GUISELEY Theatre will get a new lease of life after directors unlocked new funds for renovation and repairs. 

Directors on the theatre's board have completed five years worth of work by relaunching the much-loved playhouse as a Community Interest Company.

The vision will finally become a reality when the company is officially launched this Saturday (September 21).

Guiseley Theatre was built in 1867 by public subscriptions from the residents of Guiseley, including a large donation by entrepreneur Sir Matthew William Thompson. The then Town Hall was gifted ‘to the people of Guiseley forever’ by Thompson, who had a vision for this to become a community hub.

Since then, the building has welcomed many faces - most notably perhaps as the home of Guiseley Amateur Operatic Society (GAOS) for close to a century.

The theatre was also used as a hospital during the war years, a cinema, school, fire station and library amongst other things.

In recent years, the building has continued to grow as a hive of activity in the community with a large programme of weekly classes and events taking place.

Theatre chairman Chris Ingram, who is excited for what the new status as a Community Interest Company will hold in the future, said: “In recent years, we have seen a real need in the community for this building to be used as a centre for the arts in Guiseley.

"The Theatre Board - a subcommittee of the amateur society - have successfully run this building for almost 40 years now and we are grateful for the hard work and loyalty that has been shown to the building over the years.

"We feel that becoming a CIC is an important step in the history of the theatre, to gain access to new funds for essential renovation and maintenance works, as well as to develop new facilities so as to keep the building at the centre of the Guiseley Community for years to come.”

The company is still being run by members of the old theatre board as well as newly appointed voluntary directors, who have a varied skill set and hands-on approach to the daily running of the building. 

To find out more about the history and future of Guiseley Theatre, and to have your say about what you would like to see happening in your community building, visit the theatre this Saturday between 10am and 4pm.

Visitors can also attend talks, tours, exhibitions and also chat to volunteers about how they can get involved.

If you would like to support or sponsor the renovations of Guiseley Theatre, please email the Board of Directors via info@guiseleytheatre.org