Sir Howard Hugh Panter is a British theatre impresario and theatre operator. With his wife Rosemary Squire he ran the Ambassador Theatre Group from about 1995 until 2016; they remain directors and shareholders of the company. When they left the active management of ATG, they bought

Trafalgar Studios Trafalgar Theatre is a West End theatre in Whitehall, near Trafalgar Square, in the City of Westminster, London. The Grade II listed building was built in 1930 with interiors in the Art Deco style as the Whitehall Theatre; it regularly staged ...

(the former Whitehall Theatre), which became the centre of a new company, Trafalgar Entertainment. In a guide to "the 100 most influential people in UK theatre" published by ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. Founded in 1880, ''The Stage'' contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at thos ...

'', Panter and Squire were placed first each year from 2010 to 2016. In 2013 they were placed first in the theatre section of the ''

Evening Standard The ''London Standard'', formerly the ''Evening Standard'' (1904–2024) and originally ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), is a long-established regional newspaper published weekly and distributed free newspaper, free of charge in London, Engl ...

'' 'Power 1000'. Panter received a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the 2013 Birthday Honours.

Career

In 1991, with Sir Eddie Kulukundis and the brothers Peter and John Beckwith, Panter became a director of a company which bought the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by ...

and in 1992 was renamed The Duke Of York's Theatre (Holdings) Limited. It later bought the Ambassadors Theatre, and was again renamed, to Ambassador Theatre Group. In 2016 Panter and Squire ceased to manage the Ambassador Theatre Group. They bought

(the former Whitehall Theatre) from the group, and made it the centre of a new company, Trafalgar Entertainment.

Other roles

Panter is on the development board of

LAMDA The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) is a drama school located in Hammersmith, London. Founded in 1861, it is the oldest specialist drama school in the British Isles and a founding member of the Federation of Drama Schools. In ...

, and was chairman of the

Rambert Dance Company Rambert (known as Rambert Dance Company before 2014) is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it exerted a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingd ...

for ten years. In March 2020 he was appointed chair of The Birmingham Rep Theatre. He is a director of Rocky Horror Company Limited.

Reception

Panter and Squire have received a number of joint awards and recognitions: * 2008

Ernst & Young EY, previously known as Ernst & Young, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership, network based in London, United Kingdom. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, it is one of the Big Four accounting firms, Big F ...

"Entrepreneur of the Year": regional finalist * 2010 Evening Standard Awards, "London's 1000 Most Influential People: Theatre": first place * 2012 ''

Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...

'' Awards, "250 of the most influential people in Greater Manchester" * 2010–2016, ''

'' "Top 100 People In British Theatre": first place * 2019 Honorary Freedom of the Borough of

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...

. .n.(17 June 2019)
Long serving members of Woking community honoured by council
Eagle Radio. Archived 5 August 2019. Panter received a knighthood in 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours for "services to theatre".

Personal life

Panter met Rosemary Squire at the Queen's Theatre in London, where both were working during his production of '' And a Nightingale Sang'' with Patricia Routledge.

Simon Callow Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English actor. Known as a character actor on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades including an Olivier Award and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for two BAFT ...

was his

best man A groomsman or usher is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usuall ...

at their wedding.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Panter, Howard Living people 20th-century theatre managers Knights Bachelor British theatre managers and producers People educated at Clayesmore School Year of birth missing (living people)