Broadway.com Introduces Sister Site Theatre.com Covering the London Stage

Broadway.com, a division of Hollywood Media Corp., has unveiled a new website in London: Theatre.com. Based on the model of Broadway.com, Theatre.com provides extensive editorial coverage of U.K. theater as well as ticketing to all major London venues. Noted journalists Mark Shenton and Matt Wolf have signed on as Contributing Editors of Theatre.com's London-based editorial staff, headed by Broadway.com Managing Editor Beth Stevens. In addition, Director of Operations Zach Overton oversees the ticketing and administration operation of Theatre.com.

"We look forward to building a strong relationship with the London theatrical community and to developing new audiences," said President Matt Kupchin. "We intend Theatre.com to be the most unique, comprehensive and exciting destination for London theater on the Internet."

"We're thrilled to have secured a well-respected and seasoned editorial team who will deliver the same level of coverage in the UK that Broadway.com users have come to expect," added Broadway.com/Theatre.com Editorial Director Paul Wontorek. Like Broadway.com, Theatre.com features theater news, photo and video coverage of opening nights and industry events, celebrity interviews, reviews, interactive features and stage star biographies. Theatre.com also offers ticket sales and one-stop hotel and ticket packaging as well as comprehensive show information pages featuring casting, synopses and multimedia content.

Mark Shenton is a theatre critic, editor, features writer, columnist and broadcaster. He can be heard on BBC London's tri-media website, radio station and TV news divisions and has contributed to numerous publications, including The Sunday Express, Theatregoer, The Stage and What's On in London. He has hosted regular platforms at the National Theatre and is co-author of Harden's Theatregoers' Handbook. Shenton was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, came to London when he was 16 and has never looked back.

Matt Wolf grew up in Manhattan, majored in English at Yale, and moved to London in 1983, where he has lived ever since. Over the years, he has freelanced for most major newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic and spent 20 years as London arts writer for the Associated Press and 13 years as London theater critic and columnist for Variety. He is currently London theater critic for The International Herald Tribune and a regular contributor to The Sunday Times and Observer newspapers in London, where he also teaches on the study abroad programs for Syracuse University and New York University. His books include The Guys and Dolls Book and Sam Mendes at the Donmar: Stepping Into Freedom.

Bringing Broadway and the West End just a little bit closer together, Theatre.com and Broadway.com provides synergistic coverage of the two greatest theater capitals of the world. Vice President Tim Boswell said: "The close relationship between the two websites in addition to the planned marketing initiatives will promote London theater to the North American markets and to tourists from all over the world, targeting the destination traveller that Broadway.com has cultivated for Broadway."

In addition to Theatre.com, Broadway.com will also use its other related websites Theater.com, Theatres.com and Theaters.com to drive traffic to the site.

Other sites in the Broadway.com network include TheatreDirect.com, the online home for Broadway.com's group ticketing business, with valuable resources like online price grids, group minimums and pricing alerts; BroadwayClassroom.com and WestEndClassroom.com, which feature information and activity suggestions for patrons of the company's on-demand educational workshops; and BroadwayDivas.com, which provides an overview of the customised entertainment opportunities available to mainly corporate bookers.