Rosemary Squire

Last updated

Dame
Rosemary Squire
DBE
Rosemary Squire.jpg
Squire in 2011
Born
Rosemary Anne Squire

(1956-05-27) 27 May 1956 (age 68)
Nottingham, England
Occupation(s)Theatre owner and producer
Spouse Sir Howard Panter
Children3

Dame Rosemary Anne Squire, DBE (born 27 May 1956) is a British commercial theatre owner and entrepreneur. She is the founder of the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) LTD, and co-founder of Trafalgar Entertainment. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Squire was born in Nottingham, England, on 27th May 1956. From 1967 to 1974, Squire attended Nottingham Girls' High School. [3] She then enrolled at Southampton University between 1975 and 1979, where she earned a BA degree in Spanish. She later worked at the University of Barcelona from 1977 to 1978 as an English language assistant. Squire then studied at Brown University from 1979 to 1980 on a postgraduate scholarship. [4]

Career

Squire arrived in Theatreland in 1980. She held various administrative roles at Wyndham's Theatres Ltd. In 1984, she was a manager of Maxbox Group plc, the second largest group of West End theatres. In 1988, she became the manager of the theatre production company Turnstyle Group Ltd, of which she then became executive director. In 1991, she co-produced the West End revival of the musical Carmen Jones . [5]

Squire and her husband Howard Panter established the Ambassador Theatre Group in 1992, with the acquisitions of the Duke of York's Theatre, a management contract of the Ambassadors Theatre, and a cinema complex in Woking. In 1995, ATG acquired the Ambassadors Theatre, which was renamed New Ambassadors Theatre in 1999. Between 1996 and 1997, the group expanded further with contracts for the Milton Keynes Theatre and the Regent Theatre, as well as Victoria Hall. In 1997, Squire became executive director of the Ambassador Theatre Group.

2000s

In 2000, ATG acquired Churchill Theatre, Richmond Theatre, Albery Theatre, Donmar Warehouse, Fortune Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Piccadilly Theatre, Comedy Theatre, Trafalgar Studios, Wyndhams Theatre, Playhouse Theatre, and the Theatre Royal Brighton. Squire joined the board of management of the Society of London Theatres and the advisory panel of Arts Council Capital. The expansion of ATG continued with the acquisition of two Scottish venues (King's Theatre and Theatre Royal Glasgow) and the reopening and rebranding of the New Wimbledon Theatre in 2004. Squire was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and joined the board of Donmar Warehouse Productions.

In June 2005, Squire became the first democratically elected president of the Society of London Theatre (the trade organisation of London's theatre owners and managers), and the second-only female president in the organisation's 100-year history. She campaigned to improve the West End theatre-going environment and to secure vital funding for capital improvements to protect the long-term future of London's historic theatres. Squire became a member of The Arts Council of England Lottery Advisory Panel from 2000 to 2005 and is a member of the Theatrical Management Association.[ citation needed ]

In 2009, Squire was appointed a National Member of the Arts Council England Board. She was Chair of Great Ormond Street Hospital's Theatres for Theatres Appeal and vice-chairman of Dance Umbrella. She is also a Trustee of The Hall of Cornwall. [6] [7] In February 2009, ATG acquired the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. [8] In November 2009, ATG realigned its shareholding to bring in private equity group Exponent for a deal to secure the funding for the acquisition of Live Nation's UK Theatre portfolio. Following this, ATG became the largest theatre group in the UK. [9] Panter remained a joint-owner and became joint Chief Executive and Creative Director. Greg Dyke became the Executive Chairman of the larger group.

2010s

In 2010, ATG opened the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. In the same year, London's Evening Standard named Squire and her husband as the most influential people in British theatre in their list of "London's 1000 most influential people 2010". [10] In 2011, ATG launched their Manchester Gets it First (MGiF) initiative. [11] [12] In February 2013, Squire appeared at number 16 on the inaugural BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Power List, intended to serve as a snapshot of the 100 most powerful British women. [13]

In 2014, Squire topped The Stage 100 list for the fifth consecutive year, equaling the run previously set by Andrew Lloyd Webber. [14] From 2010 to 2016, Squire topped the list seven times. [15]

In March 2015, Squire announced The SPACe (the Squire Performing Arts Centre) at Nottingham Girl's High School. Squire was Chair of the 'Raise the Curtain' Development Board, which was created to oversee the project. Squire officially opened The SPACe in April 2017. [16]

In 2016, Squire stepped down from her roles at Ambassador Theatre Group to concentrate on new projects. [17] She co-founded a new live entertainment business, Trafalgar Entertainment, and acquired the two-space West End theatre, Trafalgar Studios. [18]

In December 2017, Squire was appointed Chair of Arts Council South West.

Personal life

Squire married Alan Brodie in 1982, with whom she had two children. She divorced Brodie in 1994 and married Howard Panter the same year, with whom she had one child. [19]

Productions

Produced by Rosemary Squire unless otherwise noted.

Honors and awards

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References

  1. ↑ "Theatre's power couple step back from ATG to run Trafalgar Studios". The Guardian. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  2. ↑ "Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire step down from top ATG roles". What's on Stage. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  3. ↑ "This is Nottingham | Rosemary Squire of Ambassador Theatre Group on Live Nation takeover". 12 July 2011. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  4. ↑ "Rosemary Squire CV" (DOC). Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Rosemary Squire CV" (DOC). Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "ROSEMARY SQUIRE APPOINTED NATIONAL MEMBER OF THE ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND BOARD" (DOC). Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "Co-Founder and Joint CEO : The Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG)" (DOC). Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  8. ↑ "Aylesbury Vale District Council • Operator chosen for Aylesbury Waterside Theatre". Aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP BUYS LIVE NATION UK THEATRES" (DOC). Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  10. ↑ "London's 1000 most influential people 2010: Theatre – Home – London Evening Standard". Thisislondon.co.uk. 15 November 2010. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "Manchester Gets it First: Following the success of GHOST The Musical at the Opera House, The Ambassador Theatre Group pledges to launch more new shows in the city | London Theatre". Westendtheatre.com. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  12. ↑ "What's On: Music, Film, & Things To Do in Manchester – Manchester Evening News". Citylife.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  13. 1 2 "BBC Radio 4 – The Power List 2013". Bbc.co.uk. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  14. ↑ "ATG's Rosemary Squire wins entrepreneur award". The Stage. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  15. ↑ "Ambassador Theatre Group founders break Stage 100 record". The Guardian. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  16. ↑ "Nottingham Girls' High opens new £9m Performing Arts Centre". Independent Education Today. 8 April 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  17. ↑ "Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire to Step Down from Helm of Ambassador Theatre Group". Playbill. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  18. ↑ "Sir Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire Announce New Roles". British Theatre. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  19. ↑ "Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire". Thisislondon.co.uk. 6 November 2009. Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  20. ↑ "Rosemary Squire profile". Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  21. ↑ "No. 58557". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 December 2007. p. 12.
  22. ↑ "ATG Magazine Autumn/Winter 2008 by ATG Tickets". ISSUU. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  23. ↑ "250 of the Most Influential People in Greater Manchester". Shop.menmedia.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  24. ↑ "The Power 1000 – London's most influential people 2013: Imagineers, Theatre". Evening Standard. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  25. ↑ "Meet the winners of the 2014 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards" . Financial Times. 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  26. ↑ "Honour for theatre's most powerful woman Rosemary Squire four years after husband Sir Howard Panter". The Times. 28 December 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  27. ↑ "No. 62150". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2017. p. N8.
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