17 Facts About Sadler's Wells

Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head.

Sadler's Wells is renowned as one of the world's leading dance venues.

Sadler's Wells is responsible for the management of the Peacock Theatre in the West End, during times not used by the London School of Economics.

Since the Theatres Royal confined themselves to operating during the autumn and winter, Sadler's Wells filled the gap in the entertainment market with its summer season, traditionally launched on Easter Monday.

Charles Dibdin, a shareholder and manager of Sadler's Wells, took the regular nineteenth century styled proscenium theatre space and turned it into something new that audiences would flock to.

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Just as Sadler's Wells seemed at its lowest ebb, an unexpected champion arrived in the shape of the actor-manager Samuel Phelps.

Sadler's Wells's advent coincided with the passing of the Theatres Act 1843 which broke the duopoly in drama of the Theatres Royal and so Phelps, with scene painter T L Greenwood and leading lady Mrs Mary Warner, was able to introduce a programme of Shakespeare to the Wells.

Sadler's Wells grew as the school trained new dancers to join the company.

The first principal dancers of the Vic-Sadler's Wells ballet were Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin and the founder choreographer was Frederick Ashton, all three having been working with the Ballet Club of Marie Rambert.

At the beginning of Baylis's management of Sadler's Wells, it was intended that the two theatres should each offer alternating programmes of drama and opera.

Sadler's Wells had some success for a few years and made several respected recordings, and then severed its relationship with the theatre around 1986 and became a touring company.

In 1994 Ian Albery became chief executive of Sadler's Wells and presided over the planning and eventual rebuilding of the theatre.

The rebuilt Sadler's Wells retains the Grade II listing applied to the former theatre in 1950.

In 2001, Sadler's Wells joined in collaboration with the Random Dance director Wayne McGregor.

Under the artistic directorship of Alistair Spalding since 2004, Sadler's Wells has expanded to become a production house as well as a receiving house, hosting performances by visiting companies from the UK and around the world.

In March 2009, Sadler's Wells launched the Global Dance Contest—an online competition to find new dance talent from around the world.

In 2015, Sadler's Wells coproduced the show Triptyque with the Montreal-based collective The 7 Fingers.