My Wife and I visited the Octagon for a Saturday Matinee performance of Noel Cowards Private Lives. We had a wonderful time from start to finish. The first surprise of the day was free parking at the NCP multi storey car park , so convenient, literally a few yards from the theatre, I believe its also free on a Sunday, and with discounted weekday evening parking for theatregoers, it all helps in these austere times.
We arrived at the theatre about 45 minutes before the play was due to start, and were greeted by members of staff as we entered, they were very amenable in their disposition without being obtrusive, and smartly turned out.
We didn't eat at the theatre on this occasion, but having purchased a programme (£3) we decided to head up to the first floor bar for a pre-performance drink. Our second pleasant surprise of the day was the (new to us) layout of the bar area, and the high standard to which it has been designed, and refurbished. There is a variety of comfortable seating for a substantial number of people, much of which overlooks the many adjacent buildings of architectural interest, also good for watching the world go by! , as well as standing room for those who prefer to. The furnishings were of a high standard, and tastefully colour co-ordinated
I also noticed that there was good wheelchair access to the bar area via a lift, I guess a wheelchair user, and maybe two friends/family members could travel in it at the same.
time.
My Wife had a glass of dry white wine (large!) and I had a soft drink as the nominated driver, drinks were very reasonably priced when compared to what I have paid at other venues in the North West.
I think the programme deserves a special mention, it was priced at £3, most Manchester venues charge in the region of £5, I found it to be very well produced with not only lots of interesting information about the days performance, but it also covered issues of the theatre's role in the wider community, and the Octagons pro-active approach to enhancing the arts in general.
Our seats were competitively priced, comfortable with adequate room to the front for my knees, as well as to the side. The ambient temperature was just right. We were having such a good time and the performance hadn't yet begun!
Noel Coward has always been one of our favourites and we weren't disappointed in the least with the production, the set was imaginative, the period costumes were fantastic, if only I could have bought a few of the gentleman's suits and some of the furniture, it certainly was a period of style and glitz. The acting was outstanding, and for a couple of hours we were both lost in the 1920's.
We had a wonderful time and left looking forward to our next visit, the facilities and the performance would stand equally against many London theatres. not just similar regional theatres.
A gem in Bolton's crown, and a key part of regenerating the town to what it was in my youth!

Beltin' on till 21st March, you need to see.............xxxxxxxxx witty funny sweet....can see photos on google

Always great intimate theatre.

I really like the Octagon. Brilliant repertory theatre. A small intimate venue with a endlessly flexible auditorium in the round which looks different every time I go. Nice food in the bistro downstairs and the theatre bar has been refurbished for the better. Just went to see David Thacker adaptation of Arthur Miller's A View From The Bridge. Excellent, top quality. Go and see it. Wish you could buy a Silver Season Ticket that let's you in on Saturday though... Come on Marketing Dept please review, you're missing a trick!

Our family saw Alice in Wonderland at the Bolton Octagon, which was as Good as anything seen here before. The show was very imaginative and clever, appealing to adults and children alike. The theatre puts on a wide range of plays throughout the year, and everyone is a success. A play here offers the best value for money anywhere.

We always visit the Octagon in the Christmas holidays, We loved the show this year "Alice in wonderland". The cast were fabulous in engaging with the audience encouraging them to chat to them, join in singing etc. I Love how the set changes, using every bit of space they have, very imaginative! Think the cast did a brilliant job. We love the Octagon shows and have already booked our tickets for the BFG next year... If you have not been to visit this years Alice in Wonderland, Quick don't miss it! (If you want to see a pantomime dame you need to go to the albert hall show instead!!! )

Would definitely go again ,nice comfy seats and a lovely atmosphere. watched a great play,Great little Theatre

We visited the Octagon on our annual visit for the pantomime which this year is Alice in Wonderland.

We expected the usual pantomime, dame and all and were sadly disappointed by an alternative production in the round- if you didn't know the story then you wouldn't be any the wiser afterwards especially as you couldn't hear everything the cast was saying. Cast tried hard but give me the traditional fayre any time.

The theatre itself is a modern design and all seats have a great view albeit some seats are cramped. We tried the cafe for the first time and were distinctly unimpressed, pricy and little for what you get, small cake sizes and poor quality machine made coffee - if you charge Costa or Starbucks prices for a coffee then at least make them by hand instead of using a push button machine.

Overall the Octagon is usually a pleasant experience but in future we will avoid the cafe and stick to more traditional productions.

I love going here. The productions are fantastib and the theatre has a great atmosphere. The bistro serves excellent food, although there are only a few options in the evening. The standard of food is good although it is slightly higher than average in terms of price.

Pleasant for a coffee and chat.

The Octagon is a brilliant theatre showing a wide variety of plays/drama to appeal to most tastes, all with excellent casts. The seating is good although the leg room in some of the balcony seats can be a little restrictive

Went to watch a play, the production was great as was the cast and setting. Not to expensive and a great place to go when you fancy doing something a bit different at the weekend. You can always go round Bolton for a drink after.

Booked a visit to watch early one morning, fantastic play and very talented actors also as travelling from out of town I found this theatre to be close to local bus/train station and in an ideal location

We went seeing 'Hobson's Choice', when it was on it's run there, absolutely brilliant, the atmosphere was wonderful.

Been a season ticket holder for five years now and the Octagon is well worth the patronage. Staff are welcoming, box office is good and the productions are well directed and performed. Good variety of plays and usually at least one Shakespeare with excellent interpretation. Excellent local theatre - Bolton is very fortunate, long may it continue

Brill production of Peter Pan, we just loved Tink.
We have booked again for Christmas eve with the kids.. so magical.
Unfortunately since changing the cafe the food last year was awful. We wont be eating at the octagon this year.

Saw Journey's End at the Bolton Octagon last night. Absolutely stunning, moving, heartbreaking but uplifting commentary on the nobility of the human spirit. David Thacker's direction is always inspired, but he excelled himself with this one. The staging is in the round and the set is an incredibly realistic dugout. Every character is perfectly cast. It's only on until 4th October. Cannot recommend this highly enough.

we wemt to bolton octagon to see journeys end..first we ate in the cafe..it was great the way the main meals matched the play ie:world war one fare but I opted for goats cheese pizza so nice ......after we ate we went from a contemporary cafe to the theatre which put you right in the middle of ww1!!!the stage was all around amd all through tje play there was oke and the sounds of bombs dropping in the distance ....the ambiance was fantastic and the play thought prevoking sad..happy..all sorts of emotions ..It was a great night out and I strongly recommend this play and theatre ..staff were great too very friendly and helpful. ..

Went to see the play "Journeys End", with Deb,it was about the horrors of the
First world war and was a powerful and moving play.Before the performance we ate in the
restaurant.The menu was themed to the play..so it was all wartime dishes.We both had
sardines on toast then I had a delicious and filling bully beef and Deb had pigeon breast
also delicious.The head waiter was very friendly and chatty.A wonderful evening.

We have season tickets for Bolton Octagon and a recent tradition of dining in the Eight Café Bar before the performances. On this occasion, we started with Salad Niciose and Sardines on Toast followed by Butternut Squash and sweet potato Tagine and roast pigeon breast. Both main courses were delicious and plentiful. We then had Treacle tart with hot Vanilla Custard and Officers Mess, both absolutely 5/5 sweets. We wished we had room for more. All this, accompanied by a bottle of delicious House Red and two coffees, came to £45. We get 10% discount for being season ticket holders but this was excellent value for what we received. Tagine and the sweets were particularly memorable. The staff were polite and attentive and all requests were smilingly met.
This was in direct contrast to the conditions found in the trenches during the war where there was no hope, no chance of relief and soldiers awaiting their Journey's End with courage and determination. A very moving play, very well acted in a very suitable theatre. We will be back for the next production in October.

The Resident Director David Thacker has helped the Octagon achieve a lot theatrically. The seasonal program of plays is varied and often includes work by local playwrights. But Thacker also regularly stages classic American playwrights. We particularly enjoy the performances when after the show the Audience is invited to stay for a discussion with the Director and Cast. This costs nothing extra so is a real Bonus and usually lasts for about 1/2 hour. Here is a thriving provincial theatre staging really good work every time. The recent refurbishment has seen welcome improvement s to the Bar and Dining areas. We go to at least 3 shows a season.

Absolutely love this place. The productions they put on are always excellent and attracts some very good actors. The surroundings are comfy and the seating is good with views of the stage from all around with very little restrictions. The bar area is well organised and we had a very good night

Attended the 'Journeys End' evening showing. The play is good and the theater itself is also very good, there is not a bad seat but the reason I felt I had to review was the average quality food in the newly refurbished cafe bar. The sardines on toast was literally two whole sardines on dry toasted bread, need I say more? The cod loin was a tiny portion & pretty tasteless. The 'stonebaked pizza' was a pre packed/frozen pizza swimming in cheap cheese and sugary tomato sauce. Truly disappointed for the grand price of £30 including a coke and a beer. Will not be returning to Eight cafe bar.

Took my girlfriend to see the latest production of Journey's End and it was superb. Despite it being a long play, the time flew by as it was riveting. the staff within the bar are warm and helpful. I will be going again during the current season.

I went to see Journey’s End, a play about the Second World War and thought the acting was superb. It is an unusual theatre with the seats being all around the centre area where the play was performed so it did seem a bit strange at first with not all looking towards a main stage. It was a long play and started at 2 pm and ended at 5 pm with a short break but certainly kept your interest.