Electric Theatre

Originally an electric power station built beside the River Wey in 1913, the building became a distribution centre in 1928 when a larger power station was built to meet the electricity needs of Guildford. Unused for twenty years after it closed in 1968, it became a scenery store for various local theatre groups. It was identified as a possible home for the 20 amateur arts companies represented by GATA (Guildford Amateur Theatre Association) and opened on 18 January 1997 with the help of Guildford Borough Council. The 1913 building houses the theatre space, with extensions for the foyer, bar, restaurant, dressing rooms, the Farley meeting room and toilet facilities. There is an attractive riverside terrace. The steel-framed building has yellow brick walls lined internally with a white-tiled dado. Originally it had a single lofty space, extending full height. A hoist running as a steel transverse gantry beam recalls its former industrial use. There is a big roof light. The auditorium has a wooden sprung floor, an orchestra pit, first-class technical equipment and retractable seating for 210 (180 seats if the orchestra pit is in use. The acting area is level with the front row. The stage has 17 hemp lines at the front and a further 13 in a lower rear portion. All are worked from stage level. Good get-in. The Electric Theatre was registered by the Council in 2016 as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) following a nomination by GATA. The Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) took the lease in 2017 with a commitment to maintain the theatre as a performing arts venue with community use.