JUST a few months ago Cara Novotny was studying for her degree at the University of Bolton.

Shannon Raftery is still on that same Theatre Degree course, which is based at the university’s Queens Campus in Farnworth.

And both young women have been given an amazing opportunity, thanks to the unique relationship between the university and Bolton’s Octagon Theatre.

They are an integral part of the team working on the Octagon’s latest production, And Did Those Feet, which opens on Sunday.

The play is set against the backdrop of the 1923 FA Cup Final between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United.

Cara, 22, who graduated in the summer, is assistant director on the play.

Shannon, 20, who will graduate next year, is second assistant director.

Their job is to support the production and specifically its director, the former artistic director of the Octagon and current Professor of Theatre at the University of Bolton, David Thacker.

Cara and Shannon took a break from rehearsals to talk about their experiences working on the play, which will be performed at the University of Bolton Stadium, while the town centre Octagon building is closed for major refurbishment.

Shannon knows about growing up in a house with a football supporting family member.

Her father Joseph, is a Bolton Wanderers steward and “a Wanderers fanatic”.

She says: “He loves Bolton Wanderers – he has portraits up at home connected to the club, like old pictures of Burnden Park.”

Shannon says she always wanted to work in the theatre.

“When I came to the University of Bolton, I found it and the course really welcoming.

“To get the chance to work in a professional theatre with such talented people is just amazing. It’s exciting and challenging and we are learning so much.

“For me as a student coming into a professional environment is nerve-wracking. But everyone has been so friendly.

“I have never for one moment felt like I was a student, or out of place.

“I feel like a kid walking into Disneyland – it’s just fantastic.”

Cara and Shannon want to be professional directors in the future and say that the experience they are getting is invaluable.

They hope that staging the play at the stadium will help to bring a “unique atmosphere”, but admit that performing in the Lion of Vienna suite, with its low ceiling and carpeted floor has been a challenge.

Cara said: “That’s what being an assistant director is all about – being presented with problems and then working together to overcome them.

“Everything is different in that environment – sound, lighting, accessibility, but what an amazing venue to perform the play, with the Wanderers pitch as a backdrop!”

Cara, who spent several weeks in the summer working as second assistant director with the British Youth Opera in London on the production The Rake’s Progress, adds: “I feel incredibly lucky - every day you pinch yourself that you are working with a professional organisation and being so involved.

“This course is amazing. You just don’t see it anywhere else.

“It is a great opportunity and the Octagon is incredibly giving, in terms of support and resources. The people here help to support your passion and your development.

“It’s not just theoretical – although obviously that is a vital part of it – the course teaches you everything and much of that are transferrable life skills.

“It is crucial to prepare young people for work and professional life – they really need that.”

And Did Those Feet, written by former University of Bolton lecturers and local playwrights Les Smith and Martin Thomasson, tells the story of football fans and their families and their lives in the 1920s.

It is set in the run-up to the famous 1923 FA Cup final - the first to be held at the old Wembley Stadium.

It has forever since been known as the ‘White Horse Final’, because of chaotic scenes before the game as vast crowds surged into the stadium, more than double its official capacity of 125,000.

A crowd estimated at up to 300,000 poured in and overflowed from the terraces onto the pitch.

Mounted policemen had to be brought in to clear the crowds, so the match could take place.

One iconic photograph of an officer riding a white horse became the defining image of the day,

The game eventually began 45 minutes late and Bolton won 2–0. Afterwards, the pre-match chaos was raised in the House of Commons and led to the introduction of safety measures for future finals.

And Did Those Feet received its world premiere at the Octagon in 2007 and everyone involved is excited that it is returning to Bolton, at the home of the Wanderers.

It is their hope that it will attract a ‘crossover’ audience – football supporters who would not usually go to watch a play and theatre-goers who may never have been inside a football stadium or watched a match.

At its press launch, director David said: “The play is about much more than football. It has themes of love, grief and religion running through it.

“It’s a wonderful piece of work and we lucky to have such a great cast.

“Having Cara and Shannon involved is just unique – it’s a wonderful collaboration between the Octagon and the university.”

Meanwhile, before Cara and Shannon return to the rehearsal room, Shannon’s thoughts turn back to Joseph, her Wanderers fanatic father.

“My dad wouldn’t go to the theatre, but he has told me he is excited about this – he’s really looking forward to it.”

The Octagon Theatre’s production of And Did Those Feet opens on Sunday October 21 at the Lion of Vienna Suite in the University of Bolton Stadium and runs until Thursday November 1.

To book tickets, contact the Octagon box office on 01204 520661, or visit octagonbolton.co.uk/whats-on/theatre/and-did-those-feet/#tickets.