The Stage

ATG’s Panter and Squire complete Stage 100 hat-trick

Published Thursday 5 January 2012 at 00:01 by The Stage

Ambassador Theatre Group’s Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire have topped The Stage 100 for the third year in a row.

Now in its 16th year, The Stage 100 is the annual guide to the 100 most influential people working in the UK theatre industry. Panter and Squire, who are the joint chief executives and founders of ATG - the UK’s leading theatre operator and a major producer - are only the second entrants to top the list for three consecutive years. The only other person to have done so is Andrew Lloyd Webber, who was first in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

National Theatre artistic and executive directors Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr are placed second in this year’s list, ahead of their equivalent numbers at the Royal Shakespeare Company - Michael Boyd and Vikki Heywood - who are third. Lloyd Webber is tied in fourth place with Cameron Mackintosh.

The highest climbers in this year’s Stage 100 are Jonathan Church and Alan Finch - the team behind the Chichester Festival Theatre, who are placed six, up ten places from 16th in 2011, thanks to a year which has seen the south coast venue secure numerous West End transfers.

New entries into the top 20 are: Josie Rourke (the director of the Bush Theatre, soon to take over at the Donmar), Matthew Warchus (director of Matilda and Ghost), Tim Minchin (composer of Matilda), Tony Hall (chief executive of the Royal Opera House) and Julian Bird (chief executive of the Society of London Theatre and Theatrical Management Association).

Alistair Smith, deputy editor of The Stage, said: “ATG has cemented its place at the top of The Stage 100 – they are now UK theatre’s undoubted commercial superpower.

“Elsewhere, you can see the increasing stength of the subsidised sector within the list. Especially from an artistic point of view, productions from subsidised theatres – like Matilda and One Man, Two Guvnors – are really dominating proceedings and it has been a particularly strong year for the National, RSC and Chichester Festival Theatre.”

The full 100 is published in this week’s special edition of The Stage.

The top 20 in full (last year’s position in square brackets)

1. Howard Panter/Rosemary Squire (Ambassador Theatre Group) [1]

2. Nicholas Hytner / Nick Starr (National Theatre) [2=]

3. Michael Boyd / Vikki Heywood (Royal Shakespeare Company) [7]

4= Andrew Lloyd Webber (Really Useful Group) [6]

4= Cameron Mackintosh (Cameron Mackintosh Ltd) [5]

6. Jonathan Church / Alan Finch (Chichester Festival Theatre] [16]

7. Michael Grandage (Donmar Warehouse)[2=]

8. Ruth Mackenzie (Cultural Olympiad) [14]

9. Dominic Cooke / Kate Horton (Royal Court Theatre, London) [2=]

10. Nick Thomas (Qdos Entertainment) [11]

11. Nica Burns / Max Weitzenhoffer (Nimax Theatres) [8]

12. Bill Kenwright (Bill Kenwright Ltd) [9]

13. Kevin Spacey / Sally Greene [10]

14. Sonia Friedman (Sonia Friedman Productions) [12]

15. Tony Hall (Royal Opera House) [new entry]

16. David Lan (Young Vic Theatre) [19]

17. Josie Rourke (Bush Theatre) [new entry]

18. Julian Bird (SOLT /TMA) [new entry]

19. Matthew Warchus (director) [new entry]

20. Tim Minchin (comedian/composer) [new entry]