Major Refurbishment Underway at Guildford’s Leading Theatre

Published on: 11 Aug, 2024
Updated on: 14 Aug, 2024

Work underway at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre

By Martin Giles

Major work is underway at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre to improve access, facilities and energy efficiency.

The work has been made possible thanks to an award in June 2023 of £3 million from the county council’s Your Fund Surrey.

The aims of the project are to:

• improve accessibility throughout the front-of-house areas including the provision of a
  lift to all floors and new accessible toilets;
• create a multipurpose accessible community room for engagement activities, events,
  rehearsals and workshops.;
• remodel the theatre’s public spaces to make them fit for purpose to meet the
  growing demand for these areas; and
• improve environmental sustainability by replacing outdated electrical and
  mechanical services with energy-efficient alternatives.

The theatre is due to reopen for productions on September 24 when the theatre is due to present The Scummy Mummies: Greatest Hits but the full programme of work is not expected to be complete until the summer 0f 2025. The booking office and café, which have been temporarily relocated to the Town Mill building, remain open.

Get an inside view of the work underway here:

When the SCC award was received the theatre thanked the thousands of people who had taken the time to write in, make comments and “like” its application on the Your Fund Surrey website, contact their Surrey County Council representatives and generally support the theatre by showing how vital they felt it was to the county.

The temporary box office is now located, along with the theatre cafe, in the Town Mill next door.

A spokesperson for the theatre said that the Play Your Part money “will transform the theatre and develop this iconic and much-loved building as a cultural community hub with theatre at its core. Radically improving accessibility and creating new multi-purpose spaces for wider community and artistic benefit will ensure it can meet the needs of the communities of Surrey for the next 50 years.

“The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is a registered charity and the only producing venue [ie one that produces its own shows] in Surrey. A regional theatre with a national reach and a mission to produce and present vibrant, outstanding, entertaining drama for the communities of Surrey and the South East.

“An artistic resource and a safe space for many communities to participate in the thrill and delight of live theatre and arts activities, it enables people of all ages to come together; realising stronger, more meaningful, social relationships to build prosperous and cohesive communities.

“The theatre is there for everyone, whether they choose to see a play, take part in a workshop or event, or meet a friend for coffee. The building and its cultural output enable people of all ages from across Surrey to come together.

“On average, we welcome 128,000 visitors a year to the venue. Many children experience theatre for the first time when they come to the panto and go on to bring their children and grandchildren in future years.”

Despite the £3 million award and the £2 million raised elsewhere, the theatre still needs to generate a further £830,000 in order to complete the planned works.

Find out more: https://www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk/play-your-part

The following images show how some of the changes will look when the project is completed…

How the entrance will look.

How the new box office will look.

The new multi-purpose room.

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