Stagecoach Theatre Arts, the parent company of Stagecoach Performing Arts School franchise, has been acquired by Trafalgar Entertainment Group , a live entertainment business specialising in venues, production and live screening.
TEG is run by joint CEO’s Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire, two of the most influential entertainment entrepreneurs of the last 20 years.
The business was established following Panter and Squire’s successful exit from the Ambassador Theatre Group.
Stagecoach Performing Arts is the largest network of extra-curricular children’s performing arts schools in the UK, with nearly 700 schools offering over 1,700 classes across nine countries worldwide.
Notable alumni are Emma Watson, Jamie Bell, Eleanor Tomlinson, Tuppence Middleton, Tom Fletcher, Dani Harmer, Josh Cuthbert, Danny Mac and Charlotte Jaconelli.
Sarah Kelly, who has led Stagecoach Performing Arts since 2013, will continue as CEO.
She says: “Helping children accomplish on the stage of life is something every parent wants, regardless of where they are in the world, and we’re excited at the prospect of becoming part of the Trafalgar Entertainment Group family and the opportunities this will create.”
Rosemary Squire says: “Howard and I have always been strong believers in building creative skills for the future.
“This is becoming increasingly important as mainstream schools struggle to offer creative arts specialisms and parents are looking for alternatives to digital entertainment for their children.
“We introduced the award winning Creative Learning programme at ATG and see the acquisition of Stagecoach as a natural progression.
“We hope our professional expertise and the access we have to performing arts networks will add value to Stagecoach going forward.
“Between us we have a scalable offer, with the potential to grow regionally in the UK and roll out internationally.”
Picture shows Howard Panter, Ken Watanabe and Rosemary Squire with Stagecoach students Sophie Wong and Aiden Li from TEG’s performance of The King and I.
Photo credit: James Bullimore.