Joe McElderry among stars returning to Customs House stage when beloved South Shields theatre reopens on May 17

The popular venue at Mill Dam in South Shields will be reopening on Monday as Government lockdown restrictions are eased to allow indoor theatre and concert performances to take place.

And the theatre is wasting no time in putting on its first live shows in a year since the venue closed its doors as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the past 12 months, the Customs House has managed to offer audiences a small number of adapted shows and performances.

But on Monday, the theatre will be brought back to life once again as it kicks off a run of shows with performance ‘The House is Yours,’ starting at 7pm.

It offers a night of singing, dancing and comedy, starring Customs House executive director, Ray Spencer, along with the likes of Davey Hopper, Steven Lee Hamilton and Jen Stevens.

All of its upcoming shows will have covid-secure measures in place, including social distancing in the theatre itself.

On Tuesday, May 18, a special charity performance called ‘The House Is Yours: For Willow and Everly’ will take place at 7pm to raise funds to support a family faced with a terminal illness. Tickets for both shows are £12.

South Shields star Joe McElderry will then take to the stage for three nights of music from Thursday, May 20 to Saturday, May 22 with show ‘Joe McElderry Unlocked.’

The X Factor winner, who has played the leading role of Joseph in his Technicolor Dreamcoat and more recently Garry in Club Tropicana, said he ‘cannot wait’ to get back on stage after so long.

The show will take place at 7.30pm each night and a performance will be held at 2.30pm on Saturday, May 22.

Tickets for Joe’s show are priced from £36 with limited tickets still available to book online via the Customs House website.

A free drag workshop will be held for those aged 14 to 25 on Monday, May 31 at 12.30pm with performer Micah who has starred in the movie Rocketman and plays Poppy in Netflix show ‘Shadow and Bone.’

Then at 3pm Drag Race UK star Asttina Mandella will hold a free drag make up masterclass for those aged 14 to 25.

At 7.30pm that same day the Customs House will be hosting its first ‘Queer prom’ suitable for any young person that identifies as LGBTQ+ and is under 25.

A series of performing workshops for young people will then run throughout June, while July will bring live music shows including ‘Queen Greatest Hits by The Bohemian.’

August will see the return of comedy,with popular comedians Jason Cook and Carl Hutchinson bringing the audience a much-needed laugh with show ‘Cook & Hutchinson Have No Plans Whatsoever’ on Saturday, August 28 at 8pm.

Comedian Sarah Millican will bring her Bobby Dazzler show to the theatre over two nights from Wednesday, September 29 and Thursday, September 30.

Tickets for all the shows can be booked online now via the Customs House website.

You can subscribe to this website and enjoy unlimited access to local news, information and puzzles online.

With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

Simply click ‘Subscribe’ in the menu.