After an arduous two years of negotiations, residents of Guildford have cause to celebrate as local organisation the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM) succeeded in its bid to take over the Electric Theatre.
Opened in 1997 in a former electricity works on Onslow street, the 210-seat theatre was to be hit by Guildford Council's cuts, needing to reduce its costs by £6.9m over four years.
More than 3,000 people responded to the public consultation on the role it should have in the borough, and many took part in a "human ring" around the venue, fearing that the theatre may be lost as a community asset.
A sigh of relief is being shared by all, councillors and residents alike.
Lead Councillor for Heritage and the Arts, Nikki Nelson-Smith commented, “Our main aim throughout this process has been to maintain the theatre as a performing arts venue with community use. Granting the lease to ACM is an excellent solution for securing the future of the venue and we are absolutely delighted to have achieved a positive way forward for the theatre - an important achievement for the working group, the community and everyone involved”.
Sharing this sentiment Kainne Clements, executive chairman of the ACM, said this week: "we will work openly and transparently to make visible and reduce the costs of staging an event at The Electric Theatre through the absorption of overheads into our core business, increasing its accessibility for the community as we do so. It is an honour to be entrusted with the care and future of this much loved part of Guildford’s arts scene, and we are grateful to the local community and Guildford Borough Council for their support throughout the process.”
ACM have stated that its focus over the coming months will be to remove Guildford Borough Council's subsidy of the facility (saving the council and tax payers money) and to start getting familiar with the building, its employees and existing customers/community groups. After that they will be inviting fresh ideas and projects to the space.
Once the lease has been signed, work will begin on setting up the new performing arts venue, with ACM taking over later in the year.
This good news coincides with the Electric Theatre's 20th anniversary; who could have asked for a better start to their year?
To support your local arts scene check out some of the events the theatre has on at guildford.gov.uk
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