On Aug. 11, global events and experiences company Mari announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire producer, venue owner and ticketing company Ambassador Theatre Group Entertainment (ATG). ATG is currently owned by private equity firm Providence Equity Partners. Ariel Emanuel is the founder and principal investor of Mari, with principal investor and board member Mark Shapiro. The final transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and traditional closing conditions. Mari and ATG will operate as separate ventures until an announcement is made that the transaction has been completed. Financial details of the sale have not been disclosed.
ATG owns, operates or programs 70 venues throughout North America, the U.K. and Europe. Of those, the company owns and operates 10 West End houses and seven Broadway theaters. These Main Stem houses are: the Walter Kerr Theatre (currently home to “Hadestown”), Eugene O’Neill Theatre (“The Book of Mormon”), August Wilson Theatre (the upcoming “Paranormal Activity”), Al Hirschfeld Theatre (“Moulin Rouge!”), St. James Theatre (“Titaníque” and the upcoming “Dolly”), Lyric Theatre (“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”) and the Hudson Theatre (the upcoming “Other Desert Cities”). Five of those theaters (the Hirschfeld, Kerr, O'Neill, St. James and Wilson) were previously owned by Jujamcyn and were acquired by ATG in a deal that was finalized in July 2023. According to the release, Mari intends to invest in the preservation and modernization of all newly acquired venues, including the seven Broadway houses.
In addition to its venue portfolio, ATG produces shows through its in-house team, ATG Productions, and through partner firm Sonia Friedman Productions. During the 2025-2026 Broadway season, ATG was a lead producer of the revivals of “Art” and “Waiting for Godot.” In the 2026-2027 season, it’s set to produce “Other Desert Cities” and “Dolly” — both at previously mentioned ATG (soon to be Mari) venues.
Finally, ATG is also a provider of ticketing services for theater and live events. This past Broadway season, the company provided ticket and revenue services for the aforementioned “Art,” the new musical “The Queen of Versailles,” the revival of “Chess,” the comedy “All Out,” the solo show “Every Brilliant Thing” and the Adrien Brody-starrer “The Fear of 13.”
Mari specializes in live experiences — from sporting events (like the Miami Open tennis tournament) to art (the Armory Show), collectibles (Barrett-Jackson Auction Company events) and lifestyle (Secret Cinema). Mari also owns TodayTix Group, which it acquired in October 2025.
“I’ve spent my whole career in entertainment, and I started out in theater,” said Emanuel. “I’ve seen the industry reinvent itself many times, but live has only grown more powerful. Nothing connects great talent with audiences more directly. ATG has built one of the world’s great theater businesses around that experience. This is a long-term bet on where live goes next.”
Emanuel began his entertainment career as a talent agent with CAA in the 1980s. After working for a couple of other agencies, he founded the Endeavor Agency in 1995, which he ran alongside co-chief executive Patrick Whitesell. (The character Ari Gold in the series “Entourage” is inspired by Emanuel.) In 2009, Emanuel and Whitesell merged Endeavor with the William Morris Agency, forming WME. In 2012, WME partnered with Silver Lake, a firm specializing in tech investments. In 2014, WME acquired talent firm, IMG, to become WME-IMG. In 2016, the company acquired UFC, the professional mixed martial arts organization. In 2017, announced the formation of a holding company, an umbrella for the growing portfolio, and named it Endeavor. In 2025, Emanuel announced the formation of a new holding company, Mari, after Silver Lake took Endeavor private; Silver Lake sold some of its portfolio (like the Miami Open and Barrett-Jackson) to Mari.
“Mari understands live entertainment and what matters most to ATG: our theaters, the people behind them and the relationships we have built with producers, artists and audiences,” said Melanie Smith, ATG’s global chief executive officer, in a statement. “That makes Mari the right home for our next chapter. We look forward to this new era and thank Providence for their unwavering support over the past 13 years.”
“We’ve been proud to partner with ATG over the past 13 years as it has grown into one of the world’s leading live entertainment companies,” said Providence’s vice chairman Andrew Tisdale in a statement. “Together, we’ve supported its international expansion, invested in iconic venues and strengthened the business through strategic acquisitions. Central to that success has been ATG’s fantastic team….”
“We believe ATG is well positioned for its next chapter and that Mari is the right partner to build on that success,” Tisdale added.
Broadway producer and ATG producing partner Sonia Friedman, whose “Paddington” is due to come to the Hirschfeld Theatre (an ATG and future Mari venue) in spring 2027, said in a statement, “Our industry has always needed partners prepared to think long term, invest with confidence and support creativity with real ambition. What I find compelling about Mari is its breadth of experience across live events and its respect for creative independence.”
Friedman continued, “That combination gives us the chance to champion bold new work, reach broader and more diverse audiences and strengthen the future of live theater for generations to come.”
The agreement between ATG and Mari was supervised by the Raine Group and Moelis & Company, which served as financial advisors. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld acted as legal advisor, and EY acted as tax advisor to Mari. LionTree served as lead financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis served as legal counsel to ATG and Providence. Goldman Sachs, Jefferies and Barron International Group also served as financial advisors to ATG and Providence.
