The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), which operates Sunderland Empire, has just completed the building of a new bistro in what used to be the Dress Circle back bar and the refurbishment of the Dress Circle front bar, part of a £500,000 investment in the theatre.
The Garden Place Bistro will offer pre-theatre dining on performance nights from 5:30 and on matinée days from 12:30. The 45-seater bistro will offer a selection of light bites as well as a two-course menu for £12.95 or a three-course menu for £16.95, alongside a special children’s menu.
The new Bistro will open for walk-up bookings for One Night of Elvis on Wednesday 1 March. Walk-up bookings will continue until The Full Monty on Monday 20 March, when advance bookings will be able to be made in person at the box office or online.
The Dress Circle front bar area has also undergone extensive refurbishment which has included refreshed décor, new seating and restoration and exposure of the original parquet flooring.
In addition, the statue of Terpsichore, which had been dislodged by high winds, has now been restored to the top of the tower and other repairs and improvements have been made to the façade.
Ben Phillips, General Manager, Sunderland Empire said, “2017 signals an exciting time for Sunderland Empire as we embrace the substantial capital improvement plan for the venue. We continue to attract audiences from across the region. We don’t just see ourselves as a Sunderland venue, but as a North East venue.
“The renovation work ties in with the developments of our new neighbours at the Old Fire Station in the creation of a cultural hub around the theatre. It’s important to continually attract people into the city via the cultural offer, especially as we work towards the City of Culture 2021 title. Sunderland Empire is just one cultural element of the offer available across the City, but we believe these new developments at the theatre will help drive footfall and people into our city, which is instrumental.”
The new cultural hub, named the Music, Arts and Culture Quarter, includes the recently refurbished Dun Cow Inn which now hosts performances, the Old Fire Station which is currently undergoing redevelopment and a new performance venue, work on which will start later this year with a opening date of 2019.