The Bolton Chronicles, Octagon Theatre, 2019 (Community Theatre, Site-Specific)

Cotton mill workers speak mee-maw above the factory din, Richard Arkwright and Samuel Crompton kick-start the industrial revolution, a newly emancipated woman starts work as a bus conductor now that war has decimated the male workforce. The individual stories of Bolton’s proud industrial heritage interweave and crescendo into the present to ask what is left of this golden era, and what might yet be?

This site-specific piece with songs, was inspired by and performed in the local history section of the Bolton Museum & Library as part of a collaboration with the Octagon Theatre. The piece was co-created by the members of Artbeat, the Octagon’s performing company for over 50’s.

Through discussion, research and sharing of personal family histories in Bolton, the company explored the theme of Bolton: Past, Present and Future, writing and performing individual character monologues connected to place and personal history, as well as ensemble scenes provoking urgent questions about the present post-industrial decline and possible futures.

Creative Team & Cast

Director: Amy Hailwood

Writer and Dramaturg: Janys Chambers

Music Director: Amy Liptrott

Costume Designers: Amy Hailwood and Mary Horan

Stage Management: Kay Buckley

Cast: Written and performed by 14 members of Art Beat, the Octagon Theatre’s regular performing company for community members aged 50 years and above.

The Bolton Chronicles

“I’m keen to harness my lived experience of hybridity to create cross-pollinations and cultural bridges that will benefit people in both the North and the South.”
An old white man sits wearing a black jacket and white cravat. He echoes the posture of the man in the painting behind him. To one side a sign identifies the man in the painting as Samuel Crompton.
An elderly white man sits wearing a dark great suit jacket, top hat, red and gold embroidered waistcoat, white cravat and glasses stands in a museum with his hands out as if to appeal to his listeners.
A middle-aged white woman in a black flat cap, blue shirt and grey waistcoat beckons to the viewer. Behind her are wall sized black and white photos of men in similar clothes.
A sepia toned photograph of buildings. Underneath a large, handwritten sign reads, Anne - Nelson Sq. Where toilets were!
Thirteen older white performers stand in a semi-circle in Victorian period dress with their arms raised above their heads. In front of them a younger white woman dressed in black directs their actions and a young white man watches.
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