Special Reports

TheaterMania.com, Inc., Acquires UK-based Media Company WhatsonStage.com

TheaterMania’s acquisition of the UK’s leading digital theater content and ticketing company allows both organizations to provide patrons with easy access to tickets and information through their respective websites, digital newsletters, and apps.

January 9, 2013 — TheaterMania.com, Inc., announced that it has acquired WhatsonStage.com, a leading digital theater content and ticketing company based in the United Kingdom, from Time Out Group. The two companies share the mission of providing patrons with easy access to theater tickets and information through their respective websites, digital newsletters and apps.

“TheaterMania has enjoyed a close friendship with WhatsonStage.com for many years and is pleased to finally unite our two companies. We can better serve global audiences and productions by leveraging each other’s strengths in our respective markets,” says TheaterMania’s CEO Gretchen Shugart.

Terri Paddock, Founding Editor and Managing Director of WhatsonStage.com, adds, “We look forward to working with TheaterMania to create the first dedicated transatlantic digital theater media group serving the world’s two great theater capitals, London and New York, and markets throughout the United States and United Kingdom. This is an exciting opportunity for all of us.”

In addition to their websites, TheaterMania and WhatsonStage each own and manage large email databases of theater fans and ticket buyers who subscribe to their ticket promotions and newsletters. They both operate member-only theater clubs for entertainment enthusiasts, and each presents a local awards show in their respective markets. TheaterMania produces the Drama Desk Awards, New York’s annual celebration of Broadway, Off and Off Off Broadway, and WhatsonStage presents the WhatsonStage.com Awards, the UK’s original “theatergoers’ choice” awards, which are now entering their 13th year and are decided across the board by the theater-going public.

ABOUT THEATERMANIA.COM, INC.: Founded in 1999, TheaterMania connects the theater industry with a mass consumer audience, comprehensive listings, news, reviews, features, interviews, and video content covering theater across the United States. TM’s widely distributed email newsletters provide special offers to its subscribers. In addition to providing theaters with online marketing programs to drive ticket sales, TheaterMania’s proprietary ticketing system OvationTix ™ is used throughout America by hundreds of performing arts organizations, museums, concerts, festivals, and events to process tickets sales, and manage fundraising and patron information. TheaterMania produces the Drama Desk Awards, New York’s theater awards honoring excellence in Broadway, Off and Off Off Broadway. This season’s 58th Annual Drama Desk Awards will take place in New York City at The Town Hall on May 19, 2013.

ABOUT WHATSONSTAGE LIMITED: Launched in 1996, WhatsonStage.com is the UK’s biggest and best dedicated theater website, ranked number 1 in the UK by Alexa and number 2 by Hitwise amongst all performing arts websites, and named one of the top 100 arts tweeters by The London Times. It comprises a listings database of some 5,500-plus performances nationwide, as well as unrivaled theater news, reviews, photos, interviews, gossip, blogs, ticket sales and offers, and lively discussion boards. The audience represents the country’s most avid theater-going demographic available online. WhatsonStage founded and presents the annual WhatsonStage.com Awards. This year’s winners, voted by the theater-going public, will be announced in London at the star-studded 2013 WhatsonStage.com Awards Ceremony and Concert at West End’s historic Palace Theatre on February 17th.

For further press information on TheaterMania.com, Inc. contact Kelley L. Smith at 646-500-8324 or email kelley.smith@theatermania.com, and on WhatsonStage Limited, contact Laura Norman on 020 7317 9100 or email press@whatsonstage.com.