Theatre lovers are in for a treat when the woman known as The Queen of the West End, Rosemary Squire OBE, takes to the stage for one night only at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) to talk about her incredible career.
Rosemary Squire OBE received an honorary degree from DMU last summer
Dr Squire, who with her husband Sir Howard Panter topped The Stage 100 Power List for a record seven years running, will be appearing at the recently opened Leicester Castle Business School tomorrow night, Wednesday 15 March, to take part in one of a series of talks and Q&As under the banner Visionary Leadership in Challenging Times.
Dr Squire is the Founder Director and Deputy Chairman - and the presiding spirit - of the Ambassador Theatre Group, or ATG.
After 25 years, ATG now has 45 venues in Britain, America and Australia. There are between 30 and 40 million visits to the theatre in the UK each year and ATG sells one in three of those tickets.
Dr Squire was made an Honorary Doctor of Arts at DMU last summer by the Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities, in recognition of her entrepreneurial drive and spirit “mirroring the creativity and innovation encouraged at DMU”.
Now she is returning to the university to reveal more about her career, from programme seller to one of legendary theatre impresaria.
The event is free but you must book a place in advance for the talk, which starts at 5.30pm tomorrow, by emailing swalker@dmu.ac.uk
When Dr Squire received her honorary degree she was quick to praise DMU’s courses and offer some golden advice to students and graduates.
She said at the time: “I am really impressed with the Arts and Festivals Management courses at the university, and have spoken at DMU conferences. We have also employed DMU graduates at Ambassador Theatre Group. The quality of the arts courses is second-to-none.
“I think the arts education at DMU is practical too. I am really impressed. The students are not just learning, they are living the work too, and developing all the skills needed to work in the entertainment industry.”
For students and graduates looking to enter the world of theatre Dr Squire said: “I would say think big, allow yourself to develop a vision. Take your time. Think about what you really love. The important thing is to know your direction. If you know where you are going, there are many different routes to get there.
“It is important to be prepared too. Hard work pays off and opportunities always arise. You need to seize the moment and be ready for it.
“Learn from people. Give yourself plenty of tools in your toolkit, whether that is in ticket sales or theatre marketing or digital channels. So, when something arises, you know how to approach it.
“Go and see everything. If you’re going to work in the entertainment business, you have to understand what entertains people.”
Leicester Castle Business School has been created by DMU to meet the needs of 21st Century business.
Under the leadership on Professor Dana Brown, the school is based in the inspirational setting of the Great Hall of Leicester Castle, which has undergone a £4.2 million refurbishment programme.
The next talk in the series will be on Wednesday 5 April with Professor David Llewellyn of Loughborough University.
Posted on Tuesday 14 March 2017