Ambassador Theatre Group
The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG), now rebranded to ATG Entertainment [6] is a major international live entertainment organisation headquartered in the United Kingdom, with offices in Woking (head office), London, New York, Sydney, Mannheim and Cologne. ATG's key operations comprise three inter-related activities: venue ownership and management, ticketing and marketing operations, and show productions.[7]
Company type
Entertainment
1994
More than 64 venues and 1 cinema complex in 3 countries (UK, USA & Germany)
- Ted Stimpson (Chief Executive)
- Tony Ball (Executive Chairman)
- ShanMae Teo (Chief Financial Officer)
- Michael Lynas (Managing Director - Content)[1]
- Providence Equity Partners[2] LLP[3]
- Peter Beckwith / PMB Holdings[4]
- Eddie Kulukundis
- Howard Panter
- Rosemary Squire
11,000 (December 2022)[5]
ATG runs more than 64 venues in Britain, the US and Germany. The company is among the most prolific theatre producers in the world with co-productions in the UK, New York, across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.[8] It is involved in event ticketing services through ATG Tickets, LOVEtheatre and Group Line.
The company was founded and run by the husband-and-wife team of Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire OBE, who topped The Stage 100 list of prominent UK theatre personalities from 2010 to 2016.[9]
Business model[edit]
ATG's business model involves the combination of theatre ownership with production management, marketing and ticket operations.[10] ATG manages (and in some cases owns) venues, mainly theatres, which host shows for paying audiences, including shows created by its production functions. ATG's production functions create shows, which are hired out for performance at theatres including theatres managed by ATG, and ATG's ticketing and marketing function sells and charges fees for selling tickets, for venues including those owned by ATG.
Theatre ownership and management[edit]
ATG manages more than 50 theatres and one cinema in the UK, the US, and Germany. ATG's portfolio of 10 West End theatres include the Ambassadors, Apollo Victoria, Duke of York's, Fortune, Harold Pinter, Lyceum, Phoenix, Piccadilly, Playhouse, and Savoy.[11] ATG also has UK regional theatres in Aylesbury, Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Edinburgh, Folkestone, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Richmond, Sunderland, Stoke-on-Trent, Stockton on Tees, Torquay, Wimbledon, Woking and York.
In the US, ATG controls seven Broadway theatres, the Lyric Theatre, and the Hudson Theatre, the latter leased from a subsidiary of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.[12] In 2015, ATG acquired ACE Theatrical Group, giving ATG control of the King's Theatre in Brooklyn, New York; the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas; and the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre in San Antonio, Texas.[13] In 2023, President of Jujamcyn Theaters, Jordan Roth sold a 93% stake of their five Broadway Theaters. This acquisition includes: the August Wilson, the Walter Kerr, the Eugene O'Neill, the Al Hirschfield, and the St. James Theatre.[14]
Also in 2015, ATG became leaseholder and took over the management of the Theatre Royal, Sydney's oldest theatrical institution, one of the city's premier venues and ATG's first theatre in the Asia-Pacific region,[15] though the New South Wales government closed the venue in 2016.
ATG is the majority shareholder of BB Group,[16] One of the leading producers and promoters of premium live entertainment in Europe, with a particular strength in touring musicals and dance productions throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. BB Group productions include West Side Story, We Will Rock You, The Rocky Horror Show, Cats, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Ballet Revolución, The Lion King and The Bodyguard. BB Group has won the tender to re-develop the Staatenhaus in Cologne as a 1700-seat theatre.[17]
Ticketing and marketing operations[edit]
ATG runs ATG Tickets, which provides the in-house ticketing services to ATG's UK theatres and manages ATG's Theatre Card membership programme and ticketing promotional partnerships. The ticketing website atgtickets.com was launched in 2008 and has since been recognised by Hitwise as the UK's number one theatre ticketing website, with 20 million unique visits per annum.[20]
In 2011, ATG Theatre Card, the UK's largest paid-for theatre membership scheme was launched. Ticket Machine Group, a long established ticket agency, was acquired by ATG in 2013.
LOVEtheatre.com and Group Line[edit]
In 2013, in order to increase the variety and scope of its operation, ATG acquired the Ticket Machine Group with its brands, Group Line and LOVEtheatre.com, both of whom continue to be major ticket agencies in their own right in London.
Ownership[edit]
ATG is controlled by Providence Equity Partners. Exponent Private Equity has a minority stake.[2] Peter Beckwith, through his company PMB Holdings, is a "major shareholder".[4] Theatre impresario and shipping broker Eddie Kulukundis was a shareholder.[31] Panter and Squire own 8% of ATG, with an option on a further 5%, according to reports in 2003.[31]
List of venues managed by ATG[edit]
Theatres[edit]
Start year indicates the year of ATG's first involvement, End year indicates the last year of ATG involvement (where applicable).
In terms of ownership, it is often unclear whether ATG own the freehold to a theatre or a leasehold: reports use terms such as buy, purchase and own, but rarely specify whether they are referring to the freehold or to a leasehold.