Sadlers Wells Theatre New Space, London, Building Images, Design, Date, Location, Photo

Sadlers Wells London Expansion

Arts Building in England – Fourth Performance Space

6 Nov 2013

New Space for Sadlers Wells Theatre

Location: northeast London, UK

Sadler’s Wells Theatre

SADLER’S WELLS ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR NEW SPACE IN AMBITIOUS TEN YEAR VISION

Almost ten years after he was appointed Sadler’s Wells Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Alistair Spalding today announced his vision for the theatre’s next decade. Together with David Bell, Chair of Sadler’s Wells, Alistair Spalding outlined plans to establish an additional, fourth performance space for one of the world’s leading dance organisations.

photograph : Nicolas Kane

The 10-year plan for the expansion of Sadler’s Wells is also backed by a commitment to invest £5 million incommissioning new dance works.

The decision to develop a new space responds to the need for a 500-seat venue in London specifically designed to present new, mid-scale contemporary work. Although many of Europe’s most important dance theatres are this size, London lacks such a space. A world-class venue for cutting-edge contemporary work would help confirm London’s position as a global centre for the art form.

David Bell said: “Sadler’s Wells has established itself as a powerhouse for dance. The demand for dance continues to grow and yet London lacks a mid-scale space for contemporary work. This newvenue will fill the gap between the main house and our studio space.”

Alistair Spalding:

photograph © Hugo Glendinning

Alistair Spalding said: “The public appetite for dance has never been greater. We want to respond to this, and give the creative talent in this country a proper chance to develop for the future growth of the art form. To achieve this, we need to be able to expand beyond our current base – without losing the unique quality and atmosphere that is associated with Sadler’s Wells.”

The Ten Year Plan announced today includes:

• The search for an important new performance space for contemporary dance in London – a new, 500-seat venue specifically designed to present new, mid-scale, contemporary work.

• An investment of £5 million in earmarked commissioning funds for original dance work over the next 10 years.

• A continuation of our commitment to touring globally and in the UK – including touring a total of 11 productions in 2014; nine to 70 international cities and seven to 28 UK cities.

• Ongoing investment in and support of artists including the appointment of a 16th Associate Artist – pioneering choreographer Crystal Pite, who presents a new work at the theatre in April 2014.

• Continued investment of £1million over the next three years in supporting young talent and artist development programmes including the Sadler’s Wells Summer University, Wild Card and New Wave Associate.

• The busiest season of dance ever presented in the theatre’s 331-year history, including a total of over 40 shows across the three venues during spring/summer 2014.

Since he became Artistic Director and Chief Executive ten years ago, Alistair Spalding has transformed Sadler’s Wells from a receiving venue for other companies’ productions to a dance powerhouse that is celebrated for supporting, commissioning and producing original, new work which it presents nationally and internationally. In partnership with the some of the most talented artists and companies, Sadler’s Wells is making dance the leading art form of our time.

photograph © Nick Weall

Sadler’s Wells

Sadler’s Wells is the UK’s leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very best international and UKdance to London audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding the theatre’s cutting edge programme spans dance in all its forms, from contemporary to flamenco, bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.

Its international award-winning collaborative productions andcommissions include Sutra, zero degrees, and PUSH. Sadler’s Wells also provides a home to world class Associate Artists and Resident Companies including Sylvie Guillem, Akram Khan, Hofesh Shechter, Wayne McGregor | Random Dance, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures and ZooNation.

Sadler’s Wells building:

photograph : Belinda Lawley

Located in Islington in north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells.

Sadler’s Wells has played a key role in encouraging and responding to the growth in the popularity of dance. Since its major lottery-funded rebuild in 1998, over 4.5 million people have visited the theatre and ticket sales have risen by 72%, revenue has more than doubled and the number of home-grown Sadler’s Wells Productions have increased by over a third. Sadler’s Wells has helped to put London on the global map for world-class dance.

Recent figures from Arts Council England report that in 2010/11 dance accounted for almost a quarter of all international touring – demonstrating that this country’s dance is world class, in demand internationally and of major importance in cultural diplomacy. On stage, on-line and on television more people than ever are engaging with dance, with perhaps the most significant figures coming from the education sector, which saw a 276% increase in the number of students taking GCSE dance between 2000-2008.

Alistair Spalding

Alistair Spalding, CBE is the Chief Executive and Artistic Director of Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. Since taking up his post in October 2004, under Spalding Sadler’s Wells has become the UK’s leading dance venue; a production house for dance, as well as a receiving house presenting performances by internationally renowned touring companies.

InMarch 2005, he announced a new commissioning and producing policy at Sadler’s Wells. He has since driven the commissioning, producing and co-producing 80shows many of which have been seen at Sadler’s Wells, off site locations and at venues across the world, including acclaimed cross art form collaborations zero degrees, PUSH and Sutra.

Simultaneously, Spalding created the position of Associate Artist to the theatre. There arecurrently 15 Associate Artists including some of the UK’s leading choreographers, Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant, Matthew Bourne, Sylvie Guillem, lighting designer Michael Hulls and composer Nitin Sawhney, and three Resident Companies.

Hehas initiated a number of ground-breaking annual festivals including the critically acclaimed annual Breakin’ Convention international festival of hip hop dance theatre, as well as new initiatives such as the Composer Series and Sadler’s Wells Sampled.

He was appointed as a national member of the Arts Council of England Board in January 2009. He was awarded Le Chevalier des Artes et Lettres by the French Embassy in October 2005. In June 2012 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s Birthday honours list, for services to dance.

A New Dance Space for Sadler’s Wells

Dance has the ability to communicate beyond the spoken word, reaching diverse audiences, embracing new ideas and technologies. Sadler’s Wells has played a key role in encouraging and responding to this growth in popularity. Since its major lottery-funded rebuild in 1998, over 4.5 million people have visited the theatre, ticket sales have risen by 72%, revenue more than doubled and the number of home-grown Sadler’s Wells productions increase by over a third.

Brasil Brasileiro at Sadler’s Wells Theatre:

photograph © Bruno Veiga

Sadlers Wells Theatre Expansion

Why a new dance space is needed:
• The art form lacks a 500-seat venue specifically designed to present, mid-scale contemporary dance in London.
• Audiences for contemporary dance continue to grow and a new 500 seater will expand the range of dance artists and productions we can present to London audiences.
• An exciting, flexible space with a large stage would attract more of the world’s leading choreographers and creators to London.
• To provide a flexible space specifically designed for contemporary dance.
• Allow London to compete with other international contemporary dance centres.
• To create a space specifically designed to serve dance-makers and audiences of the 21st century.

What the new space would provide:
• A new 500-seat contemporary dance space for London.
• Enable continued growth in audience for contemporary dance.
• Help to confirm London’s position as a global centre for contemporary dance.
. Provide a different and more intimate experience for audience and artists.
• Help to change perceptions about dance’s place in the cultural landscape.
• A creative resource for the community.

5 November 2013

Sadler’s Wells London – world-class dance

A SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR SADLER’S WELLS

At its Annual Press Conference today, Sadler’s Wells, the UK’s leading dance house, announced that it has had one of its most successful years ever in 2012/13.

Its dynamic and wide ranging programme of world-class dance – including several projects as part of the Cultural Olympiad – attracted audiences of almost half a million in London. Across the world, it reached another 130,000 with its productions at venues across the 51 international cities to which it toured.

Sadler’s Wells’ success is proof that the public appetite for dance is as strong as ever. Dance is the fastest growing art form, and second only to football as the most popular activity among schoolchildren, rankingfirst among girls.

Details are published in Sadler’s Wells’ Annual Report for 2012/13 which goes online today.

Tantheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch – 1980.ensemble, at Sadler’s Wells Theatre:

photograph © Ulli Weiss

Achievements of the year include:
• A total of 569 performances were presented in Sadler’s Wells’ three theatres in London, achieving audience figures of almost 500,000 – an increase on last year.
• 96,000 people came to see Matthew Bourne’s new production of Sleeping Beauty making it the best-attended Christmas production in Sadler’s Wells’ history.
• 42% of the total audience in 2012/13 attended a performance that was commissioned, co-commissioned or produced by Sadler’s Wells.
• Sadler’s Wells commissioned 95 British and international artists and employed 178 artists.
• Sadler’s Wells welcomed 68,962 first-time attenders over the year.
• 90% of Sadler’s Wells’ turnover was self-generated, of which 71% is through ticket sales.
• It raised £23.8 million of revenue.
• It exceeded its fundraising, catering and commercial hire targets. Income raised through fundraising accounted for 7% of total revenue generated in the year, an increase on previous years
• Catering and commercial event hire contributed £1.2 million to its annual income, up significantly from £0.9 million last year making it the most profitable year on record.
• For every £1 of subsidy we generated £10.
• Over 52,000 multi-buy tickets were sold, and nearly 80,000 tickets sold at £15 or less
• 75% of all tickets were sold through its website. The site received almost 12 million page views in 2012/13.
• Facebook fans were up by 46% and Twitter followers increased by 41%.
• 20,000 people engaged with Sadler’s Wells’ creative learning programme, through events such as workshops, the main stage production Compass and through the theatre’s role as a North London Hub for Big Dance
• Sadler’s Wells is committed to operating as sustainably as it can. In 2012/13 it recycled 80% of its waste.

About Sadler’s Wells

Sadler’s Wells is the leading venue for dance, bringing the widest forms of world-class international and UK dance to the widest possible audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding, the theatre’s acclaimed programme spans cutting edge contemporary works by artists such as William Forsythe, HofeshShechter and Wayne McGregor, sell-out runs from Matthew Bourne and his company New Adventures, hugely successful tango, street dance and flamenco shows, and award-winning Sadler’s Wells Productions including Sylvie Guillem and Russell Maliphant’s PUSH, and groundbreaking cross-art form collaborations such as zero degrees and Sutra. Since 2005 Sadler’s Wells has commissioned, co-commissioned, produced and co-produced over 80 new productions.

The theatre is dedicated to working with celebrated artists, performers andcompanies at the forefront of the arts, many of whom are Associate Artists and resident companies of the theatre including Balletboyz, Matthew Bourne and his company New Adventures, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jonzi D, Sylvie Guillem, Michael Hulls, Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant, Kate Prince and her company ZooNation UK Dance Company, Nitin Sawhney, Hofesh Shechter, Jasmin Vardimon, ChristopherWheeldon, Wayne McGregor and his company Wayne McGregor | Random Dance.

Sadlers Wells London Expansion – Fourth Performance Space information received 051113

Sadlers Wells Theatre

photo : Nicolas Kane
Sadlers Wells Theatre