Yvonne Arnaud

The destruction of the Guildford Repertory Theatre by fire in 1963 increased the pace at which fundraising continued for a new theatre for which the Borough Council donated the site. The delightful setting is surrounded on three sides by the River Wey, but has drawbacks in terms of making expansion difficult and an ever present danger of flooding. One of the first provincial theatres built post-War, it was designed as a theatre centre with restaurant, bars, club and club room. The exterior elevation of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre reflects the circular geometry of the auditorium; a perimeter drum of reinforced concrete columns between fully-glazed walls, in part wrapped in an outer brise soleil. A striking circular lift tower, added following completion, is similarly encased in glass and is linked to the auditorium, via a bridge on the upper floor. Overall, the exterior is extremely eye catching, with the brise soleil resembling a rib cage protecting the interior of the building. The concave entrance is set behind the piers of the curved outer drum and has a fan shaped projecting canopy. The entrance, with box office, leads to the spacious foyer and cafe at ground level with restaurant/bar overlooking the river above. Radiating spokes supporting the upper floor slab are expressed in the ceiling and the open-sided stairs and dangling lighting a feature. The auditorium is horseshoe shaped and the side walls continue to the stage which can be extended to form an apron or, by moving the seating, in-the-round. The seating is well raked in both stalls and circle. There are a pair of boxes to each side, each on a separate, projecting concrete floor slab and exposed, heavily ribbed, concrete walls. The curved roof of the auditorium is constructed from steel and timber, and sheathed with copper. There is plentiful wing space, ensuring that it has consistently attracted varied productions throughout its history. The reinforced concrete structure allows the unornamented auditorium and fluted concrete walls to have excellent sight lines in stalls and circle. The stage is wide (96ft) but shallow (33ft) equipped with 31 counterweight sets. The forestage can alternatively be an apron stage, a pit for 25 musicians or two additional rows of seating. The Grade II listed Mill Studio (opened in 1993) seats 80 and is housed in the old water mill adjacent to the theatre. Guildford's Yvonne Arnaud is a busy producing and receiving house creating shows in Guildford and presenting touring productions. On both the Main Stage and in the Mill Studio an eclectic mix of classical and contemporary work is staged by new, lesser-known and established writers.