Thursday theatre fun is heading to the Pit

OFF the wall . . . The Bandwidths of Balderdash team

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A NEW theatre opens in Oldham this month ­- at least for one night a month until the end of the year.

Local playwright Daniel Thackeray's company Scytheplays has teamed up with George Street music, club and comedy venue Jackson's Pit to offer Third Thursday Theatre until the end of the year, with a view to more if it's a hit.

In recent years, the venue has played host to successful theatrical experiments such as local writer Cathy Crabb's The Bubbler and an adaptation of Alan Moore's cult comic book V For Vendetta.

Now the venue aims to make theatre a more regular feature ­- on the third Thursday of the month from August 17 to December 21.

The plays include:

* Looking at the Lesser Postcodes on August 17 ­- an award-nominated sketch comedy show;

* One Man Bond on September 21 ­- a hilarious show that compresses all the James Bond films into an hour;

* Dark Satanic on November 16 ­- writer Rob Johnston's play about the industrial revolution and how it transforms a country and the life of one northern woman;

* The Dead, Live on October 19 - a chilling ghost story for Halloween, recently seen in the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival;

* The Bandwidths of Balderdash on December 21 ­- an off-the-wall, award-nominated sketch comedy and music from Manchester comedy group The Faces at the Window.

Dan, who is arranging the programme for the venue, said: "The eventual aim is that the programme will stretch into next year and beyond, attracting the next generation of local theatre-makers and fringe pioneers to bring their shows to Oldham.

"There has always been an audience for good theatre in Oldham and the town is proud of the Coliseum, but there is room for smaller, more idiosyncratic venues producing slightly different kinds of theatre ­- such as Oldham Library. I think there is still more room for even more variety. I hope this run will attract groups of theatregoers new to Jackson's, many of whom I'm sure will fall for its unique nature.

"There's a real opportunity to reach audiences not well-served by traditional venues ­- such as students from Oldham's colleges and the nearby universities. Perhaps in the long run some of the students will even come to us with their own productions to showcase."

Each show costs £5 or less. For booking details, search for Third Thursday Theatre at www.eventbrite.com.

More details: Facebook ThirdThursdayTheatre@Jackson's Pit; Twitter @JacksonsTheatr