them all, but it’s been incredibly difficult choosing our Top 5. The five plays we’ve chosen are emotive, provocative, and topical."

The Top 5 Season will run from March 1 to 9, alongside the Octagon’s REVEAL Festival which starts on February 28 which will see performances taking place taking place at different locations in the town and online.