A new theatre and bar in Whitley Bay is urging locals to buy tickets for their shows after the surge in Covid-19 cases over Christmas meant that they lost thousands of pounds in sales.
Laurels opened on Whitley Road in July 2021 and staff had high hopes for a buzzing festive season, but admit that the usually busy December period was a “disaster” due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic.
With staff calling in sick with Covid, scheduled performers forced to cancel at the last minute and customers being driven away, the entertainment venue ended up making a loss at what is usually one of the busiest times of the year.
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Laurels had to cancel several of their biggest shows over Christmas, including making the “devastating” decision to cancel a Lunch With Santa event after ‘Santa’ caught Covid.
They also closed their doors before the clock even struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, when a live band that had been booked for the event didn’t turn up “due to Covid reasons”.
For the shows that did go ahead, audience numbers were much lower than staff had hoped. Their Christmas pantomime sold just 30% of tickets, while large parties of between 20 and 40 people called up to ask for refunds “every single day”, according to founders Jamie Eastlake and Stephen Robertson.
After already suffering a setback due to Storm Arwen, which caused significant damage to the building and leaving parts of the venue without electricity earlier in the year, they say that the tough festive period has left them “having to cut every single budget”.
In a heartfelt Twitter post Laurels put out a plea to locals, explaining that they needed their support “more than ever” after having to refund thousands of pounds worth of ticket sales for cancelled events.
The venue is encouraging people to buy tickets for their upcoming shows, and to come along to their bar where they serve up a selection of ‘Geordie tapas’, including scotch eggs and beef Yorkies, as well as classic Mexican tapas dishes.
They promise a jam-packed line-up of entertainment over the coming months, with regular staples like comedy night returning every Saturday which includes a stand up show from Britain’s Got Talent winner Lost Voice Guy.
They also have their new theatre season coming up, featuring shows including How To Live A Jellicle Life which looks back at the notorious 2019 film adaptation of Cats, Eng-er-land about a young football fan in 1997, and an adaptation of novel The Season Ticket which became the film Purely Belter.
“We need your help after this Christmas - it ain’t just us who are in this situation,” says founder Jamie. “We went and spoke to various friends who run businesses - there's been so many sad stories about what's happened over the last month.
“Have a look on our website. Have a look on other people's websites, see what they’re making, and see what they’re creating,” he urges.
“We’re all about an alternative night out in Whitley Bay, something that supports artists but also brings real top quality work to North Tyneside. And it's totally different to anything down the North East coast.”
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