Works undertaken and planned with the support of 3% ticketing fee
Refurbishment and improvement of the Villa Marina ground floor public toilets
£18,387.30 has been spent on improving the public toilets on the ground floor of the Villa Marina’s main foyer, all of which were original to the A refurbishment of the venue when it reopened to the public in April of 2024. Given the high foot fall and daily usage by both ticketholders and members of the public, to ensure the safety and longevity of the spaces the degraded tiling and worn wood panelling were replaced with clean and modern boarding along with new sinks, mirrors and toilet basins. These changes were also intended to improve the customer and visitor experience.
Here are some before and after photos:
Projects planned for 2026/27 with funds allocated from the first 12 months of the ticketing fee are:
Introducing two free water dispensers in the Villa Marina and Gaiety Theatre
£6,200 has been allocated to introduce free water dispensers in the Gaiety Theatre and Villa Marina, reducing the need to use single-use plastic via bottled water. The planned dispenser in the Gaiety Theatre will be located backstage for use by the hundreds of performers and backstage crew who bring the Gaiety’s stage to life as part of a year-round programme.The project is presently being scoped with plans to introduce the dispensers later in 2026.
Delivering additional audio-visual infrastructure to the Gaiety Theatre
£31,373 has been allocated to support the installation of modern cable infrastructure and equipment which will upgrade the existing system from 2014. Audiences and performers will benefit from backstage and front of stage being able to better communicate to ensure accurate synchronisation across teams and help ensure necessary and timely communications to ticketholders too. The changes will also significantly reduce the current temporary cabling that is required to be used in the ornate seating area.
The balance of the ticketing fee allocation for 2025/26 is £55,960.30, with £8,955.57 being brought into 2026/27 as unallocated, for officers to explore ongoing development projects to offer further audience and venue improvements.
