Bolton theatre's reopening show goes on despite Covid confusion

As arts venues attempt to get back on an even keel, Bolton's Octagon theatre has had more unfortunate timing than most - first announcing its reopening after a two-year redevelopment as Covid loomed last February, then finally opening its doors this week, with the town a hotspot again.

On 26 February 2020, the threat from coronavirus was growing - but still wasn't worrying enough to affect the Octagon's announcement of its reopening after a £12m refurbishment.

"We had such an amazing feeling when we announced the new season," recalls chief executive Roddy Gauld.

"Covid was this thing that was happening in the news elsewhere. Hundreds of us sat in a cinema as we revealed what the shows were going to be. Sales were instantly buoyant. The reaction was great.

"And then a couple of weeks later, we were sending everyone home, saying, 'We don't know when we're going to see you again'.

"We had this moment of almost reeling for a second. We went from this crescendo, this high of announcing, 'Hey, we're back!' to fighting for survival."

The original July reopening date came and went, as did a new one in December. The venue's return was then scheduled for a third time for Wednesday 26 May 2021, nine days after indoor venues in England were able to open with reduced capacities.

But with two days to go, government advice emerged saying people in Bolton and other hotspots of the Indian variant should avoid gathering indoors.

Twenty-four hours later, the government attempted to clarify the situation by saying it was guidance and not a new local lockdown.

"The confusion over the government advice suddenly caused a lot of uncertainty as to what was the right thing to do," Gauld says.

"We could have found ourselves in a position where, effectively, we were being told we're allowed to open, but people were being told they shouldn't come. That's confusing for everyone."

The venue took advice from public health specialists, lowered the capacity further, increasing the social distancing, and reduced the number of performances.

But the show went on, with around 50 members of the public watching in an auditorium that can hold up to 400.

It "felt absolutely glorious" to have people in the seats and on stage after a "rollercoaster" few years, Gauld says.

Artistic director Lotte Wakeham adds: "It was such an amazing atmosphere, even though it was quite a small crowd.

"It's not like a party in the conventional sense, but it had that party atmosphere, and people were just really thrilled to be in a communal space together."

If Covid-19 had not cropped up, the Octagon would have re-launched last July with a "celebratory and uplifting show" by local writer Becky Prestwich and performed by the youth company and a community choir.

The actual reopening show was still written by Prestwich, but was performed by a solo actress, and was based on the responses to a survey about people's experiences of the past year in Bolton and their hopes for the future.

The venue has announced shows like The Hound of the Baskervilles for the summer and beyond. But it's waiting until confirmation of the end of social distancing before confirming major shows that were cancelled when Covid hit, such as the world premiere of a musical based on Markus Zusak's best-selling novel The Book Thief.

The stage adaptation will be written by author Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald.

"It's not practical to do those big shows unless we can be guaranteed of non-socially distanced audiences," Wakeham says. "So we're very much looking forward to hearing more on 21 June and beyond about what guidance there is around non-socially distanced audiences, and that will have an impact on when those bigger shows will happen."

The pandemic has hit the theatre's finances hard, Gauld explains.

"The cost of cancelling everything added financial pressures that the pandemic put on construction and the redevelopment, and now the social distancing, which means we can't sell most of our seats. The cost to us is probably about £2.75m and counting.

"It feels like our life as a theatre has changed several times over in the last few years. Bolton's certainly had it really tough. One of the longest lockdowns in the country. Bolton was in local restrictions even before the tier system last year. So Bolton's certainly had it hard, and that's certainly made life tougher for us."

"We've contingency planned for the worst this year," Gauld adds. "And as even the recent confusion this week about Covid guidance shows, we're not out of this yet."

Assuming theatres stay open, many shows will have smaller casts and crews, while the Octagon's staff is around 20% smaller than it was before it shut for refurbishment.

"I think for a time there is a contraction in the theatre industry, actually. People are really having to be very careful about what they invest in and what risks they take.

"The industry is slowly rebuilding, but I think it will probably take a little bit of time before things go back to the kind of scale and cast size that people regularly saw beforehand."

Gauld adds that he hopes theatres will be able to return to something approaching normal in 2022, after the current "short-term contraction".

The Octagon itself received almost £770,000 from the government's Culture Recovery Fund plus support from the council and other sources.

A public campaign backed by actors like Sir Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis and Sharon D Clarke raised £80,000.

"It reminds you that this means something to people, and that what you're fighting for makes a difference to people's lives," Gauld adds.

"And it's really emphasised that thing about how we need stories and how we need that sense of community. Whether you come with your friends or your family, you need that.

"You create bonds, you create memories, and you create understanding when you sit in a theatre. You really feel part of something bigger than yourself.

"There were some people obviously on the front line saving lives. We had a job to play afterwards making life better. And that's why it's great to welcome people back in. And I think Bolton's got a lot to do to recover from the effects pandemic. It's a borough of huge inequalities.

"But with the new facilities we've got, I really feel we have a role to play in bringing people together safely in the town's economic recovery and breaking down barriers in the community."