A Welsh theatre has been given a frosty reception amid claims an audience were forced to sit and watch a show in the freezing cold, because the heating had broken down.
Concerns about conditions at Swansea Grand Theatre were raised on social media after a performance on Saturday night. The theatre management have since apologised and said repairs would be made as soon as possible.
In a post written on Facebook group, It Only Happens in Swansea, one audience member said the heating system wasn’t working and that he and others in the crowd were left “sitting there freezing”. One woman said her grandmother had to sit right next to an electric heater for the whole performance. The woman said: “My elderly, ill Nanna was at this performance and she said she had to basically hug an electric heater they had on the wall because she was absolutely freezing.” You can keep up to date with the latest Swansea news by signing up to the local newsletter here.
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Another audience member said they were wearing hats, gloves and scarves and that they were still sat there “ice cold”. Other complaints centred around the fact there was no announcement about the breakdown of the central heating from those in charge, and that hot drinks were still being sold at the usual price, despite the freezing conditions and the fact that tickets to see the performance in question had cost £50 each.
One man said: “A really good show, very enjoyable but it was freezing. A brief explanation and apology would have been appropriate as would the offer of free hot drinks.” Another member of the crowd said: “I was there, it was absolutely freezing, maybe if they had made an announcement saying the heating had failed and made an apology that would have helped, I didn’t have any idea. I assumed it was a cost-cutting exercise.”
One woman said: “I agree. We are expected to support the theatre in Swansea but the audience needs supporting too. Senior citizens in attendance and some people with restricted movement - it was disgusting having to sit throughout the whole performance in coats, gloves and scarf.”
Others defended the management at Swansea Grand Theatre by saying a breakdown in the heating system would not have been foreseen and would not have been anyone’s fault.
A spokesman for the theatre said: “We’d like to apologise to all in attendance for the heating not working at the building on the weekend. This is being looked into and repairs will be made as soon as possible. In the meantime, temporary heaters are being put in place in readiness for the next performances at the theatre from Wednesday onwards. We’ll keep theatre-goers updated.”
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