News has been slow to trickle out of the former Southgate House location on what the plan is for the newly dubbed Thompson House. A website for the new venue has finally been launched at www.thompsonhousenewport.com, and tickets are on sale now via TicketWeb. Artists scheduled to play the venue include The Aggrolites, Smile Empty Soul and Tim Barry. A complete calendar of events has yet to be found.
It appears that they are dubbing the weekends of May 18-20 and May 25-27 as their "Preview Weekends", and their Grand Opening weekend will be June 1-3. The Ballroom has been renamed the "Tommy Gun Theater", the Parlour is now "Heaven Parlor", and the Lounge is being referred to as the "Rock Star Lounge". A few photos have been floating around showing the new purple and gold color scheme throughout the venue (and on the original woodwork). Many remain skeptical about the future of the building. One thing is certain, we will be watching this venue with a critical eye.