• Ashton Rep was formed in 1942 at the old Red Cross building in Katherine Street.

• In 1950 they moved to the Old Storeroom above the Co-Op store on Hillgate Street, Ashton-under-Lyne. The storeroom was converted into a theatre and 12 plays a year were produced!

• 1965 saw the first performance of the Old Time Music Hall at the theatre.

• In December 1967 'The Wizard of Oz' was the final play at Hillgate. The group then moved to Ashton Town Hall where in February 1968 they put on their first production, 'A Shred of Evidence'.

• In January 1971 the final production at the Town Hall was 'Toad of Toad Hall'. The theatre committee and members, having bought an old warehouse on Audenshaw Road from Fox's Glacier Mints, then set about transforming the warehouse into a theatre. Many months of hard work were ahead of them to convert it into a theatre and social centre. In February 1972 the theatre bar opened (now the coffee lounge), but it wasn't until 29th July 1972 that the club was reborn as "Ashton and Audenshaw Repertory Club", although it quickly became better known as "Guide Bridge Theatre" the name we use today.

• The first production at the new theatre was in October 1972 - 'Conflict' - a compilation of extracts. The first full play at the theatre was 'The Magistrate' in November 1972, and from then on 8 productions a year were performed.

• The theatre was going from strength to strength, and in June 1976 the doors were closed whilst a new Bar was built (the bar we know today). The theatre re-opened again in February 1977 with a production of 'Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be'.

• In 1982 G.B.T. celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a production of 'Cabaret' plus a week of special events and celebrations.

• 1985 was the year that the number of productions was increased to 9 a year - leaving no rest for the wicked! ;o)

• Then in September 1986 they closed their doors on the public once more whilst major re-construction work was carried out. The single storey pitched roofed building was converted into a flat roofed two storey building, complete with dressing rooms and a rehearsal room. This meant an awful lot of hard work for the members, and it all paid off in July 1987 after months of rehearsal and refurbishment, the theatre re-opened with 'Nicholas Nickleby', performed over two weeks, with the full 8½ hour play on Saturdays.

• In November 1992 a special 20th Anniversary show was staged, including extracts from previous productions - many with the original casts!

• After 24 years of people 'treading the boards', the 'boards' were getting tired and the theatre closed in March 1996 whilst a new stage was built. This work meant 'losing a production' although productions carried on as normal in May.

• G.B.T.'s 200th production was 'The Importance of Being Earnest' in September 1997, shortly before the 25th Anniversary celebrations in November 1997.

• June 1998 saw the birth of our website. This came into being as our webmaster had recently joined the internet revolution and was given (as part of his internet package) some free webspace. Thinking that he wanted to use this, and learn how to write websites, the obvious choice of subject was to do something about the theatre. What originally started out as a 6 page website has turned into over 400 pages of information about the theatre with an archive of programmes, photographs and reviews of the shows. To date, the website has won 3 eTameside awards for the 'Best Voluntary/Local Interest Group Website'.

• In April 2001, G.B.T. yet again shut its doors to the public as the whole building was treated to a new coat of paint (inside and out) as well as new foyer and coffee lounge carpets as well, as redecorating the dressing rooms and wardrobe/rehearsal room. Work was relatively short, and the theatre opened again in the summer.

• In 2008 we took the decision to close the front entrance to the theatre due to the poor state of the building and the crumbling outside wall. Plans were sought, and various discussions ensued.

• In March 2009 the corridor was demolished, new foundations (including pile driving to 8 metres in some places) were laid, and a new dry and brighter corridor was built. The Box Office also took a refurbishment as well, and the external entrance to the lighting box was bricked up and access is now made with a proper staircase from within the corridor.
The foyer walls were plasterboarded and painted, along with a new carpet, all cabling is now hidden.

• January 2010 - the theatre was incorporated into a Company Limited by Guarantee. This was to protect the members' against any financial loss should anything unforeseen happen.

• January / February 2010 - Refurbishment of the main Bar area.

• August / September 2010 - Refurbishment of the Coffee Bar.

• January 2011 - Introduction of an all electronic Box Office along with online booking system.

• August / September 2011 - Rebuilding of the Ladies Toilets to now include a Disabled Access Toilet.

• Future projects include refurbishment of the auditorium: Decoration, Soundproofing, New Seating Rake, New Seating (including new layout with 2 aisles and handrails).