The Stage

Bolton Octagon’s long-term producing future is under threat - Thacker

Published Tuesday 9 December 2008 at 14:30 by Lalayn Baluch

Olivier Award-winning director David Thacker, incoming artistic director of Bolton Octagon Theatre, has vowed to fight for more funding to ensure its future as a regional producing house.

The former artistic director of the Young Vic and Lancaster’s Dukes theatre has said he will work with other theatres to fight the case for increased arts subsidy when he takes over from Mark Babych at the Octagon next summer.

Thacker told The Stage that to ensure a successful future, the venue will need to embark on a “three-prong strategy” to increase box-office income, development income and public funding.

“For many historic reasons, the Octagon receives less funding than similar companies in the UK. We should proceed in the firm conviction that the people of Bolton and the north-west deserve levels of public funding for their theatre comparable to that enjoyed by other leading regional theatres,” Thacker said.

“This symbiotic relationship between artistic and economic success will be fundamental to the Octagon’s future health. Otherwise, notwithstanding its recent success, it is difficult to see how the Octagon can survive as a producing theatre fulfilling its current policy objectives.”

According to Thacker - who has spent the last 15 years creating television hits such as Waking the Dead, the Mayor of Casterbridge and Faith - part of his reason for taking up the post was because he missed running a venue.

He said that his other priority as artistic director will be to increase access to the Octagon, particularly among Bolton’s large Asian community.

He added: “I want to make sure that we are helping to break down any barriers that make it less likely that people come to the theatre.

“It is that capacity to make great theatre accessible to the widest possible range of people - those who have never been to the theatre or people who are theatre enthusiasts, and to reach people from all classes, cultural groups, different social backgrounds.”

Thacker’s directing career spans 30 years. During that time, he has worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre, and has directed well-known names such as Joseph Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave, Juliet Stevenson and Patrick Stewart. He has also worked alongside Richard Eyre, Peter Hall, Ted Hughes, Arthur Miller and Willy Russell.

Octagon chief executive John Blackmore said: “It is a measure of how far the Octagon has travelled over the last eight years to attract someone of David’s calibre and reputation.”