Comedy show saved in last-minute change of venue after floods
A popular comedy festival was forced to change venues after heavy rain caused flooding.
The Stourbridge Comedy Festival was due to put on its fourth show on Saturday, August 21, headlined by Seann Walsh, at Katie Fitzgeralds in Enville.
However, due to poor weather and heavy rain on Friday, August 20, the theatre area at the venue became waterlogged, meaning the festival needed to find a new venue at short notice.
Festival organiser Wayne Beese said he had called in a favour from the owners of Claptrap the Venue in Stourbridge, but found a new problem.
He said: "I put a quick message in to Sean and Sarah over at Claptrap the venue just round the corner and they told me a band had just cancelled on them, so the room was free.
"But it's never that simple as there were not enough chairs, so in steps the incredible team at Dudley Borough Halls.
"The new Stourbridge Town Hall manager Kelly Martin made a 45-minute journey in from home so she could meet Sarah and Sean in their van to open up and lend us 50 chairs so we can seat everybody."
Mr Beese said the venue worked through the night to get the venue ready and the show was able to go on.
He said he was disappointed for the owners of Katie Fitzgerald's after all the work they had done to get the place up and running after the pandemic.
He said: "We're absolutely gutted for our friends Eddy and Trina as they've worked so hard to get things back up and running and what they've done with the place is incredible.
"The festival gigs have been off the scale good and I already think the new concert room is up there as one of the best small rooms for comedy in the country.
"Now, just when it seemed to be turning for the better, they are hit with this."
A spokesman for Katie Fitzgerald's said the venue had worked hard over the weekend to clear out the excess water and was already back open and ready for Troy Hawke on Saturday, August 28.
