Savoy opera
From the outset, the Arts Guild has promoted and encouraged public participation in arts activities. The BBC Domesday Project for 1986 noted that the Arts Guild Theatre building had multiple uses. It featured both amateur and professional drama, with an annual Greenock Academy school opera production, generally a Savoy opera, and a Christmas pantomime. There were also dance classes, elocution lessons, and classes in music and chess. The various rooms were actively used in evenings, and provided a venue for local clubs and societies to hold meetings.