To Kill a Mockingbird at Octagon Theatre, Bolton

Andrew Anderson

Book now

To Kill a Mockingbird

Octagon Theatre, Bolton
8 September-15 October 2016

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Elizabeth Newman. Image courtesy of Octagon Theatre
Book now

‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy…that’s why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird’ – Miss Maudie, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Racial injustice has come back into the collective consciousness recently, with the Black Lives Matter movement highlighting the problem of police brutality in America as well as here in the UK. In fact, there probably couldn’t be a more poignant moment for the Octagon to put on this play, with its message of tolerance, understanding and standing up for what is right.

It is safe to bet that Elizabeth Newman – now in her second year as Octagon artistic director – will do a fine job of bringing Harper Lee’s much-loved book into full bloom. Her CV as a director is, in my eyes, second to none on the greater Manchester scene, with her recent shows Private Lives, Alice in Wonderland and Duet for One all excellent.

If you’ve never read the book then this is a great chance to see a powerful and important part of popular culture performed in the flesh. And if you have read it before…isn’t it about time you revisited it?

Where to go near To Kill a Mockingbird at Octagon Theatre, Bolton

Bolton Library Theatre
Bolton
Library
Bolton Library Theatre

Bolton Library Theatre is situated inside Bolton Museum, a public museum and art gallery, which is owned by Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council.

Bolton
Event venue
Albert Halls Bolton

A colonnaded neoclassical Victorian town hall, now hosting comedy, dance, music and pantomime shows, right in the heart of Bolton.

Bolton
Theatre
The Victoria Hall

The Victoria Hall in Bolton is a beautiful entertainment venue which showcases theatre amongst much other live-entertainment.

Atherton
Restaurant
The Snug

The Snug is a grassroots live music venue in Atherton, serving fresh coffee, craft ale and a smart range of vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Manchester
Restaurant
Listo Burrito

Listo Burrito on Manchester’s Oxford Street tempts busy diners with fresh ingredients and a modestly priced menu.

Hop and Hazlewood
Tyldesley
Bar or Pub
Hop and Hazlewood

Hop and Hazlewood is a craft beer and gin joint in the heart of Tyldesley, a short trip out of Manchester.

What's on: Theatre

A man (Macbeth) stands in a dark studio lit in vivid green light, with vertical neon-green light bars glowing behind him through light fog. He wears a dark suit jacket over an open-collared shirt, one hand in his pocket, and looks directly at the camera with an intense, brooding expression.
Until
TheatreChester
Macbeth at Storyhouse, Chester

For its first Storyhouse Originals production of 2026, the Chester theatre presents a bold new staging of Macbeth, directed and adapted by Jamie Sophia Fletcher.

From £20.00

Culture Guides

Smoke and Mirrors
Theatre

This month’s theatre highlights span dystopian classics, political thrillers and bold new opera.

Ceramic Sculpture
Exhibitions

Across Manchester and Salford, exhibitions are thinking hard about how things are made – and how materials carry stories.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.

Fatoumata Diawara by Alun Be.
Music

This month’s live music picks move between ambitious new work, grassroots celebrations and a few memorable settings.

Food and Drink in the North

Spring has arrived, bringing with it al fresco dining and a rush of high-profile food and drink-related events in Manchester.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.