Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking

The Rhoda McGaw Theatre is a 228-seat theatre in the centre of Woking, Surrey, tucked inside the Peacocks Centre and sharing its building with the much larger Woking Theatre. It is the smaller of the two auditoriums on the site, and it is best known as a home for the town's community groups and societies as well as semi-professional and professional companies. The year-round programme takes in musical theatre, drama, comedy, opera, dance and youth productions. Nine rows of raked seating and acoustics that are often praised make it an intimate room where no one sits far from the stage.

Construction began in 1973 as part of the Woking Centre Halls, the cultural element of the town centre's redevelopment. Alongside the theatre, the complex included a concert hall for large functions, a library, a pool and dining facilities. Work was finished in 1975 and the theatre opened to the public under the management of Mike Kelly, described in the opening brochure as an intimately styled theatre with well tiered and comfortable seating suitable for theatrical, operatic, concert and film use.

It was named in memory of Rhoda McGaw, the local councillor who persuaded Woking Council to support the town's dramatic community, and it quickly became known simply as the Rhoda. Through its first decade and beyond it staged musicals, opera, dance, ballet, talent contests and drama, along with the annual pantomime and the Miss Woking Whirl competition. It has also hosted the Woking Drama Festival for the Woking Drama Association, and the British All Winners Festival when invited by the National Drama Festivals Association.

By the late 1980s the whole Centre Halls complex was earmarked for demolition to make way for a new shopping centre and theatre development, and the proposal met strong local opposition. After protracted negotiations between community groups, including the Woking Drama Association, and Woking Borough Council, it was agreed that the Rhoda would be mothballed rather than demolished and then absorbed into the new Peacocks Centre. The theatre closed in 1988 and reopened four years later, in 1992, with only modest modifications, now standing alongside the 1,300-seat New Victoria Theatre.

Control of both theatres initially rested with a company called Woking Turnstyle Ltd, preserving the arrangement whereby the council owned and subsidised the Rhoda while day-to-day operation sat with the company, so that community theatre could continue next door to the professional house. In 1997 the commercial side passed to the Ambassador Theatre Group, and improvements followed: in 2002 the Woking Drama Association raised £5,000, matched by the operator, for additional stage lighting, a lighting desk and stage closed-circuit television. In 2012 a major overhaul of the theatre's facilities began, funded jointly by the operator and Woking Council at a cost of £400,000.

The theatre entrance is on Level 1 of the Peacocks Centre. Please note that there is no access to the Rhoda McGaw via Gloucester Square.

• Step-free access: level access to the box office, bars and toilets, with lift access to the auditorium.
• Wheelchair spaces: two spaces at the back of the auditorium. It is advisable to book these in advance.
• Accessible toilets: available on all three levels of the venue.
• Assistance dogs: welcome in all areas of the theatre.
• Hidden disabilities: the theatre is a member of the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme, and lanyards are free from the box office.
• Blue Badge parking: available in the nearby Victoria Place car parks (GU21 6GQ) and Brewery Road Car Park (GU21 4ND).

Assisted performances

audio described, captioned, BSL interpreted and relaxed performances are listed on the operator's assisted performances pages, along with details of touch tours and hearing enhancement systems.

Access booking

the Accessibility Assistance line is 0333 009 5399, with Typetalk on 1800 1 0333 009 5399. A free Access Membership Scheme allows accessible seats and eligible companion tickets to be booked online.