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G Live
G Live is located in Surrey
G Live
G Live
G Live in Surrey
AddressLondon Road
LocationGuildford
Coordinates51°14′17″N 0°33′59″W / 51.23806°N 0.56639°W / 51.23806; -0.56639
Public transitLocal buses stop outside
OwnerGuildford Borough Council
OperatorTrafalgar Entertainment
TypeArts and conference venue
CapacityMain auditorium: 1000-1700
Bellerby Studio: 100
Construction
Broke groundAugust 2009
OpenedSeptember 2011 (2011-09)
Construction cost£26 million
ArchitectAustin-Smith:Lord
Website
glive.co.uk

G Live is an arts centre in Guildford, Surrey, England. It was officially opened by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent in February 2012.

Background

Civic Hall

The site was originally home to the Guildford Civic Hall, which was the town's main arts and entertainment venue. It closed in January 2004[1] for the construction of the new live entertainment and conference venue, G Live, which opened in September 2011. The new building incorporates 80% of the structural material from its predecessor.[2] The venue cost £26m and was officially opened by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent on 8 February 2012.[3]

G Live

G Live is operated by Trafalgar Entertainment.[4] It had previously been operated by HQ Theatres until March 2021 when Trafalgar acquired HQ's theatre operations.[5] The name was chosen by local members of the public.[6]

G Live hosted 162 shows in its first year of opening.[7] The first show to be held at the venue, which officially opened on September 14 2011, was a performance by the London Symphony Orchestra. Since then, the venue has been open to big names such as Jimmy Carr, Dawn French, Tim Minchin and Diversity and touring productions including The Rocky Horror Show, Lord of the Dance and Strictly Ballroom.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, G Live served as a vaccination centre. The centre was the second borough-owned building to deliver pandemic support alongside Guildford Spectrum.[8]

Guildford International Concert Series (GICS)

G Live has been the home of the Guildford International Concert Series since its establishment in 2011. Every year, the venue hosts a series of concerts of classical orchestral music with groups from across the globe.

Orchestras that have played at the Guildford International Concert Series include the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Philharmonia and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Creative Learning Programme

G Live regularly hosts workshops and events for the local community through its creative learning program, including a "memory cinema" and family fun days, which include "Craft Tables, Face Painting, Drumming, Dance and Reading Corners to spark the imagination along with a Sensory Spectacular area and games"[9] The venue reports an annual engagement of 12,000 people through its Creative Learning department, and adopts an "Arts for All" approach to its activities.[9]

Every year, the venue hosts a "Summer Youth Project" for children from ages 8-17, in the form of a professional, full-scale theatre production. In 2023, the project engaged 71 young persons from the local community for a production of Bugsy Malone.

Facilities

Main Auditorium

The G Live auditorium from above

The Main Hall features a large extendable stage and seating for up to 1031. With seats removed and converted into a flat floor space, the Main Hall turns into a space suitable for a dinner dance for up to 420 people or a reception for up to 800.

The Main Hall is 418 square metres (19m x 22m) for exhibition and event space. The stage is 231 square metres (22m x 10.5m).

Bellerby Studio

The Bellerby Studio is a studio theatre that can accommodate up to 120 people standing. It is a multi-functional space with a tall ceiling that can be used for comedy shows, private parties and dining experiences.

The Glass Room

The glass room is a large conference/entertaining space with fully glazed walls on three sides and a balcony, creating a bright space with a panoramic view. It can be used independently from the rest of the building and is available for private hire.

Seminar/Private Dining Rooms

G Live has a number of private dining and conference rooms which are equipped with integral AV equipment

Awards

2023 Surrey Rocks Awards

On Thursday 25 May, Surrey Rocks Magazine hosted an Awards show at Denbie's Wine Estate in Dorking to celebrate the best of best in Surrey business. The awards were in aid of Prostate Cancer UK and winners were chosen by the Surrey public. G Live won the award for Best Live Music venue over 6 other venues.[10]

Royal Institute for Architecture Award

On the venue's first birthday, G Live won a regional Downland Award from the Royal Institute of British Architects.[11] Local paper Surrey Live wrote at the time:

G Live’s first birthday this month has been turned into a double celebration, with the announcement that the building’s design has won a regional Downland Award from the Royal Institute of British Architects. Despite its location in London Road, judges described the building as an "anchor" in Guildford’s High Street, suitable for everything from ice shows to banqueting.[7]

Experience Guildford Leisure and Lifestyle Award

In October 2015, G Live hosted the Experience Guildford Customer Service Awards. After secret shopper reports and thousands of public votes, G Live won the Leisure and Lifestyle award.[12]

2013 accident

On 9 February 2013, a tour manager from the singing group Fisherman's Friends was killed by a falling metal door at the venue.[13] The group were due to have performed at the venue. One of the singers of the group also suffered critical injuries when the door fell and later also died in hospital.[14] In November 2015 David Naylor, 56, from Bridgnorth, Shropshire, was charged with two counts of manslaughter by gross negligence.[15] In November 2016, Naylor was cleared of manslaughter, and Express Hi-Fold Doors Limited was fined £30,000 for breaches of health and safety laws.[16]

References

  1. ^ "New £19.5m civic centre approved". BBC News. 14 July 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  2. ^ "Your New Venue". G Live. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  3. ^ "Surrey's £26m G Live arts venue opened by Duke of Kent". BBC. 8 February 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  4. ^ "About G Live". G Live Guilford. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  5. ^ Hill, Liz (31 March 2021). "Trafalgar Entertainment acquires HQ Theatres". Arts Professional.
  6. ^ "New £26m Guildford venue name chosen by public passed". BBC. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  7. ^ a b Live, Surrey (13 September 2012). "G Live marks first birthday with architecture award". SurreyLive. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  8. ^ Pengelly, Emma (13 January 2021). "Surrey entertainment venue transforms into vaccination hub". SurreyLive. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Creative Learning | G Live, Guildford". glive.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
  10. ^ Matthews, Sam (26 May 2023). "SURREY AWARDS 2023". Rocks Mag. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  11. ^ Live, Surrey (13 September 2012). "G Live marks first birthday with architecture award". SurreyLive. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  12. ^ Watkins, James (16 October 2015). "Guildford businesses at the top of the customer services game". SurreyLive. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Fisherman's Friends' tour manager dies in G Live accident". BBC. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  14. ^ "Fisherman's Friends' Trevor Grills dies after G Live accident". BBC. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
  15. ^ "Fisherman's Friends: G Live shanty group deaths accused charged". BBC. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
  16. ^ "Company fined after stage door kills singer and band promoter". The Guardian. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2018.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_Live

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