Sir Howard Hugh Panter is a British theatre impresario and theatre operator. With his wife Rosemary Squire he ran the Ambassador Theatre Group from about 1995 until 2016; they remain directors and shareholders of the company.[1] When they left the active management of ATG, they bought Trafalgar Studios (the former Whitehall Theatre), which became the centre of a new company, Trafalgar Entertainment.[2][3]

Howard Panter
Panter in 2010
Born
Howard Hugh Panter
Occupation(s)Theatre producer and manager
SpouseRosemary Squire
Children3

In a guide to "the 100 most influential people in UK theatre" published by The Stage, Panter and Squire were placed first each year from 2010 to 2016.[4] In 2013 they were placed first in the theatre section of the Evening Standard 'Power 1000'.[5]

Panter received a knighthood in the 2013 Birthday Honours.[6][7]

Career

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In 1991, with Sir Eddie Kulukundis and the brothers Peter and John Beckwith, Panter became a director of a company which bought the Duke of York's Theatre and in 1992 was renamed The Duke Of York's Theatre (Holdings) Limited.[8][9] It later bought the Ambassadors Theatre, and was again renamed, to Ambassador Theatre Group.[8][9]

In 2016 Panter and Squire ceased to manage the Ambassador Theatre Group. They bought Trafalgar Studios (the former Whitehall Theatre) from the group, and made it the centre of a new company, Trafalgar Entertainment.[2][3][10][11]

Other roles

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Panter is on the development board of LAMDA,[12] and was chairman of the Rambert Dance Company for ten years.[13] In March 2020 he was appointed chair of The Birmingham Rep Theatre.[14][15] He is a director of Rocky Horror Company Limited.[16]

Reception

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Panter and Squire have received a number of joint awards and recognitions:

Panter received a knighthood in 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours for "services to theatre".[24][25]

Personal life

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Panter met Rosemary Squire at the Queen's Theatre in London, where both were working during his production of And a Nightingale Sang with Patricia Routledge.[26] Simon Callow was his best man at their wedding.[26]

References

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  1. ^ "Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire step down from top ATG roles". What's on Stage. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b Burn-Callander, Rebecca (17 May 2016). "Theatre's power couple step back from ATG to run Trafalgar Studios". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b Venning, Nicola (15 April 2018). "Sir Howard Panter: 'It can cost a producer £5m if a musical goes wrong'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Ambassador Theatre Group founders break Stage 100 record". The Guardian. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  5. ^ "The Power 1000 – London's most influential people 2013: Imagineers, Theatre". Evening Standard. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Howard Panter knighted in Queen's Birthday Honours". What's on Stage. 15 June 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  7. ^ "Sir Howard Panter 'humbled' to receive knighthood". What's on Stage. 27 November 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  8. ^ a b The Ambassador Theatre Group Limited: Company number 02671052. Companies House. Accessed March 2022.
  9. ^ a b Kate Rankine (4 January 2003). Business profile: Impresario who never recovered from being stage-struck. The Daily Telegraph. Archived 25 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Sir Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire Announce New Roles". British Theatre. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire to Step Down from Helm of Ambassador Theatre Group". Playbill. 18 May 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  12. ^ "LAMDA – Development Board". 22 June 2006. Archived from the original on 22 June 2006. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  13. ^ "Queen opens £20million Rambert dance centre on London's South Bank". Evening Standard. 21 March 2014. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  14. ^ "New season announced at Birmingham REP". What's on Stage. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  15. ^ "The husband and wife who built a theatre empire". BBC News. 30 March 2015. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  16. ^ "Companies House official records for Rocky Horror Company Limited". Companies House. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  17. ^ ATG Magazine Autumn/Winter 2008 by ATG Tickets, Issuu.com; accessed 2 January 2018.
  18. ^ "London's 1000 most influential people 2010: Theatre". Thisislondon.co.uk. 15 November 2010. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  19. ^ "250 of the Most Influential People in Greater Manchester". 1 February 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  20. ^ "The Stage / News / ATG's Panter and Squire complete Stage 100 hat-tri…". Archive.is. 12 September 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  21. ^ "The Stage / News / ATG retains top spot in Stage 100". 17 September 2011. Archived from the original on 17 September 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  22. ^ "ATG's Panter and Squire break Andrew Lloyd Webber's record to top The Stage 100 for sixth year in a row – News". The Stage. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  23. ^ [s.n.] (17 June 2019). Long serving members of Woking community honoured by council. Eagle Radio. Archived 5 August 2019.
  24. ^ "No. 60534". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 2013. p. 2.
  25. ^ "Birthday Honours List 2013" (PDF). HM Government. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  26. ^ a b Teather, David (10 September 2010). "Howard Panter, theatrical ambassador". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 2 January 2018.