Welcome to the May edition of Ensemble. I hope you’re all staying safe and keeping well.

Hot on the heels of the HQ Theatres acquisition news, we have another exciting and huge announcement to make. Trafalgar Entertainment has been working with Yoo Capital and Deutsche Finance International (DFI) – developers of the £1.3 billion regeneration of Olympia as a world-leading cultural destination – to acquire a 70-year lease on a flagship new venue – the 1,575-seat Olympia Theatre. It will be the largest new permanent theatre build of its kind to open in London since the National Theatre in 1976. And on Friday night last week we signed the binding agreement for lease.

Huge congratulations to Howard, Andrew, David and Alex and all the team who have worked so incredibly hard over several years on this massive and complex project. It’s a major milestone which should become a big step forward for TE and one which should bring significant additional value to the company.

Currently under construction, the Olympia Theatre is scheduled to open in Q4 2025. TE beat off strong competition which included ATG to acquire the £100 million + theatre. We join luxury lifestyle and entertainment brands AEG Presents, Hyatt and citizenM as anchor tenants of the new 14-acre Olympia site alongside the refurbished historic exhibition halls.

The Olympia acquisition comes at a crucial time for the UK’s £100 billion p/y creative industries. It is a strong show of investor confidence in TE and also in the cultural sector as it recovers from the sweeping economic effects of the pandemic which closed most venues for over a year. As you know, TE and our shareholders have shown no signs of slowing down, and is continuing our expansion into Asia Pacific, with the expectation of expanding into other global markets in the not too distant future.

Other major TE news was the announcement that Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill would open the Theatre Royal Sydney in September. Sydney audiences will be the first outside of Broadway to experience this 15-time Tony Award nominated Broadway musical.

Rehearsals are currently underway for our hilarious whodunnit, Death Drop, which is set to open when restrictions lift on 17 May and Trafalgar Releasing has a raft of big music releases heading to cinema screens this month including the live streamed Glastonbury event and Bon Jovi. Meanwhile, Stagecoach has enjoyed a record-breaking month with an unprecedented surge in new students for the summer term.

As we continue to follow the roadmap out of lockdown in the UK, it is hugely encouraging to see an increase in activity across the Group. The demand is there – ticket sales are strong for re-opening and beyond and audiences are treating themselves to the best seats – there is excitement in the air, a need just waiting to be met.

Finally this month, we’re excited to share with you an exclusive first look inside our beautifully restored Trafalgar Theatre! These stunning images haven’t yet been shared anywhere else so please keep them to yourselves for now.

With such a sense of optimism in the air, let’s remind ourselves of all the amazing things we’ve achieved as a Group. Watch our fantastic sizzle reel below. Many thanks to Duncan Bennetts at Stagecoach for all his hard work on creating this!

Until next time, take care and look after yourselves.
Best wishes
Rosemary