SADLERS WELLS EAST ANNOUCE opening programme
Image - David Hewitt
Ivan Blackstock, Botis Seva, Sharon Eyal, Benji Reid and Alexandra Whitley are among the artists in the opening programme for Sadlers Wells East
Yesterday, Sadler’s Wells announced the opening dates and programme for their new venue in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Sadler’s Wells East. The venue is part of a new cultural and educational quarter known as the East Bank, neighbouring institutions and media establishments such as the BBC Music Studios, V&A East, UAL, London College of Fashion, and UCL, offering a major opportunity for cross-collaboration.
The state-of-the-art venue itself will open in February 2025. It will feature a 550-seat, mid-scale theatre, with a stage the same size as the main stage at Sadler’s Wells in Islington, allowing newer, upcoming productions a platform to showcase their work at full scale.
The auditorium is fully flexible, allowing for seats to be pushed back entirely, enabling immersive performances and a wide range of stage configurations, which is reflected in the opening programme. Another notable feature of the venue is its six studio spaces, which visiting productions can use for comfortable rehearsals, including one studio scaled to match the size of the stage. There will also be an open dance floor and a public performance space that wraps around the building, inviting community artists and performers.
Sadler’s Wells East will also be home to two educational institutions: the new Academy Breakin’ Convention, a full-time further education programme for creative and talented 16–19-year-olds, focused on hip-hop theatre and culture; and the Rose Choreographic School, an experimental research project offering a two-year course for students to develop their choreographic practice.
The inaugural programme will feature over 20 productions. Sadler’s Wells aims to champion local artists, kicking off the series with Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu’s Our Mighty Groove, featuring a community cast from East London alongside professional dancers. Vicki emphasised the significant impact Sadler’s Wells East would have had on her development as an artist in East London. As a dancer who also trained primarily in East London, I can fully relate to this.
The opening programme will also include Dagenham-born Botis Seva, who will present his latest production Until We Sleep in June 2025 with his company, Far From The Norm. In addition, multi-award-winning South London-born artist Ivan Blackstock will showcase TRAPLORD in May 2025. Sadler’s Wells will also collaborate with Stratford East on an adaptation of Romeo & Juliet by Kwame Owusu. The production will be co-directed by Emily Lang Williams and Malik Nashad Sharpe (marikiscrycrycry), featuring a cast of local actors and dancers as part of Stratford East’s 140th anniversary celebrations.
Vicky Igbokwe-Ozoagu, Our Mighty Groove - Camilla Greenwell
Other local artists in the opening programme include Candoco Dance Company, which has commissioned Dan Daw Creative Projects to create Over and Over (and Over Again), a show inspired by rave culture. Alexandra Whitley Dance Company will also present a double bill, including a radical interpretation of The Rite of Spring, using digital technology in collaboration with Australian sound designer and composer Ben Frost.
Beyond the local artists, the line-up will also spotlight talent from across the country while welcoming internationally acclaimed artists. One production I’m particularly excited about is northern artist Benji Reid’s Find Your Eyes, which I had the pleasure of witnessing at the Manchester International Festival in 2023. Benji, an artist with a hip-hop theatre background, is now renowned as an award-winning photographer. Find Your Eyes explores the relationship between dance and photography in real time, offering insight into Benji’s creative process and his Afro-futuristic world-building through photography.
Another highlight is Sharon Eyal’s R.O.S.E., reviewed by MOVES in the summer of 2023, and another production I experienced at the Manchester International Festival. This collaborative, immersive show explores the freedom, energy, and intimacy of club culture, reflected through Sharon’s dark, hedonistic choreography. I can imagine the flexibility of the Sadler’s Wells auditorium being fully utilised, blurring the lines between the audience and performers.
Despite the incredible talent in the opening programme, the promise of opportunities for new and emerging artists feels somewhat limited, as most of the artists involved already have longstanding relationships with Sadler’s Wells or have built strong international reputations. While this may be a safer approach for the venue's initial phase, it will be interesting to see how opportunities for newer, local talent will develop beyond the opening programme.
Regardless, the opening of Sadler’s Wells East presents an exciting prospect for the local, national, and international dance theatre communities. The full programme can be viewed here, and tickets will go on sale starting 25th September.
Article | Shokirie Clarke
