Home / Arts and Entertainment / Guildford Theatre Seeks New Life After £250k Loss
Guildford Theatre Seeks New Life After £250k Loss
27 Sep
Summary
- Council seeks expressions of interest for council-owned theatre.
- Theatre closed after recording £250,000 losses in 2023-24.
- Submissions are due by midday on October 30th.
Guildford Borough Council has issued a call for expressions of interest from potential operators for the Electric Theatre, a council-owned venue that closed following substantial financial losses.
The community arts venue recorded a deficit of £250,000 during the 2023-24 financial year. This led to the cancellation of scheduled shows from April 2025 onwards. The theatre's previous operator, ACM Commercial Ltd, went into administration in May 2025, and its lease was surrendered to the council in August 2025.
The council is keen to gauge the level of community interest and explore various management options before initiating a formal procurement process. They are actively seeking proposals from a wide array of parties, including community-led, charitable, commercial, and alternative-use organizations.
Expressions of interest, along with completed operator response forms, must be submitted by midday on October 30th. The council also requests input on how potential operators could foster local employment, offer affordable pricing, deliver high-quality programming, and establish a robust business model.
