By Chris Gee
Copyright manchestereveningnews
A Bolton theatre is to receive more than £435,000 from council funds over the next three years. The Octagon Theatre, established in 1967, has historically received a regular grant from Bolton Council which contributes towards core operating costs. In recent years the amount granted has been £145,380 per annum. This week, that figure has been agreed to continue annually until April 2028 by the council. The council said the theatre ‘plays a significant part in the cultural offer in Bolton’, has a role as a local employer, acts as a spearhead for attracting visitors to the town and is an investor in the local supply chain. Never miss a story with the MEN’s daily Catch Up newsletter – get it in your inbox by signing up here The theatre has a mixed funding model. It attracts public funding provided by Arts Council England, Bolton Council and GMCA, earns income from box office sales, hospitality and educational programmes and also attracts philanthropy and sponsorship made up of individual sponsorships, corporate sponsorship and fundraising campaigns. A report to Bolton’s cabinet member for culture requesting approval of the grants has been published by the authority. It said: “The Octagon produces bold, adventurous, and popular theatre and remain deeply integrated with the local community through educational outreach and engagement activities. “In 2024, 87,562 people attended the Octagon. Recent reports and research show that the Octagon provides £10million of economic impact annually to Bolton and the local area. “It’s affordable ticket scheme allowed 1,457 people from low-income households to see a production, and education programmes providing opportunities for schoolchildren to attend productions and delivering drama and storytelling sessions reached 12,046 pupils from 152 schools. “They have a good reputation for delivering high quality work and play an active part in delivering on the aims of the cultural strategy, visitor economy strategy and economic growth plan.” The council said the three-year award would provide the theatre with medium term financial sustainability and would align with other multi year public funding they receive. The grant will contributes to the overall operational costs of the theatre, including the educational and community programmes. The main auditorium shows eight productions a year and a varied programme is delivered in the studio theatre. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE Education and community work includes a young person’s project called The Agency Project based in Farnworth. The theatre also runs a scheme called Bridges, a group providing young people and adults with additional needs and learning disabilities the opportunity to take part in drama and performance sessions.
