Showbiz couple, Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire DBE, had a busy 2017 and we can expect more exciting announcements from them in 2018 as their latest venture Trafalgar Entertainment Group gathers momentum. The Group acquired the iconic West End theatre Trafalgar Studios in May 2017 and the event cinema distribution business Trafalgar Releasing (see our separate article) in February 2017 to add to their already considerable production interests. The year ended with the critically acclaimed opening of a new musical The Grinning Man at Trafalgar Studios now booking until 14th April (see our review), the announcement of the West End production of Lincoln Center Theatre show The King and I at the London Palladium in June 2018 directed by Bartlett Sher and another Australian production of The Rocky Horror Show in January 2018.
The couple built their formidable reputation over twenty five years. They acquired their first venue in Woking in 1992 and developed the Ambassador Theatre Group through a series of expert acquisitions into an organisation with 46 venues in UK, America and Australia together with production and ticketing interests. The step change came in 2009 with the acquisition of 16 venues from Live Nation for £90 million funded by investment from the private equity company Exponent. This ground-breaking move lead to the husband and wife team being named by The Stage as the most influential people in UK theatre for seven consecutive years from 2010 to 2016. Sir Howard is the creative force behind the partnership and Rosemary the business brain who in October 2014 was named overall winner at the UK Finals of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year - the first woman to win the award.
Pocket Size Theatre Blog was able to meet this couple and ask them about their plans as part of our own fifth anniversary celebrations.
