There is an argument made by some that you get the culture that you deserve. That might well have been something that the people of Guildford might have found themselves thinking when news emerged of the Electric Theatre having to cancel shows there in the wake of a financial crisis. With the Guildford School of Acting based in the area, there is no question that the town is one with plenty of culture on offer to those looking to enjoy it. Why, though, were the shows cancelled and will it be a long-term problem for Guildford?
What Happened?
In the 2023-2024 financial year, Guildford’s Electric Theatre posted a loss of more than £250,000. That is a not insignificant amount of money, leaving the owners of the theatre to ponder whether or not it would be able to remain open in the long term. It is run by the Academy of Contemporary Music, which issued a statement saying that the ‘current financial crisis’ alongside the ‘pressure that the education sector is experiencing’ meant that some events planned for April 2025 had to be either moved or cancelled.
A big part of the reason for this is that the company has been looking at the safety of operating shows in such circumstances, as well as the viability of the theatre in general. If you were supposed to be attending a cancelled show or event that you can look to get a full refund, but ACM has serious concerns about the fact that the Electric Theatre has been ‘running at a loss’ since the company took over the lease on the venue in 2017, taking over from Guildford Borough Council as the people in charge of it.
A Brief History of the Electric Theatre
The Electric Theatre is housed inside a building that was originally an electricity works, hence the name that it currently boasts. The works used to provide power to the town centre, meaning that it was always offering something to the local community. The building was constructed in 1913, but by the time the 1960s came along, it was struggling to cater for the ever-growing town that it was based in. As a result, a bigger station was built that rendered the electricity works obsolete, and the building that housed it stood empty.
Having been a dormant building for around 31 years, the electricity works would occasionally house theatre sets and stages. That might well be why Guildford Borough Council decided to transform it into the Electric Theatre in 1997, converting it into a location where audiences could be housed and shows put on. There have been numerous high-profile events housed in the Electric Theatre over the years, such as in the May of 2003 when the guitarist Eric Roche recorded a live show there that was released on DVD.
Five years later, a Family Festival was hosted by the theatre in association with the Prince of Wales’ Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts. There was also an annual film festival that witnessed numerous classic, world, and art house cinema productions being broadcast. In 2017, the Academy of Contemporary Music, which is based in Guildford, took over the lease and signed a 20-year contract for it, working to turn it into a major attraction for the region as well as the host venue for the likes of a youth theatre and annual festivals for books and international music.
What Will Happen Next
There is understandable concern from the people of Guildford about the long-term viability of the Electric Theatre, with the company responsible for running it working alongside the Guildford Borough Council as well as its other partners to see if it can be transferred to a different owner. It is, the Academy of Contemporary Music has said, a vital community asset’, which many would no doubt agree with. As a result, there is a strong desire to work with ‘interested parties’ in order to do what can be done to secure its existence.
In the short term, ACM has looked to support any planned events where possible, whilst the student activity will carry on there as normal. The venue has boasted strong dedication from both staff and volunteers, which the Academy of Contemporary Music went on record to thank those involved for. The theatre is the home of numerous different performances for a Guildford audience, with some of the shows that have been cancelled due to the financial situation including a tribute show to the band Spandau Ballet, as well as the musical Annie, alongside several other performances.
Given the fact that the Electric Theatre has hosted not just plays and musicals but also countless concerts, including those from folk groups and acoustic acts, there will be a strong desire from many within Guildford to ensure that it can operate over the long term. The ACM took over the running of the theatre in 2017 in order to allow the Council to make savings of around £6.9 million over a period of four years, but the idea of losing around a quarter of a million pounds every 12 months wasn’t really in the company’s long-term plan.
One of the other bidders to run the theatre as a ‘community hub’ in 2016 was the Emmaus Road Church. Whether they would look to re-enter the conversation and take over the lease on the 210-seat venue remains to be seen, but the church had already been hosting two Sunday services in the building at the time. There will doubtless be other suitors who are part of the conversation nine years later, but one of the major concerns for some of the acts that were due to perform there will be whether or not any new owner will still want them to do so.