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The Istanbul-based promoter will create "pioneering festival opportunities" and "unique concert experiences" with new partner Selladoor Worldwide
By Jon Chapple on 21 May 2018
Turkish promoter Piu Entertainment and UK theatre company Selladoor Worldwide have entered into a joint venture that will see the two companies co-presenting concerts in Britain and eastern Europe.
Istanbul-based Piu, which promotes classical, jazz, world music and some rock shows, opened an office in London in late 2016. The agreement will see the two partners “pull together their respective international offices in Bangkok, New York, London, Ankara, Dubai and Istanbul to create a major international foundation for launching and touring high quality entertainment further and wider”, according to a joint statement.
Selladoor produced nine shows, with more than 900 performances across eight countries, including Spamalot, Footloose, The Quite Remarkable Adventures of the Owl and the Pussycat and Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure, in 2017. Piu’s CEO, Cemil Demirok, says joining forces with London-based Selladoor will enable the company to “expand their passion for family entertainment and theatre on a global basis”.
“In 2017, we opened our London office in order to bring internationally renowned artists to UK audiences – many for the first time – and to create a strategic presence on the global stage of entertainment production,” comments Demirok. “In developing the next stage of our plan to widen entertainment opportunities for world audiences, we are delighted to be partnering with Selladoor Worldwide. Together we plan to create pioneering festival opportunities, unique concert experiences, permanent and high-quality productions in music and theatre and much more.
“We are particularly keen to diversify our offering into non-theatre entertainment and move into live music”
“Selladoor is also a young company, having been formed just ten years ago by its founders who were all at LIPA [Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts] together. We at Piu share their boundless enthusiasm for live performing arts, for a wide slate of entertainment and a love of music, theatre, new writing and performance. We look forward to working with them and will be announcing out first productions very soon.”
Adds Selladoor executive creative producer David Hutchinson: “As we continue to explore the richly diverse theatre markets around the world, we are extremely fortunate to have Piu Entertainment provide excellent knowledge and experience into new regions that Selladoor Worldwide have not yet ventured. As well as expanding the locational opportunities for our productions, we are particularly keen to diversify our offering into non-theatre entertainment and move into live music and non-traditional theatre spaces.
“Selladoor Worldwide currently produce exclusively musicals, plays, and family theatre, and are novices in the music event industry so we are thrilled by the opportunity our joint venture with Piu Entertainment offers.”
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