A theatre has stood on the site of Sadler’s Wells in Angel, Islington since the late 1600s and has been rebuilt six times over the course of four centuries. In 1925 renowned theatre producer Lilian Baylis, who owned the Old Vic, set up a charitable foundation to purchase Sadler’s Wells for the nation, specialising in dance and opera.
Sadler’s Wells closed in 1995 and a £54 million building project commenced, largely funded by the National Lottery. Sadler’s Wells moved to the Peacock Theatre until 1998, and this West End venue still hosts a programme of dance productions for the company today. The current Sadler’s Wells Theatre opened in 1998 with a performance by Rambert Dance Company of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe. In 2004, Alistair Spalding became artistic director, transforming the venue into a contemporary dance house and introducing five associate artists who would develop new work at the theatre, these artists included Matthew Bourne, Akram Khan and BalletBoyz.
Notable productions at Sadler’s Wells include the world premiere of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake in 1995, The Most Incredible Thing with music by the Pet Shop Boys, and Jonathan Church’s critically acclaimed production of Singin’ in the Rain, which returned in 2021.
