It’s that wonderful time of the year for theatre, panto and Christmas concerts. Our town is buzzing with festive events, carols and music.
I would like to thank Hastings Philharmonic Choir, led by Marcio da Silva, who put on such a wonderful concert last Saturday at Christ Church, St Leonards-on-Sea, full of festive cheer and sing-a-long carols. Such a lovely event to attend with friends.
Hastings and St Leonards have a fantastic tradition of putting on superb musical events. Whether it is the internationally renowned Piano Concerto Competition or Beatles Day at the White Rock Theatre, summer concerts on the pier or the diverse events at St Mary in the Castle, our town really caters for all tastes.
Sadly, our three premier venues are under threat. Indeed, St Mary in the Castle has already closed. The building is currently being tendered for sale or lease and it is hoped that a white knight will ride in and save this historic, grade 2 listed building. I hope for the town’s sake new owners can be found who can make a success of this fabulous venue.
The White Rock Theatre’s lease with current operator Trafalgar Theatres expires in 2024. Hastings Borough Council, who own the White Rock, give the current operator a substantial subsidy but with the council’s current financial situation this subsidy is highly unlikely to be continued under any new lease terms.
The White Rock Theatre is another iconic building on the seafront. Opened in 1927 it has been the town’s premier entertainment venue ever since. The building has always had an Achilles heel of there not being enough backstage space to accommodate some of the larger touring productions but it has always been a fantastic venue for music. The building is old and needs repair and refurbishment, where the money will come from to achieve this is uncertain.
Once the current lease expires, the White Rock’s future is unclear. A theatre needs to book acts well in advance so it will be interesting to see whether the present operators can strike a deal next year to keep it open.
The pier, although under the private ownership of Sheikh Abid Gulzar, also faces an uncertain future. The very successful events team who have run the pier for the past two years have left and sold all their equipment after the owner asked for an increase in rent. The pier is in dire need of care and maintenance and without a proper investment programme will undoubtedly decay.
All three iconic venues face an uncertain future. Let’s hope as a minimum one of them can be rescued with vision and enthusiasm, leaving the town with at least one entertainment venue we can be proud of.
