Associate artistic director Rob Jones on what the new venue will bring to London’s dance ecosystem
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“We’ve been talking about it for so long, now is the time to do it,” said Rob Jones, associate artistic director at Sadler’s Wells.
“We want people in the building, for them to be curious, to come along and have a cup of tea and meet friends – everyone’s welcome and we want them here.”
We’re discussing the opening of Sadler’s Wells East in Stratford.
While construction issues and re-jigs have delayed the launch, dates have now been released for the venue’s inaugural programme.
One of five organisations that make up East Bank on the edge of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the opening is especially significant for the campus as it’s the first building on site with a clear mission to bring visitors in.
For Rob and the team, it offers a theatre and facilities created specifically to address demand in London’s dance sector.
But it’s equally important to them that the new venue makes good on links the organisation has been building locally.
“We’ve been working with community groups for about six years now – a lot of groundwork to lay foundations,” he said.
“The content of the programme is important – we wanted to make sure there were multiple moments where local people could come and be in the theatre, whether that’s to watch performers on the community dance floor, take part in a monthly disco or just be in the space by visiting the cafe.
“Even in our first season we’ve included community casts for shows such as Our Mighty Groove, which will open the venue or Skatepark (April 10-12, 2025), where Danish choreographer Mette Ingvartsen has worked with local skaters.
“It’s about making sure we have those connections, going into local schools, for instance, with balletLORENT from Newcastle for their production of Snow White (April 16-19, 2025).
“We’ve been trying to make sure there’s something for everyone with as many access points as possible – not self-indulgent programming, but good quality dance.
“I think it’s going to feel really exciting and this first season is a test for us, in a way – we want to see how the community connects with the theatre and the programme, especially the free elements.
“That’s where the work really begins – making sure that the theatre belongs to local people.”
an opening spectacle at Sadler’s Wells East
Sadler’s Wells East will kick off its first season with Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu’s Our Mighty Groove with five performances split over February 6-9, 2025.
Inspired by New York club culture, it includes local dancers in the cast, with plans to bring it to the stage for more than a year.
“It’s existed in an immersive format before, but this is a new version and it’s had a whole revamp,” said Rob, who joined Sadler’s Wells a little over two years ago having worked extensively as a producer for the likes of Dance Umbrella, Roundhouse and Brighton Dome And Festival.
“It’s difficult to pick highlights, because you can’t have favourites but we’ve got a lot of work from companies in London coming to Stratford.
“For example, there’s Impact Driver (April 24-26, 2025) by artist and performance maker Eve Stainton where the seats in the theatre go away and it takes place in a container in the middle of the space.
“It’s an incredible immersive happening.
“It’s got live welding, guitars and sound systems set up on either side.
“When I first saw it, I wasn’t sure I would get it, but it’s one of the most magnetic performances I’ve watched in a long time – it’s really beautiful.
“Completely different, is a piece by choreographer Emma Martin from Ireland making her Sadler’s Wells debut as we spotlight international voices.
“Birdboy (February 20-22, 2025) is a work for family, suitable for ages 7+ all about being a loner and an outsider.
“But the character is also a superhero – a mash up of Batman – with a car that’s a time machine and a projector. It’s very vivid.”
shows and education
The venue has announced more than 20 shows for its first season, including eight UK premieres and 10 commissions or co-commissions from the theatre.
That’s a statement of intent in itself, with a sense that Sadler’s Wells is firmly focused on making the most of the facility now it’s finally arrived.
“It’s a project that’s been a long time in the making,” said Rob.
“It began more than a decade ago as part of the legacy of the Olympic Games.
“The main space at Sadler’s Wells East has 550 seats and a stage that’s as large and agile as our main auditorium in Islington.
“Those seats can also go away so you have a giant black box that can host completely immersive productions.
“This reflects how people are working in dance now – increasingly moving away from traditional formats.
“Within the building, we also have studios and a very large space, which is the same size as the stage, where we can make projects to perform in the theatre.
“We’ve never had this facility before.
“There will also be two schools based at Sadler’s Wells East.
“The Rose Choreographic School supports artists to explore their practice and is led by leading choreographers.
“Then there’s Academy Breakin’ Convention, which will offer the UK’s first free Level 3 Extended Diploma In Performance And Production Arts specific to hip hop theatre to 16-to-19-year-olds.”
open to the community
“There are also the public-facing parts of the building,” added Rob.
“It’s really exciting, because people will have the opportunity to be more creative than they may have had in other dance spaces in the city.
“There’s a huge community dance-floor in the foyer, and you can see into one of the studios.
“I had this realisation earlier in the year – I’d been to see ABBA Voyage near Pudding Mill Lane and walking back it was clear that passers-by would be able to see people working and dancing at Sadler’s Wells East when we’re open.
“Often when visiting theatres you might see dancers milling around but unless you’re in the auditorium, you don’t see them dancing or get a real sense of the incredible magic which is being created in the building.
“That’s why this new space will have a completely different energy.
“It will be open all day and there will be an ‘always on’ feel.
“It will be a social space alongside all these other cultural institutions at East Bank.
“I think it’s going to be a crucial part of the hub.
“The five organisations at East Bank already meet monthly to discuss how we can collaborate and we’re all looking forward to being fully open.
“For Sadler’s Wells, the new venue is also going to broaden the lens of what we can do.
“With everything that’s going on in the world and how difficult arts funding is in the UK, artists need to be able to dance at mid-scale venues like this one.
“Our theatre in Islington has a capacity of 1,500 and there’s a studio that seats 80.
“This gives us something in the middle, which is important because we can support artists at the start of their careers, as they grow and at the top.
“There aren’t many places of this mid-scale size in London, so this provides a whole new facility for what’s possible in the capital and it’s a really exciting moment both for artists in the UK and internationally.”
diary dates for the first season
Tickets are set to go on general sale on September 25 for Sadler’s Wells East’s first season, so here are a few not to miss:
- Top of the tree is obviously Our Mighty Groove, the show selected to open the venue – complete with local performers in the cast. Catch it from February 6-9, 2025
- Looking further ahead, Inside Giovanni’s Room by Phoenix Dance Theatre tackles the themes of love, sexuality, guilt and self-acceptance in James Baldwin’s novel. See it June 11-14, 2025
- Then, Over And Over (And Over Again) by Candoco and Dan Daw promises to take audiences to a place where “everyone is welcome; where you love doing something so much that you never want to stop”. July 2-4, 2025
key details: Sadler’s Wells East
Sadler’s Wells East will officially open its doors on February 6-9 , 2025, with five performances of Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu’s Our Mighty Groove.
Tickets for this (from £15) and other shows will be on sale later this month.
Full listings for the venue’s first season are available here
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- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
