Top UK Theatre Award Nominates ATG Theatre Managers

Two Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) General Managers have been nominated for a UK Theatre Award, the only nationwide awards to honour creative excellence and the outstanding achievement seen on and off stage throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Diane Belding from the Liverpool Empire and Neil Chandler from New Wimbledon Theatre have been nominated for the UK Theatre Insurance Award For Theatre Employee Or Manager Of The Year.

Diane began her theatre journey in 1995 at the newly constructed multi-purpose venue Grimsby Auditorium in North East Lincolnshire. Over a period of seventeen years she covered a number of roles including front of house assistant, box office manager, deputy general manager and finally general manager before moving cross country to the 2,381 seated Liverpool Empire Theatre in 2012.

2016 sees the 150th anniversary of live entertainment at the theatre site on Liverpool Lime Street and Diane and her team has the honour of hosting a Royal Gala Performance of Willy Russell's Blood Brothers, in the presence of HRH Price Edward, later this month.

Diane said, "I am totally overwhelmed to receive a nomination for Theatre Manager of the Year. I am very honoured to work alongside a team of dedicated and experienced staff at the Empire Theatre and ATG. This nomination would not have been possible without the support of my family who encouraged me throughout this exciting journey."

After spending ten years as a Cruise Director, working for the world's leading cruise lines (Carnival Corporation, Princess Cruises), and based in Hollywood, Neil joined Fairfield Halls in 2009 as Front of House Manager - later becoming Head of Operations in 2010. He then moved on to Woodville Halls (re-branded The Woodville) in Gravesend in 2011, taking the venue from 23,000 admits per year to 97,000 when he left in April 2015. Neil was also involved with the Family Arts Festival from its initial launch, presenting his ideas on Family Friendly theatres at the 2015 conference.

In 2015 Neil was delighted to join the ATG family and become custodian of The Bristol Hippodrome. In Bristol he led the team through a series of positive changes that saw the venue achieve some very positive results.

Neil said, "I am thrilled to have been nominated for Theatre Manager of the Year. I have been with ATG for just over one year and I can honestly say that I haven't felt as enthused about my job or more proud of the company I work for since leaving Princess Cruises in 2009.

"The people I have worked with in all of the venues I have had the pleasure of being based in have helped me achieve this nomination - I may have ideas and the drive to succeed but they have helped me achieve - this nomination is for them... But if I win (against two very well respected and deserving nominees), then the award is definitely for me!"

The Awards will be presented on Sunday 9 October at a ceremony at London's historic Guildhall. Multi-award-winning actor Lesley Manville OBE will compère this year's event.

Since 1991 UK Theatre's annual UK Theatre Awards have celebrated the creative excellence and outstanding work seen in UK theatres each year.The Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) is an extraordinary success story. Founded in 1992, ATG is now the world's number one live-theatre company with more than 40 venues in Britain, the United States and Australia. As a prolific international award-winning producer, ATG creates work across the entertainment spectrum. Dynamism, creativity and quality are at the heart of everything the company produces and ATG presents an average of 40 productions a year, demonstrating the unique quality and range of ATG Productions in a diverse number of theatres and markets worldwide. ATG is also the market leader in theatre ticketing services through ATG Tickets, LOVETheatre and Group Line.

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