Rosemary Squire

Dame Rosemary Squire
DBE
Rosemary Squire in 2011
Born Rosemary Squire
(1956-05-27) 27 May 1956
Nottingham, England
Occupation Theatre owner and producer
Spouse(s) Sir Howard Panter
Children 3

Dame Rosemary Anne Squire, DBE (born 27 May 1956) is a British commercial theatre owner and entrepreneur. She is a founder, co-owner and joint chief executive of Trafalgar Entertainment Group Ltd and co-founded The Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG), whose subsidiary companies include Sonia Friedman Productions (SFP) and First Family Entertainment (FFE). From 2010-16, Squire and Howard Panter topped The Stage 100 seven times consecutively.[1][2][3][4][5] In the 2018 New Year Honours she was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for services to Theatre and Philanthropy.[6]

Life and career

Early years

  • From 1967 to 1974 Squire studied at Nottingham Girls' High School
  • 1975–79 Studying at Southampton University Squire gained a BA hons First Class – Spanish with Catalan and French
  • 1977–78 Barcelona University, Spain (English language assistant)
  • 1979–80 Brown University, US – postgraduate scholarship[7]

Squire arrived in theatreland in 1980 after an education that took her from Nottingham Girls' High School to Southampton University and on to an Ivy League college in America and studies in Barcelona.[8]

1980s

  • Various administrative roles, Wyndham's Theatres Limited
  • 1984 – general manager, Maybox Group plc, second largest group of West End Theatres, then owned by Associated Newspapers.
  • 1988 – general manager, Turnstyle Group Limited (theatre production company)[9]

1990s

  • Executive director, Turnstyle Group Limited, co-producing (amongst others) the award-winning musical Carmen Jones.[9]
  • 1992 – With the backing of Sir Eddie Kulukundis and brothers Sir John and Peter Beckwith,[10] Squire and Panter establish Ambassador Theatre Group with acquisitions of Duke of York's Theatre and Management contract of The Ambassadors Theatre and Cinema complex Woking.
  • 1995 – The expansion of ATG continues when Squire and Panter acquire The Ambassadors Theatre, renamed New Ambassadors Theatre in 1999.
  • 1996/97 – They extend the group with the management contract for the newly built Milton Keynes Theatre and the Regent Theatre and Victoria Hall in Stoke-on-Trent.
  • 1997 – Executive director, Ambassador Theatre Group – Responsible for core business and new projects team, winning tenders for many regional venues

2000s

  • 2000 was a pivotal year for Squire and Panter with the acquisition of further regional venues Churchill Theatre, Bromley and Richmond Theatre, Surrey and with the purchase of ACT Theatres (Albery, Donmar Warehouse, Fortune, Phoenix, Piccadilly, Comedy, Whitehall (renamed Trafalgar Studios in 2004) and Wyndhams) and the Playhouse Theatre, London and Theatre Royal Brighton acquired in 2000.
  • Squire also joined the Board of Management, Society of London Theatres and Arts Council Capital Advisory Panel.
  • In 2002, their first venue in Scotland came with the King's Theatre, Glasgow.
  • 2000–03 ATG continues to acquire theatres in the West End and the UK regions and co-produces 25 shows in 2003 alone. Squire also elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and joins the board of Donmar Warehouse Productions (the producing company based at the Donmar).
  • In 2004, Squire and Panter take over the closed Wimbledon Theatre reopening it as the New Wimbledon Theatre.
  • In 2005, their Scottish portfolio extends with a lease and management contract Theatre Royal, Glasgow.
  • 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. She completed her three-year term in July 2008 and then went on to serve a further three years as Vice-President. She was a member of The Arts Council of England Lottery Advisory Panel from 2000 to 2005 and is a member of the Theatrical Management Association.
  • 2006, Squire won the CBI Real Business First Women Award for Tourism and Leisure in June 2006, recognising her commercial success and the breakthroughs she made in promoting equal opportunities for women.[11]
  • 2006 Squire was appointed a London First International Envoy for London
  • 2007 Squire was awarded an OBE for Services to Theatre.[11]
  • 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, an international contemporary dance festival. She is also a Trustee of The Hall of Cornwall.[12][13]
  • In February 2009, ATG was awarded the contract to run the new Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.[14]
  • In November 2009, they realign their share holding to bring in private equity group Exponent for a deal to secure the funding for the acquisition of Live Nation's UK Theatre portfolio. ATG becomes the largest theatre group in the UK.[15] Panter remains joint-owner and becomes joint Chief Executive and Creative Director. Greg Dyke becomes Executive Chairman of the larger group. Other board members include: Sir Eddie Kulukundis, David Blyth, Helen Enright, Michael Lynas, Peter Kavanagh, Richard Lenane, Chris Graham, Simon Davidson, Peter Beckwith, and Bill Benjamin.

2010s

  • In 2010, Squire and Panter open the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre their 42nd theatre (their 39th currently within ATG).
  • In 2010, London's Evening Standard named Squire and her husband jointly as the most influential people in British Theatre in the newspaper's list of London's 1000 most influential people 2010.[16]
  • From 2010 to 2016, Squire and Panter have topped The Stage 100 a record-breaking seven times consecutively.
  • 2011 – Following the hugely successful run of Ghost The Musical at the Opera House, Squire and Panter/The Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG) launched its Manchester Gets it First (MGiF) initiative – the company's commitment to bringing the biggest new musicals to Manchester before London and other major cities.[17][18]
  • 2014 – Sir Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire top The Stage 100 list for the fifth consecutive year, equalling the record-breaking run previously set by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, establishing Squire as the most prominent woman in British Theatre of the modern era. This exclusive list, compiled annually by the industry’s leading newspaper, ranks the powerhouses of British Theatre.
  • In June 2014, Squire is named the only Master Entrepreneur for the London & South Region at EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Awards.
  • In October 2014, Squire is named UK Overall Winner at the UK Finals of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014, and is the first woman to top the award.
  • In March 2015, Squire launches The SPACe (the Squire Performing Arts Centre) at Nottingham Girl’s High School which is named in her family’s honour by her former school. Squire is currently Chair of the ‘Raise the Curtain’ Development Board at the school, alongside its Patron, Dame Stella Rimington, set up to build the state of the art facility.
  • In June 2015, Squire becomes the first woman ever to represent the UK at the EY World Entrepreneur Awards in Monaco, one of only 6 woman world finalists in a field of 60 overall, and shortlisted to the final 10.
  • In May 2017 founded Trafalgar Entertainment Group with Howard Panter and acquired Trafalgar Studios and Picturehouse Cinemas' broadcast and distribution arm Picturehouse Entertainment rebranding it as Trafalgar Releasing[19]
  • In December 2017 she was appointed Chair of Arts Council South West

Productions

Note: Produced by Rosemary Squire unless otherwise noted

Honours and awards

  • 2006 – Squire won the CBI Real Business First Women Award for Tourism and Leisure
  • 2007 – appointed an OBE for Services to Theatre
  • In 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 together with her husband and business partner Howard Panter, Squire was named Most Powerful Person in British Theatre by the Stage Newspaper in their annual Stage 100 list
  • The Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG) was also shortlisted in 2010's 'Ones to Recognise' feature which is published as part of The Sunday Times PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100 Ones to Recognise.
  • In 2012 ATG was announced as the UK's second fastest growing privately backed company in The Sunday Times Buyout Track 100, sponsored by Deloitte.
  • In 2013, Squire was placed at number 16 in the BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Power List[20]
  • In June 2014, Squire was named the only Master Entrepreneur for the London & South Region at EY's Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Awards, a programme aimed at discovering exceptional companies and leaders that display the confidence, quality and aspiration to grow and prosper.
  • In October 2014, Squire was named the UK Overall Winner at the UK Finals of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014.
  • In 2018 New Year Honours, she was named Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
  • Ernst & Young (UK)
2008 Entrepreneur of the Year – Regional Finalist (with Howard Panter) [21]
1991 Best Musical – Carmen Jones[22]
2010 No1 London's 1000 Most Influential People: Theatre – Squire and husband Howard Panter[16]
1992 Musical of the Year – Carmen Jones[23]
1998 Best Entertainment – Slava's Snow Show[24]
1999 Best New Play – The Weir
2002 Best Entertainment – Shockheaded Peter[25]
2003 Best New Play – Vincent in Brixton
2006 Outstanding Musical Production – Guys and Dolls
2009 Best Musical Revival – La Cage Aux Folles[26]
2002 Workforce Development Award for Innovation (Private Sector)
2005 Excellence in Workforce Development Award
2012 One of the 250 of the most influential people in Greater Manchester (shared with Howard Panter)[27]
  • The Stage's Top 100 People in British Theatre (UK)
2010 No. 1 (Shared With Howard Panter)[2]
2011 No. 1 (Shared With Howard Panter)[28]
2012 No. 1 (Shared With Howard Panter)[2]
2013 No. 1 (Shared With Howard Panter)[2]
2014 No. 1 (Shared With Howard Panter)[2]
2015 No. 1 (Shared With Howard Panter)[29]
2003 Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100 League Table One of the UK's fastest growing private companies
2010 PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100 One to Recognise[30]
2010 Deloitte Buyout Track 100 Second Fastest Growing Privately backed Company[31]

In April 2013, ATG ranked at No. 6 on The Sunday Times PwC Profit Track 100 List; the 100 firms are ranked by their profit growth over a three-year period.

Personal life

Childhood

Born in Nottingham, England. Educated at Nottingham Girls' High School followed by Southampton University and then Brown University (USA).

Marriage and family

Squire married Alan Brodie in 1982. They had two children, Jenny (born 1986) and Daniel (born 1987). Their marriage was dissolved in 1994. Squire is married to her business partner Howard Panter. The couple first met in 1979[32] at the Queen's Theatre, London where Squire was working in the box office during Panter's production of And a Nightingale Sang.[33] They married in 1994.[34] They had their first child Kate in 2002. Panter is step-father to Squire's children, Jenny and Daniel.

Other

In February 2013 she was assessed as the 16th most powerful woman in the United Kingdom by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.[20] In 2014, she was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year, becoming the first woman to ever win the top UK award. In 2015 chair of the “Raise the Curtain” Development Board at Nottingham Girls' High School, alongside Patron, Dame Stella Rimington. Squire was central to securing a £7.5 pledge from the Girls' Day School Trust which was used to build the Squire Performing Arts Centre (The SPACe) and led the fundraising of an additional £1.5m to complete the project for her alma mater. As Chair of Great Ormond Street Hospital's Theatre for Theatres appeal, she raised over £5m and now chairs another major fundraising appeal for the hospital.

References

  1. ↑ "ATG's Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire placed first in The Stage 100: News". The Stage. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "ATG's Panter and Squire complete Stage 100 hat-trick". The Stage. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  3. ↑ "We reveal the winners of The Stage 100 Awards: News". The Stage. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "The Stage 100 2016: People". The Stage. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "100 2014: the list in full: People". The Stage. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Lucy Bannerman, Oliver Wright (2017-12-28). "Honour for theatre's most powerful woman Rosemary Squire four years after husband Sir Howard Panter". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  7. ↑ "Rosemary Squire CV" (DOC). Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  8. ↑ Riah Matthews, "Rosemary Squire of Ambassador Theatre Group on Live Nation takeover", This is Nottingham, 23 February 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  9. 1 2 "Rosemary Squire CV" (DOC). Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  10. ↑ Kate Rankine, "Business profile: Impresario who never recovered from being stage-struck", The Telegraph, 4 January 2003. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  11. 1 2 "Rosemary Squire profile". Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  12. ↑ "ROSEMARY SQUIRE APPOINTED NATIONAL MEMBER OF THE ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND BOARD" (DOC). Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  13. ↑ "Co-Founder and Joint CEO : The Ambassador Theatre Group Ltd (ATG)" (DOC). Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "Aylesbury Vale District Council • Operator chosen for Aylesbury Waterside Theatre". Aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  15. ↑ "AMBASSADOR THEATRE GROUP BUYS LIVE NATION UK THEATRES" (DOC). Atgtickets.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
  16. 1 2 "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.
  17. ↑ "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.
  18. ↑ "What's On: Music, Film, & Things To Do in Manchester – Manchester Evening News". Citylife.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "UK distributor Trafalgar Releasing reveals structure and growth plan". Screen. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  20. 1 2 "BBC Radio 4 – The Power List 2013". Bbc.co.uk. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  21. ↑ "ATG Magazine Autumn/Winter 2008 by ATG Tickets". ISSUU. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "Evening Standard Awards 1955–2002". Thisislondon.co.uk. 12 November 2002. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  23. ↑ "Olivier Award: Carmen Jones". Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  24. ↑ "Olivier Award: Slava's Snow Show". Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
  25. ↑ "Olivier Award: Shockheaded Peter". BBC News. 15 February 2002. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  26. ↑ "Olivier Award: La Cage Aux Folles". Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  27. ↑ "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.
  28. ↑ "ATG retains top spot in Stage 100". The Stage. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  29. ↑ "The Stage's Top 100 People in British Theatre".
  30. ↑ "EDITOR’S NOTES:". Feed.ne.cision.com. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  31. ↑ "Deloitte Buyout Track 100: Second Fastest Growing Privately backed Company". Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2012.
  32. ↑ Louise Jury, "Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire – Mr & Mrs West End", London Evening Standard, 6 November 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  33. ↑ Teather, David. "Howard Panter, theatrical ambassador". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  34. ↑ "Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire". Thisislondon.co.uk. 6 November 2009. Archived from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
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