Lovely cafe, great choice of food and drinks. Friendly service, would definitely recommend for a pre- theatre meal or just a bite to eat whilst out shopping!

I have been to see several plays at the Octagon Theatre over the years but I have to say The Ancient Secret of Youth and the Five Tibetans was the worst of them all. I have never sat through 2 hours of such utter dismal rubbish. It was so bad I was in fits of laughter, best comedy by far!
I will go again but will research a little better first.

First visit to the Octagon. We were given free tickets so seated in the gods where a safety barrier made it necessary to lean forward to watch the play. Comfortable friendly feeling about the place, and because its small you had close contact with the players. Clever how they change the scenery etc. Toilet facilities just about adequate (only two ladies toilets squashed into a tiny space). Have to say the play, a farce, was dreadful, lots of slamming doors and shouting and running up and down stairs, absolutely awful not to our taste but the tickets were given which we were grateful for. Would definitely go again, and pay, to see a more suitable play.

I recently went to see The Ancient Secret of Youth and the Five Tibetans. I have to say it was a brilliant play. Denise Welch was fantastic.

I have visited the Octagon many time over many years and have enjoyed it every time. Although many of the plays may not be to everyone's taste it is still enjoyable.

The small auditorium brings you right into the action on stage. I found the seating comfortable and the facilities are adequate.

We had a horrendous journey on the motorway from Altrincham last Friday but the meal at the Restaurant and the Play made up for it completely.The Restaurant was very busy and unfortunately our meal took a long time arriving. We had to have our Cheese and Biscuits during the interval with a glass of left over wine from the meal. We started with Soup and smoked salmon with Venison Goulash and Salmon with new poatoes for the mains. But be warned, by 6.15, they had run out of the chicken choice. House Red was as usual very palatable.
The play was fantastic - older and younger versions performed brilliantly and the book loving shop owner moved us to tears (almost)! The Octagon has had a very good season and we look forward to the next one most expectantly. Congratulations for discovering this play - we have been going to various theatres in the NorthWest for over 40 years now and had never seen this play before. The only disappointment for us was the (few) empty seats - Boltonians should be flocking to see a play as wonderfully acted and produced as this.
Motorway was quiet on the way home and the journey uneventful - in case you want to know!

The Octagon is a great, local theatre with all the expected facilities being up to standard, except for one massively important thing. The air conditioning in the auditorium is abysmal, resulting in a stifling & stuffy atmosphere that necessitates people to be fanning themselves with their programmes, shifting around in seats to attempt to avoid sticking to them, a few people nodding off (I'm sure it wasn't down to the actual performance we watched) and therefore is a big distraction and detraction from the stage performance. Before I think of going there again I'll be phoning to check that the auditorium air con is up to scratch!

Once again we have been blown over by the quality and professionalism of the actors in their latest production. We have had a Season Ticket for the Octagon for many years and find it a very economical way to see at the plays. The new design and layout of the restaurant and bar area upstairs is excellent and had us reminiscing about how the Octagon Theatre has changed over the years. You can get a well priced pre theatre meal and a range of quality drinks and beverages upstairs in the bar.

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

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.

Always great intimate theatre.

Pleasant for a coffee and chat.

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.

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.