THIS week’s Bolton Film Festival sees the event highlighting dozens of innovative and groundbreaking short films from independent film-makers.

With the likes of actors Maxine Peake, Diane Morgan, Paul Nicholls, Amy Nuttall and film director Danny Boyle it could be argued the town has always been a hotbed of acting talent with a taste for the dramatic.

Acting as a focus for all this talent has always been The Octagon Theatre which was opened on November 27, 1967 by The Princess Margaret.

Despite the town council and the theatre management having been officially advised that there would be no requirement for any type of ‘comfort facility’ for the Royal party, they went ahead anyway and installed a lavish loo with gold plated fittings.

Having only ever been used officially by the plumbers who needed to test it, following the official opening it was completely stripped out and turned into an office space.

The first theatre production was Annie and Fanny by local playwright Bill Naughton, who had he moved to Bolton in 1914 as a child from Ireland.

Best remembered for his play, Alfie, which was adapted into a film starring Michael Caine in the eponymous role, Naughton was a prolific writer of plays, novels, short stories and children’s books.

His preferred environment was working class society, which is reflected in much of his written work.

The building was designed by Geoffrey H. Brooks, Bolton’s Director of Architecture, and was constructed for the sum of £95,000 using money raised by public donation.

It was the first professional theatre to be built in North West England following World War II.

The building is hexagon in shape but was named The Octagon Theatre to avoid confusion with an existing Hexagon Theatre.

In 1987 the building was extended to add a studio theatre, originally called the Octopus Studio. In 1994 this space was enlarged and renamed The Bill Naughton Theatre, in honour of Naughton.

in 2017 The Octagon celebrated its 50th Birthday, with a 50th anniversary season and birthday party. The 50th anniversary season included classic productions such as Jane Eyre and a Christmas Carol (17 November 2017- 13 January 2018.

In 2018 the Octagon closed its doors until 2020 for a major refurbishment, but as these images from down the years show it shouldn’t be too long before the actors flock back to Bolton.

Judging by the images, soap stars were a common attraction at the theatre throughout the 1980s and 90s.

In September, 1989, Brookside actors John McArdle and Sue Johnston teamed up for the play To and five years later in October 1994, Oldham born actress, Sally Ann Matthews was swapping the cobbles of Coronation Street for appearing in The Suicide at The Octogan alongside Emmerdale actor Matthew Vaughan who played Michael Feldman.

Straight-talking Sally Ann was happy to admit to the paper that she was “sacked” from the Street and “managed to be upset for about a day”.

In June, 1994, we reported on four school boys - Daniel Russell, Oliver Lancaster, James Pope and Simon Fielding from Canon Slade School had been acting in nightly productions of Derby Day at the Octagon.

Apparently the boys “even had their own dressing room where they could hang their clogs at the end of each show.”

More soap stars were appearing in March, 1994 when Clive Moore and Angela Clarke were putting their best foot forward for the Octagon’s production of Blood Wedding which ran from March 18-April 9.

Director Lawrence Till decided to set the action in Lancashire and an integral part of the production was traditional Lamcashire clog dancing. The cast even had specially made clogs nade and fitted by Walkley Clogs from Canal Wharf Sawmills, Hawksclough, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.

Fast forward to October, 2000, and there was a double bill in the Bill Naughton Studio with the Rocket Theatre Company presenting Cornored by Jim Burke and Cajun Chicken bu Rosie Sheikh.

Cornered was a black comedy set in the lower levels of the boxing industry and the verbal sparring between two cornerman who work alongside the boxing ring. We described it as “nasty, brutish and very funny.”

Cajun Chicken was performed in the Talking Heass style and followed the fortunes of Cherie, a student in her early twenties.

“Slowly, a sickening truth emerges about her world - a truth she doesn’t even know she is living herself,” said the publicity.

Bolton Film Festival takes place between Tues 1st - Thurs 3rd October 2019.