GBC Invites ‘Expressions of Interest’ To Make Sure The Electric Theatre Survives

Published on: 26 Jun, 2026
Updated on: 26 Jun, 2026

Guildford Borough Council’s Executive has endorsed a series of actions to move plans forward for The Electric Theatre. This includes inviting Expressions of Interest from potential operators.

The agreed approach is based on an independent assessment, which found that a mix of cultural, community use and commercial activity is the best way forward.

The Guildford theatre closed early in 2025 facing extreme financial pressures caused in part by higher energy and employment costs.

The Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) had been running the theatre since 2017 but revealed that the venue had made a loss “in excess” of £250,000 over the period of a year.

The Executive has agreed to:

Launch an Expressions of Interest process to test market appetite from both cultural operators and commercial organisations

Undertake a compliant procurement process for a new operator of the theatre

Explore alternative commercial uses alongside cultural options to ensure the Council delivers ‘Best Value’ in its use of public money

Put in place the right processes to take this work forward

Cllr Julia McShane

Cllr Julia McShane, Leader of the Council, said: “As we promised, we’re pressing ahead with the next phase of work to help secure a bright and sustainable future for The Electric Theatre.

“It’s a much-loved community arts venue and a place people really care about.

“So, before making any big decisions, we want to make sure we’ve taken a proper look at all the options.”

Cllr Phil Bellamy

Cllr Phil Bellamy, the Lead Councillor for Finance, said: “By market testing both cultural and commercial options for The Electric Theatre, we’ll be better informed on how we can best balance community benefit, financial sustainability and value for money for our residents.”

Findings from this phase will be brought back to the Executive, or to a future West Surrey authority committee, later this year.

In the meantime, essential building works will be carried out.

In October 2025 The Guildford Dragon announced that Nick Wyschna, founder of Wysch Productions, which includes Guildford Fringe, had formally expressed an interest in taking on the lease.

Then in November, we announced that the Boileroom, Guildford’s award-winning music venue, had also come forward with plans to take over the running of the Electric Theatre – describing it as “a place that holds deep cultural and community significance in our town.”