Bolton Octagon costume sale 'a chance to own a piece of theatre history'

The suit worn by Matthew Croke when he played Don Lockwood in Singin' In The Rain will be sold

A theatre is to sell thousands of dresses, suits, hats, shoes and other colourful items from its costume department for the first time.

Bolton's Octagon Theatre said it has more than 16,000 garments in its stores and needs to make room for new items.

The sale, which is the first in its 56-year history, will include pieces from productions of Jane Eyre and The BFG.

Wardrobe manager Su Newell said it would be "a chance to get a piece of Octagon history".

A theatre representative said the sale would include clothes, shoes, hats, and lots more, including "everyday clothing items, vintage pieces, costume items and fancy-dress articles".

Other costumes used in the production of Singin' In The Rain will also be sold

Costumes worn by both the adult and child actors in the 2018 production on Jane Eyre will be included

They said the items included the suit worn by Matthew Croke and the dress worn by Sarah Vezmar when they played Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont in the 2016 production of Singin' In The Rain.

Some of the women's and children's period costumes worn in the theatre's 2018 production of Jane Eyre and pieces from the 2015 production of The BFG will also be sold.

Ms Newell said the theatre had been building its costume collection for over 50 years.

"Our store is literally bursting at the seams," she said.

"We are delighted to be able to offer the items a second life by putting them on public sale."

The costume Jessica Baglow wore when she played the title role in Jane Eyre will be on offer

She added many of the pieces would be on sale for as little as £1.

"Lots of the items will have been handmade by our wardrobe department so it will be a chance to get a piece of Octagon history," she said.

"We will also be selling make-your-own bunting and patchwork kits, made up of leftover fabric scraps, which will make wonderful craft projects."

The sale takes place at the theatre on 22 July.