Ambassador Theatre Group, which is a force on London’s West End, and Jujamcyn Theaters, a collection of Broadway theaters owned by impresario Jordan Roth, have agreed to combine operations. Financial terms of the merger were not disclosed. The deal is subject to regulatory approval, according to a release, though those details were also left vague.
Roth, who has become almost as well known for his fashion sense and social media presence as for his day job as a theater mogul, a will sit on the board as the largest individual shareholder of the combined group. He will also serve as its creative director. Mark Cornell, who currently heads up Ambassador Theatre Group, will serve as CEO of the combined companies.
Ambassador Theatre Group runs more than 50 venues in Britain, the U.S. and Germany. Two of those locations are on Broadway, the Lyric and the Hudson. Jujamcyn runs five Broadway venues, the St. James Theatre, the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, the August Wilson Theatre, the Eugene O’Neill Theatre and the Walter Kerr Theatre. Roth also produced the Tony-winning revival of “Angels in America,” as well as the concert version of “Into the Woods.”
“We are delighted to be combining our operations with Jujamcyn,” Cornell said. “Our combined expertise and capabilities will enable producers and other creatives to bring their visions to life and create the unimaginable for our audiences. We are excited by the further development opportunities for our valued employees. I look forward to working with Jordan, Hal and the team at Jujamcyn to continue creating shows that touch, move, and unite people.”
“This is a thrilling next chapter for Jujamcyn and ATG in our continued commitment to creating raves among our audiences, artists, producers, and teams,” Roth said. “Our companies share a passion for innovation and hospitality as well a deep belief in the power of theater. By bringing our teams and talents together, we can bring out the best in each other to deliver that vision.”
The transaction is expected to complete in 2023. News of the merger broke in the New York Times.
