Funding cut puts Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud under pressure

Published Tuesday 18 December 2007 at 14:35 by Alistair Smith

Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud has become the latest regional producing theatre to have its funding axed by Arts Council England, as part of its funding settlement for the next three years.

The venue is to lose all of its £448,000 grant from April 2009, putting its future under threat. The news follows similar cuts for Exeter’s Northcott Theatre, the Komedia Theatre in Brighton and Lancaster Dukes Theatre, among others. Meanwhile, Derby Playhouse and Bristol Old Vic are both facing uncertain futures, with funding yet to be confirmed for either venue for the next three years.

Theatre director James Barber said “This has come as an absolute shock to everyone. Over the past few years, partly with the advice and guidance of our drama officer from ACE, we have, as an organisation, worked incredibly hard to develop all aspects of the theatre’s work following the guidelines and in accordance with the priorities of the arts council. In the first five months of this year alone, 20% of our audiences were new attendees and the programme, both on the main stage and in the Mill Studio, is busier and more diverse than ever - something the arts council has readily acknowledged. Despite all our efforts, the future of the Yvonne Arnaud is now severely threatened.”

The move has also been criticised by Guildford MP Anne Milton, who has written to both ACE and the government to call on the decision to be overturned.

Meanwhile, West End producer Thelma Holt, who often works with the Yvonne Arnaud, claimed that the removal of funds could lead to the venue’s closure. She commented: “The prospect of the closure of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre will turn Guildford into a cultural desert. I cannot believe this is what our government intends.”

An ACE spokesperson commented: “We recognise that the Yvonne Arnaud is a popular theatre, but we have had concerns for some time that it was not developing sufficient new work, or broadening its audiences. We have made those concerns clear to the theatre over a number of years and while some progress has been made, unfortunately we do not consider it enough to justify renewing our regular funding beyond March 2009.

“Arts council regular funding represents a small percentage of the Yvonne Arnaud’s overall income and we hope the theatre will use our further year’s funding to explore alternatives and plan for its future.

“All organisations for whom we have recommended a reduction or non-renewal of funding have until 15 January to respond and our Regional Council will take that response into account when making its final decision on funding towards the end of January. We have had to make some tough choices and none we taken lightly, but the Arts Council remains totally committed to the support of exciting, engaging theatre in the South East and under current proposals we will continue to invest strongly in all forms of theatre in the region in the next three years.”