The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre has had a bumper year with 17,000 more people coming to see its shows than in the previous year and more than 10,000 people taking part in community engagement activities.

Audience numbers increased by 17 per cent in 2023/24 compared with the previous 12 months. This included an extra 1,200 people aged under 25 or students.

There were 79 events in the Mill studio’s creative learning programme, attended by more than  4,000 people, an increase of 1,000 over 2022/23. These included 26 workshops in 208 sessions, nearly double that of the previous year.

There were also 16 taster workshops in one day attended by 62 students from three local schools. A further 50 students took part in work experience opportunities.

The theatre’s community engagement programme increased by almost 2,000 in 2023, reaching 10,423 people. The number of subsidised tickets increased from 337 to 482 and the groups reached increased to include more adults and those from Ash and Stoke wards. There was a 23 per cent increase in the number of new groups meeting in the café.

Heritage Open Day attracted more than 200 people for talks and tours.

The theatre initiated the Surrey Drama Teachers Network, supported by Surrey Arts and Culture Box Surrey, for local school drama teachers, providing opportunities to share teaching experience, examples of best practice and develop their own practical drama skills.

The Yvonne Arnaud is actively involved in Experience Guildford and the Town Centre Business Forum, contributing to town centre initiatives and partnering with other local businesses and charities to create a safe and welcoming environment where everyone can thrive.

The theatre is registered as a breast-feeding space, quiet place and is part of the Be Kind project to encourage respect to staff in all businesses.