Sadler’s Wells East theatre announces inaugural programme – and it’s affordable
Sadler’s Wells will open at East Bank soon giving East Enders their very own West End along with great value tickets and an experimental programme to appeal to younger audiences.
On Tuesday, theatre Sadler’s Wells East confirmed that its Stratford East Bank building will open in February 2025, bringing a new dance programme to the East End.
The line-up of confirmed shows heavily features experimental and multimedia performances, including live welding in Impact Driver, real-time photography in Find Your Eyes, a full skate-ramp in Skatepark and an actual club night with a bar in R.O.S.E..
Sadler’s Wells East is the sister theatre to the Sadler’s Wells Theatre in Islington, whose London history dates back to the 17th century when it was the site of a popular mineral spring. In the modern day, Sadler’s Wells welcomes over half a million audience members yearly, creating and sharing more work than any other arts organisation in the world.
The building’s midsize auditorium was built by architects O’Donnell and Tuomey with intimate audiences in mind. Its 550 seats can fold away into a flat space, allowing uninterrupted flow between the performers and those watching. The project of building and opening the new theatre has been in the works for a decade.
Additionally, Sadler’s Wells East will include six studios that are currently set to host two educational facilities. Academy Breakin’ Convention offers a free two-year hip-hop dance diploma programme. There’s also The Rose Choreographic School, an experimental research project whose artists have already developed a choreographic practice.
Tickets at Sadler’s Wells East are being priced affordably, with 16-30-year-olds able to buy £10 tickets for all performances as part of a scheme funded by Barclays. The sponsorship has raised some concerns from activists due to the bank’s investment in oil, gas and military arms. Fossil Free London protested outside the venue in September 2023 as did Culture Workers Against Genocide in January 2024.
The new theatre will join the ranks of theatres in Tower Hamlets including Wilton’s, The Yard, The Space and Half Moon. It will be the first theatre in the East End dedicated to dance.
On the East Bank, London’s developing cultural sector, Sadler’s Wells East will be surrounded by big-name neighbours, including the BBC, the London College of Fashion, the V&A East and UCL. Also opening soon in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park nearby is the V&A East Storehouse, which recently completed the largest move of the museum’s archives since World War II.
Rob Jones, Associate Artistic Director of Sadler’s Wells, said: ‘My hope is that this theatre will become a really vital part of the dance ecology: a place where the community, the professional and the social all collide together in one big, beautiful cocktail that ultimately brings people into dance and act as a catalyst for developing choreographers’
After a long wait, the theatre will bring ‘west end’ culture to our doorsteps in the east this winter. The first show, ‘Our Mighty Groove,’ features young dancers from east London and will debut on the 6th of February, 2025.
If you liked this read Everything you need to know about East Bank
