Download 23.12.15 The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) provides its mid

23.12.15 The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) provides its mid-year update for the 26 week period
ended 26 September 2015.
Key Highlights Include:
The Group’s international expansion has gathered momentum in the period. ATG topped the sixth
annual Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200. This league table ranks Britain’s mid-market
private companies with the fastest-growing international sales.
In May, ATG became the majority shareholder of BB Group, parent company to BB Promotion, 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.
Founded in 1987 by acclaimed producer, the late Michael Brenner, BB Group now presents more
than 1,000 performances each year, generating more than 1.5 million ticket sales.
In August, ATG agreed terms with the co-owners of Sydney’s MLC Centre – QIC and The GPT Group –
for the lease and management of the Theatre Royal in Sydney, Australia. A milestone development
that marks ATG’s first theatre in Asia Pacific - a region that will play an increasing role in ATG’s
international expansion plan.
And in September, ATG completed the acquisition of ACE Theatrical Group (ACE) in the US; a
company which specialises in the operation, design, development and construction of world class,
live performance venues throughout North America. ACE’s impressive portfolio of large-scale
theatrical venues comprises the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Mahalia Jackson
Theater for the Performing Arts in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio,
Texas; and the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre in San Antonio, Texas and the Kings Theatre in
Brooklyn, New York which reopened this year following a $90m renovation bringing this venue back
into operation as a theatre.
Cirque du Soleil’s newly set up theatrical division announced that it plans to mount a New York
themed show called Paramour at ATG’s Lyric Theatre, the largest Broadway house, opening in
spring 2016.
ATG production companies and partnerships were recognised with awards in both the UK and
Broadway. SFP’s hit production of Sunny Afternoon won four Olivier Awards for Best New Musical,
Outstanding Achievement in Music (for Ray Davies), Best Actor in a Musical and Best Actor in a
Supporting Role in a Musical. ATG’s hit co-venture of The King and I with Lincoln Center Theater
collected four Tony Awards; Best Revival of a Musical, Best Lead Actress in a Musical (for Kelli
O’Hara), Best Featured Actress in a Musical (for Ruthie Miles) and Best Costume Design (for
Catherine Zuber).
Other production highlights included SFP’s production of Hamlet starring Benedict Cumberbatch at
The Barbican. SFP’s production of Farinelli and the King starring Mark Rylance opened at the Duke
of York’s Theatre and ATG’s production of The Rocky Horror Show returned to the West End starring
Richard O’Brien; his first appearance in the show in over 20 years.
We have continued to invest in capital expenditure to further improve the quality of our venues and
to enhance our customers’ theatre-going experience. ATG has continued to roll out its Ordertorium
service across the Group. Ordertorium is ATG’s innovative new auditorium service which allows
customers to order and pay for drinks and confectionary from menus on their seats, whilst orders
are delivered directly to them. There has also been significant investment in bars in many venues,
and at the Apollo Victoria in London, work has begun on a project in the auditorium stalls to fit new
seats and carpet in preparation for the 10th anniversary of Wicked in the West End in 2016.
ATG Tickets, our in-house ticketing business continues to be the UK’s favourite route for buying
theatre tickets. Additionally we have invested in brand awareness and direct-to-customer
campaigns for our official ticketing agency LOVEtheatre.com, which joined ATG through the
acquisition of Ticket Machine Group Limited in November 2013.
For further information, please contact:
The Ambassador Theatre Group
David Bradbury +44 7884 067455
[email protected]
Notes for editors:
Co-founded by Sir Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire OBE in 1992, the Ambassador Theatre Group
(ATG) is the world’s number one live theatre company with 46 venues in Britain, the United States
and Australia and an internationally recognised award-winning theatre producer with productions in
the West End and on Broadway and touring productions in the UK, North America, Europe, Australia
and Asia. ATG is also the market leader in theatre ticketing services through ATG Tickets,
LOVETheatre and Group Line.
ATG presents an average of 40 productions a year, demonstrating the unique quality and range of
ATG Productions in a diverse number of theatres and markets worldwide. ATG has been behind
some of the most successful and innovative productions in Britain and internationally and has
subsidiary offices in London, New York, San Antonio, Houston, Sydney, Mannheim and Cologne,
Germany. ATG production companies and partnerships include Sonia Friedman Productions (SFP),
First Family Entertainment (FFE), Jerry Mitchell Productions, The Jamie Lloyd Company and Theatre
Royal Brighton Productions. In 2015, ATG became the majority shareholder of BB Group, one of the
leading producers and promoters of premium live entertainment in Europe.
ATG performs to more customers than any other theatre company bringing compelling musicals and
plays to almost a quarter of the UK population (including over 6 million households).
ATG Tickets issues more than 11 million tickets annually and www.atgtickets.com is the UK’s most
visited theatre website with 120 million page views and 20 million unique visits per annum. ATG also
boasts the UK’s largest theatre membership program, ATG TheatreCard, with over 100,000
members.
ATG is majority owned by Providence Equity Partners, the world’s leading global private equity firm
focused on equity investments in media, communications, education, and information companies.
The firm manages funds with over $40 billion in commitments and has invested in more than 140
companies globally since its inception in 1989. Providence is headquartered in Providence, RI and
also has offices in New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, and New Delhi. Visit
www.provequity.com for more information.