Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) has confirmed they have an exclusive three-year partnership with Bad Robot Live. Bad Robot Live is a newly formed theatre division of filmmaker J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions. The two companies will work as creative collaborators and co-producers, to help bring to the stage Abrams’ “unique producorial vision.”
ATG is already one of the world’s leading producers of theatrical events on both Broadway and London’s West End. Some of their theatrical event include recent productions of “Cabaret,” “Cyrano,” “Plaza Suite,” and David Byrne’s award-winning “American Utopia.” They are also currently previewing Broadway versions of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” starring Jessica Chastain and “Parade.” This deal will give them the opportunity to partner on Bad Robot Live’s current and future theatre projects.
The first project under this new arrangement is Liz Kingsman’s solo show, aptly titled, “One Woman Show.” It had a sold-out run at The Ambassadors Theatre in London and just received a 2023 Olivier Award Nomination for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play. The show is co-produced by Wessex Grove, of ATG Productions, and Bad Robot Live will be bringing it to the US in 2023.
Bad Robot Live may be new, but it is already developing a slew of new plays, musicals, and immersive events. Elizabeth Rothman, formally from the Manhattan Theatre Club, heads up this division.
“We have long sought to partner with the most innovative and imaginative forces to help create new content for the stage, and Bad Robot Live, under J.J. Abrams’s visionary leadership, is a perfect match for our producing arm,” CEO of ATG Mark Cornell said in a statement. “Our goal is to collaborate with and empower their incredible team to support what they do so incredibly well: captivate global audiences.”
“We couldn’t feel luckier to be partnering with ATG,” Abrams said. “Their accomplishments, accolades, and stats speak for themselves, but what makes us most excited are the people. The chance to work alongside Mark Cornell, Kristin Caskey, Adam Speers and their talented team on creating riveting live entertainment is both humbling and genuinely thrilling.”
We hope this new partnership is fruitful for both companies because it sounds like it will produce some cool stuff. With things like “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” hitting the stage it seems like the right time for pop culture and theater to merge harder.
