Dubbed the grand old lady of Grey Street, the Theatre Royal in Newcastle has enjoyed a central spot in the city and in Geordies' hearts for generations.
During that time the listed 1837 theatre has withstood its challenges but its 18 months of pandemic closure could have proved fatal.
An independent charity, reliant upon ticket sales, it was hugely relieved in late 2020 to receive a £3m lifeline from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Government's £1.57bn rescue pot for hard-hit arts and heritage venues, which saved it from risk of permanent closure. But, while it eased the immediate burden, the future uncertainty remained.
Read more: North East events to look forward to in 2022
It was mid-Covid crisis that Marianne Locatori took on the role as the new chief executive of the theatre following the retirement of Philip Bernays.
A former director at Theatre Royal Plymouth, she is realistic about the ongoing challenges but she is positive - and excited - about the future too.
Those challenges will continue for the foreseeable future and it's the support of those who love the Theatre Royal that will prove crucial in getting it back on track.
"The future is bright," says Marianne, although, two years on from the start of the crisis which changed all our lives, life after lockdown remains altered and the theatre is not in the position it had hoped to be at this point.
Omicron is to blame for that. The rise in cases of the new variant towards the end of the last year - which resulted in the cancellation of several performances of its pantomime just as it was being lapped up by returning audiences - knocked them off the path to recovery.
Similarly at Northern Stage, Covid cases within the theatre company meant a sudden halt to its own festive show, bringing it to an early end just before Christmas, while - just a few days ago - Sunderland Empire's run of Beauty and the Beast was forced to take a temporary break for the same reason.
For the Theatre Royal, missing performances of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was another big financial hit.
The cancellation of 10 shows was "devastating really", leaving them £420,000 down.
Marianne says: "Last year was ever so tough - and it continues to be challenging.
"One of the overriding positives was the response from audiences, it was so encouraging.
"It's really clear - and this is not the case everywhere - that the theatre holds such an important place in people's lives and there was a real desire amongst audiences to come back and experience live theatre.
"But it was tremendously challenging financially."
She adds: "We were grateful for the CRF we received in 2020-21 - that financial support was essential, a lifeline for a charity, and without that the charity would not exist now.
"That helped us through that year.
"We were expecting this year, even by the end of 2021, to be trading at a more normal pattern.
"We were expecting to be on the road to financial recovery by now and actually in November we were feeling very buoyant, really positive."
Ticket sales for the panto - the annual moneyspinner which that year was to be more crucial than ever - were behind much of the optimism.
"And then we had the Omicron variant and that challenged us significantly and we had the unexpected show cancellations," she says. "Omicron has meant shows have been pulled.
"It's been a tough couple of months and that has meant we're still at the beginning of that road to recovery - it's been delayed because of Omicron and we're still carrying the impact of that 18 months of shows being cancelled previously.
"So there's a long road ahead but it's heartening that there's genuinely an audience appetite to return."
Ticket sales are essential to the theatre's recovery - "that's what is going to sustain us", says Marianne.
Sudden Covid cancellations remain a risk - and a costly one for theatres and producers.
"I think we will have to live with that uncertainty at the moment - I hope it's not for too long".
But those taking the risks have none of the protections afforded audiences.
Marianne explains: "The challenge for the theatre as a whole is that there is no insurance for that scenario."
Large theatres and producers can invest significant sums in creating a show and taking it on tour but "there's absolutely no fall back, which is very different to the TV and film sector". The Government will not underwrite it so it's financially very risky.
So why do they take such a risk?
"Theatres and producers are passionate about theatre and believe in theatre," says Marianne. "But that risk of cancellation is a real worry."
One show which had been destined for a run at the Theatre Royal but ha now fallen victim to the current uncertain situation is Fat Friends whose whole tour has been pulled.
Marianne points out: "Right now, if a show is cancelled the audience gets their money back and that's it. The loss is borne by the theatre and producer."
Ticketholders are offered a refund or credit if, as in the case of the near sell-out Snow White, there is no availability to switch them to another performance.
The sincere hope is that they choose to see another show rather than have the theatre lose out on the ticket price.
But the Theatre Royal is "fortunate" to have a strong programme of shows popular with audiences.
If a show is cancelled, they will try to fill the gap in the programme because having the theatre dark costs money too.
With 100% of its income earned through ticket sales, the theatre team will be looking at other money-making ideas for its programme this year, including fund-raising.
Running costs, already high for such a big building, are to rise across the board, not to mention those escalating energy bills.
There's nothing more available in the Government pot right now, although Marianne joined theatre bosses around the country this week in a meeting with the DCMS, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.
"They wanted to understand the situation that theatres like ourselves, charities, are in with funding. It's not that the will isn't there but the Government has a lot of funding priorities."
As for the current experience of going to the theatre, compared to pre-Covid, the theatre is sticking to its mask-wearing policy. While not now mandatory now, they are "strongly recommended" for the protection of both audiences and staff and to try to minimise those chances of show disruptions due to Covid.
But the buzz is very much back.
This week's show was Scottish Ballet's The Nutcracker - which completes its run on Saturday, with The Addams Family to follow from Tuesday - and Marianne says there was a consensus as they all took stock on the first night.
"The atmosphere across the board - the audience, staff, backstage, the company - was special - because we have missed it."
They all just want to be back doing what they do best, she says.
And the audiences want it just as much, which is what reinforces Marianne's positivity about the future.
"There's a real buzz there. There's a genuine appeal for people to come together and have that live experience.
"It's really important for all of us and our general health and wellbeing."
She adds: "That's the mood. We want to put shows on, bring people in, and we feel we can do it and we know people want it.
"The hope is that we're on the road now; we've got through Omicron and through the last two months and are looking forward.
"Over the 18 months of lockdown people have realised what they've missed and how important creativity and theatre is again. We need that connection as human beings.
"I came here to make a difference and I'm very privileged to be able to run this beautiful theatre in a beautiful city.
"The future is bright."
For information about the Theatre Royal's 2022 programme see here.
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