Supporting the Life Cycle of Trafalgar Entertainment’s Venues
As a company, one thing we’re incredibly proud of is the number of customers who draw on our services year after year. Whether it’s a renowned West End theatre, a local school/college, or an amateur dramatics society, our aim has always been to build long-term relationships with every single client. Such an approach allows us to have an in-depth understanding of each venue we work in; which in turn means we can identify its unique requirements and develop tailored solutions that help each space reach its full potential.
While we do this for many individual venues, we also work with organisations responsible for multiple sites, including educational trusts, holiday park operators and theatre groups.
One such organisation is Trafalgar Entertainment. Founded in 2017 by Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire, Trafalgar Entertainment oversees a portfolio of iconic and historic venues where people come together to experience live entertainment. Its impressive collection of 21 venues includes the Trafalgar Theatre in London’s West End, Bradford Live, Eastbourne Theatres, Southend Cliffs Pavilion, Glasgow Pavilion, G Live Guildford and New Theatre Cardiff, to name but a few. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate enough to provide the technical support to all of these venues – and continue to do so today.
Someone we work particularly close with is Trafalgar’s Technical Operations Manager, Hannah Wye, who comments: “I oversee Trafalgar’s UK venues from a stage and technical operations perspective, working alongside the technical and venue teams to support technical operations, staffing, maintenance compliance, health and safety, and stage and backstage infrastructure. Alongside my colleagues, I help manage technical standards and operational planning to ensure safe, efficient, and high-quality venue performance.”
As a company whose core mission is to take the complexity out of compliance, Solutions On Stage has become a trusted partner in helping Hannah maintain the technical standards across all of her venues. She explains: “When I first met Gareth Matchwick and Darren Williams, the Directors of Solutions On Stage, I was really impressed by their friendly, professional approach and their willingness to support us in whatever way we needed.”
Initially, Hannah engaged Solutions On Stage to carry out routine and statutory inspections of theatre systems, including stage lifts, flying systems, stage risers and rigging equipment. However, once she learned that the company could also provide repairs, training and installations, she began drawing on their expertise to support the full life cycle of Trafalgar’s venues.
Hannah continues: “With their first-hand, in-depth knowledge of our venues, it became clear that Solutions On Stage were in fact best positioned to provide technical advice and practical solutions tailored to our needs. For example, when we experienced a major breakdown of the stage lift at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley, I worked closely with Gareth to coordinate the project. He and his team were fantastic throughout, going above and beyond to ensure we had the resources and support needed to get the lift operational again in time for a crucial production.
She continues: “That experience highlighted not only the value of their knowledge of the venue, but also the importance they place on building close, long-term relationships with their clients.”
Today, Solutions On Stage continues to work closely with Trafalgar Entertainment and recently completed works at its flagship venue, the Trafalgar Theatre.
Reflecting on the relationship, Hannah states: “My experience with Solutions On Stage has been nothing but positive. I’ve always found the team responsive, transparent, and happy to explain things in a way that everyone can understand. It gives you confidence knowing that, whatever the situation, they will always go out of their way to help.”
Gareth concludes: “The fact that Trafalgar trusts us to support the technical operation of its venues means a great deal to us as a company. As has happened many times before, what initially began with inspections has developed into a much broader partnership – with our intricate knowledge of their venues proving invaluable when it comes to maintaining, repairing and upgrading their infrastructure. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Hannah and the team for years to come.”
If you would like to speak to the Solutions On Stage team about how we can support your venue, please get in touch on 0117 244 8625 or email enquiries@solutionsonstage.co.uk.
Photos: 1) Trafalgar Theatre, 2) Churchill Theatre Bromley, 3) Bradford Live