Wed 8 May 2019
Two theatre entrepreneurs who have built their lives in the entertainment industry have relocated part of their business from West Byfleet to Woking town centre as part of their new company’s expansion.
Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire OBE are no strangers to Woking having spent more than two decades running their former global business, Ambassador Theatre Group, from the town.
Their new business venture, Trafalgar Entertainment, is now following a similar path, and has moved into Export House on Wolsey Walk.
As a live entertainment business, the company has seen significant growth since its establishment in 2017. Originally operating from its West End venue, Trafalgar Studios in London, Trafalgar Entertainment has since opened two offices (one on The Strand in London; the other in West Byfleet) and has gone onto acquire Trafalgar Releasing (formerly Picturehouse Entertainment) and Stagecoach Performing Arts, the UK market leader in extra-curricular Performing Arts tuition with over 1,800 schools and classes and over 48,000 students in the UK and worldwide.
The company’s production arm, Trafalgar Theatre Productions, is also producing a group of new shows and classic musicals in London and internationally including the Lincoln Center’s award-winning production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, The Rocky Horror Show, Admissions, The Grinning Man, Apologia and Killer Joe.
As part of the move, Stagecoach Performing Arts has also relocated its Headquarters from Walton-on-Thames to the shared Trafalgar Entertainment office at Export House. The move also brings new employment prospects with plans for a call centre and new jobs already being recruited.
Rosemary Squire, Executive Chair and Joint CEO of Trafalgar Entertainment, said: “Howard and I live in Surrey and have based our work here and in London for over two decades. When we founded ATG, the New Victoria Theatre and Ambassadors Cinemas at the Peacocks Centre, became our very first regional venues. We later established our Head Office in the town centre.
“When we started our new business, Trafalgar Entertainment in 2017, with so many new colleagues also based in Surrey, we always knew we’d love to have a presence in Woking again. Now of course, we’ve been able to bring our colleagues from Stagecoach Performing Arts along with us which is a really exciting development and it feels like a homecoming for us all.
“We have two wonderful contemporary office spaces in London and Woking which are great platforms for our future growth. We’re truly delighted with our new home at Export House and we’re looking forward to working alongside the other companies in the building.”
Sarah Kelly, CEO of Stagecoach Performing Arts, added: “This has been a really significant move for everyone at Stagecoach Performing Arts. Not only has it brought us closer to our colleagues at Trafalgar Entertainment, it’s also enabled us to offer first class training sessions and support for our Principals in a modern office environment. Delegate feedback from our initial training sessions here has been very positive and people seem to love our new home.”