ATG's renaming plans

The Ambassador Theatre Group, the umbrella body above 39 theatre venues, has announced that it is looking into selling the naming rights to some of its historic London and regional venues. Commercial factors have swayed the organisation towards securing sponsorship deals with brands, regardless of the fact ATG is the UK’s largest theatre operator. This activity, perhaps somewhat controversial, has been a great success in the States. On Broadway, renaming deals have generated millions of pounds and some have lasted for more than a decade, providing the arts with a larger disposable income and the opportunity to put the money to good use. It is undeniable that this money would be of benefit to the UK arts following rather disappointing economical circumstances of the last few years, however it would see theatres potentially losing their identity as audiences know them today. Around half of the London venues ATG holds leases for are listed buildings yet this would not prevent the theatres from being renamed. Consent would only need to be granted for a change in the signage to ensure it did not detract from the building’s heritage, according to the national advisory body the Theatres Trust. So far there has been no decision from ATG regarding renaming theatres, aiming to deal with any potential interest in naming rights on a case-by-case basis. Another partnership ATG is said to be interested in is one similar to the Orange Wednesday cinema ticket scheme for free theatre tickets when purchasing others. This would be in addition to looking at working with brands that could provide discounted tickets to audiences – similar to the National Theatre’s Travelex scheme, which offers £12 tickets to select shows throughout the year. We think the Dancewear Central Royal Albert Hall has a nice ring to it!