VillaGaiety applies to Isle of Man Licensing Court to extend the licensed area in the Gaiety Theatre.

VillaGaiety has submitted an application to the Isle of Man Licensing Court for a variation to the licensed area in the Gaiety Theatre. The application also looks to obtain permission to license the kiosk, located adjacent to the entrances to the Dress Circle, to become a designated serving area. 

A short online survey was issued in September where VillaGaiety encouraged and welcomed feedback on the proposal along with views on the current hospitality provision on offer in the Gaiety Theatre. The results of the survey totalled 1,179 respondents, equating to 1.76% of total annual ticketholders. Alongside the survey, a full information page with Frequently Asked Questions was released for the public to access and throughout the survey response period 266 clicks were recorded to have visited this page, representing 23% or less than one in four of those who completed the survey.  

A short summary of the survey results along with the FAQ's which were issued with the survey in September can be found below. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are we planning to extend the license of the theatre now? 

Responsible for the management of VillaGaiety, Culture Division’s vision is to create a thriving Island community through inspiring our nation to participate, engage and access a lifetime of arts, entertainment, and creativity. 

To grow our audience offering akin to other theatres worldwide, secure additional income for our venue’s future sustainability and support the enjoyment of theatregoing within the building it is our view that 2025, the 125th anniversary of the Gaiety Theatre, is the opportune year to enable alcoholic drinks to be consumed inside the auditorium.  

Through extensive research into other Frank Matcham designed theatres we know that the Gaiety Theatre is an exception as a working theatre without a license to consume alcohol in the seated areas. Benefits from introducing the extended license into the Gaiety Theatre include: 

• Enhanced audience experience  

• Increased income through refreshment sales 

• Improvement of our hospitality offering  

Alongside benefits, we understand there are risks from introducing a licence such as spilling of drinks and potential unsocial behaviour due to alcohol consumption. With the change to the theatre’s license will also come the following mitigations:  

• The introduction of security and bag checks for specific events  

• Reusable cups for drink purchases in our bars able to be brought into the auditorium and returned after use  

• Increased end of evening cleaning and recycling by our casual staff team 

• Enhanced cleaning checks and maintenance reviews to ensure any damage or wear caused by refreshments is addressed swiftly 

Will the bars be open throughout every performance? 

No. Bars will remain closed during theatre performances (except in rare instances such as bands / live music events) to ensure the audience is focused on the action on stage. Drinks will be available pre-show and during the interval to allow patrons to take their drinks back to their seats.

Alcohol will not be available for purchase for children’s or family performances and matinees.  

What happens if someone is acting in an anti-social or inappropriate manner due to alcohol being consumed in the theatre?  

As now within our licensing terms, for every Gaiety Theatre show there is a Responsible Person on site as well as a Duty Manager. The Friends of Gaiety Volunteers along with our causal team members know to report any inappropriate behaviour to these people who are appropriately trained. Any audience member behaving in a way which goes against the terms of our license or negatively impacts the experience of others in the theatre will be asked to leave the premises.  

Will the introduction of alcohol damage the theatre’s careful restoration and or listed building status? 

Spills already happen with ice-cream and other non-alcoholic refreshments consumed in the theatre by audiences on a regular basis. Our team will work to carefully maintain respectful behaviour of the theatre with alcohol consumption added in to this mix and rectify any damage caused from accidental drink spills or other incidents. Any person acting in a way which could potentially damage the building or hinder the enjoyment of other audiences inside the auditorium will be asked to leave. 

​If the application is successful, when will audiences be able to take an alcoholic drink to their seat? 

We are planning to submit the application for the Licensing Court’s review in November, with the plan to undertake some preparatory works to adapt our bar operations during the annual January closure in 2025.  

Alcoholic drinks will be available to be consumed inside the theatre for specific performances taking place from February 2025 onwards. We will carefully monitor the day-to-day impact of the extended license and review our bar provision, increased security, and cleaning to ensure effective implementation after three months of operations.  

Survey Results