Trafalgar Entertainment and Barbican announce three-year deal to develop new shows

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Robert Lindsay, Sutton Foster and Samuel Edwards with the company of Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre, London in 2021. Photo: Tristram Kenton

Trafalgar Entertainment and the Barbican Centre have unveiled a three-year partnership in which the two companies will bring large-scale productions to the arts venue over the next three summers and develop new shows from scratch.

The deal follows on from Trafalgar Entertainment, run by Howard Panter and Rosemary Squire, bringing Anything Goes to the Barbican in 2021 and 2022, and A Strange Loop, which is currently running at the venue.

Between 2024 and 2026, Trafalgar will present "first-class, large-scale productions" in the 1,200-seat Barbican Theatre, the Barbican said.

In addition, the two organisations plan jointly to commission and develop shows that can have a life outside of the theatre. The Barbican will be involved in the development of shows from the very beginning, rather than purely being an investor.

Barbican artistic director Will Gompertz explained that the two organisations had developed their relationship over the past three years, and described it as a "really good marriage of minds".

"They [Trafalgar Entertainment] really get the Barbican. It wasn’t just Anything Goes – it was Anything Goes with Sutton Foster. Their willingness and ability to ’think Barbican’ and ours to ’think Trafalgar’ seems to be a really good marriage of minds, in terms of presenting great work with a contemporary twist," he said.

Thinking about the summer shows that the two organisations will present over the next three years, Gompertz said musicals were "definitely the starting the point".

"Musicals are a focus over that summer season – to build a national and international reputation for putting on exceptional musicals in the summer is the target. But it doesn’t mean that if an amazing piece comes up that is not a musical, but a straight play, that we would not pursue that," he said.

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As part of the partnership, Trafalgar Entertainment has set up a development fund, allowing the two organisations to begin developing and commissioning shows from scratch, primarily outside of the summer seasons.

However, Gompertz said it was possible that something the two companies develop together could play in the Barbican Theatre within the next three years, as part of one of the summer runs.

"It’s entirely possible if we got our skates on that one of those pieces we develop could end up in the main theatre within the three years. It might or might not be a musical," he added.

He added: "It’s entirely possible we go down the Strange Loop route again, or that we create a new piece of work, and I think that is what is so exciting: nothing is hard and fast; the work and the ideas and the art will lead the decision-making."

He also said the Barbican was keen to "start thinking about developing shows from scratch that have a life beyond the Barbican", with these productions playing at other venues in the UK or abroad.

In addition, Trafalgar Entertainment is backing the Barbican’s plans to support new backstage talent, with a new work placement scheme to "support the development of skills, experience and networking in backstage and technical roles".

Potential placements include joining Trafalgar Entertainment in its production office or at one of its venues to learn about producing, while the Barbican is offering shadowing roles in the summer season shows or on projects the two organisations develop.

"Supporting people from a variety of backgrounds to get into the arts is right at the top of our agenda, and it’s fantastic that Trafalgar will be supporting that. It’s part of a bigger story we hope to tell in the coming weeks," Gompertz said.

Panter, chief executive of Trafalgar Entertainment, described the new partnership as "innovative" and one that would "allow for longer-term planning of the premium productions we plan to bring to the Barbican’s stage and beyond".

"After three very successful summer seasons since 2021, we are delighted to be continuing and developing our strong relationship with the Barbican through this new holistic partnership," he said.