Annual Review 2017–18
Contents
02 04 07 08 18 22 25 29 30 33 34 37 39 41 45 47 48 51 51 51 52 54 56 57 58 60
Foreword Highlights 2017–18 Working with artists Producing and presenting great dance Forging strategic partnerships Touring our productions Nurturing talent National Youth Dance Company New Wave Associates Summer University Wild Card Breakin’ Convention Engaging audiences Dance for all Reaching our audiences Making it happen Fundraising Our people and places Providing opportunities Generating income Sustainable development How we are funded Sadler’s Wells Trust and Foundation; ambassadors; Fellowship; artists and companies; co-producers Support Sadler’s Wells staff Photography credits
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Foreword
As a national and international dance house, our mission at Sadler’s Wells is to lead in the creation and sharing of inspiring dance that broadens people’s horizons. We enable artists of all backgrounds to make work that reflects and responds to our humanity and we share this with the widest possible audiences – to enrich their lives and deepen their understanding of the world around us. This year we helped bring to the stage 16 productions and co-productions and presented more than 800 performances all over the world to audiences of over 650,000. We took our work to new and existing audiences digitally and on tour, including livestreaming Rosie Kay’s 5 SOLDIERS: The Body is the Frontline from an Army base in London and bringing 15 Sadler’s Wells productions to 56 different venues in 19 countries. We recorded over 34,000 attendances to our participatory activities and offered £3 tickets to almost 1,500 people from low-income households in our local borough, Islington. We celebrated creative talent by appointing a new Associate Artist, Sharon Eyal; inviting Julie Cunningham, L’atisse Rhoden and duo Project O to join our New Wave Associates; and launching a new artist development initiative for budding dance makers, the Young Associate programme. We continued to inspire young people with our learning and engagement programmes, including a new dance pilot at Mossbourne Riverside Academy, a primary school in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Plans for our new venue in east London have been progressing, reaching the final stage of design in autumn this year. Earlier in the summer, we were delighted to take part in the Mayor of London’s launch of his vision for the new cultural and education district that we will be part of, now named the East Bank project. We strengthened our commitment to supporting artists based outside London by appointing Akaash Odedra Company, balletLORENT and Phoenix Dance Theatre as National Partner Companies, while The Movement – our co-producing partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome and The Lowry, Salford – allowed regional audiences to experience high‑quality, large-scale productions they wouldn’t have been able to enjoy otherwise. We would like to thank Sadler’s Wells staff, our family of associate artists and companies and our many generous supporters and donors for their enthusiasm and efforts – you make the theatre the creative, vibrant, relevant and ultimately successful place it is today.
Nigel Higgins Chairman
Alistair Spalding CBE Artistic Director and Chief Executive
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Highlights 2017–18
816
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performances in the UK and internationally
New Wave Associates appointed: Julie Cunningham, L’atisse Rhoden and Project O
662,714
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audiences worldwide, including 529,714 in London
Young Associates appointed: Anthony Matsena, Wilhelmina Ojanen, Ruby Portus and Christopher Thomas
16 new dance works commissioned or produced
15 Sadler’s Wells productions toured to 56 venues in 19 countries, with 167 performances given to 133,000 people
1 Associate Artist appointed: Sharon Eyal
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124 UK and international artists commissioned, including choreographers, composers, designers and dramaturgs
50% of Sadler’s Wells audiences were first time bookers
70% income from box office receipts
86,569
66%
people came to see Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella over the Christmas period, with a 94% capacity
increase in Instagram followers
4,315
21%
people enjoyed the 14th edition of hip hop festival Breakin’ Convention at Sadler’s Wells, with a further 3,500 joining the 5th free Park Jam in Spa Fields, Islington
increase in Facebook followers
34,183
20%
attendances to our participatory activities
increase in YouTube subscribers, with 31% increase in views and 44.5% increase in shares
5,629 people saw National Youth Dance Company perform Tarantiseismic as part of their national tour
338 hours of studio space offered in kind to dance artists (= 42 days)
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Working with artists
Producing and presenting great dance
Over the course of 2017-18, we presented 649 performances to over 529,700 people across our three London auditoria: Sadler’s Wells’ main stage and the Lilian Baylis Studio in our building in Islington, and The Peacock theatre in the West End. We helped to bring 16 new dance works to life, including productions by three of our Associate Artists: Hofesh Shechter, Wayne McGregor and BalletBoyz. The UK premiere of Hofesh Shechter’s Grand Finale presented a high-octane vision of the end of the world, at once apocalyptic and comic, performed by 10 dancers and six live musicians.
“Shechter has broadened his canvas and allowed elements of contemplation and tenderness to rebalance the visceral, raging spectacle that typifies much of his work. A mature and magnificent work.” Neil Norman, The Stage, on Grand Finale
In Autobiography, which had its world premiere on our stage, Wayne McGregor explored the concept of identity through an innovative collaboration with world-leading geneticists. He took inspiration from memories and influences in his life to create 23 pieces of choreography – in reference to the 23 chromosome pairs that make up the human genome. His own genome was mapped by the scientists, with the resulting sequence converted into a computer algorithm. Each day, the algorithm’s calculation determined the order of the dance sections, with a different selection performed every time. Michael Nunn and William Trevitt’s BalletBoyz presented their programme Fourteen Days. The first part of the evening was made of four new works commissioned to choreographers Javier de Frutos, Craig Revel Horwood, Iván Pérez and our Associate Artist Christopher Wheeldon. Each choreographer collaborated with a different composer to create an original work dealing with the theme of balance, in just 14 days. The second half featured a performance of Fallen, an award‑winning piece commissioned for BalletBoyz in 2013 to our Associate Artist Russell Maliphant, with lighting design by fellow Associate Michael Hulls. 8
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Among other shows we co-produced were pioneering dance maker Shobana Jeyasingh’s Bayadère – The Ninth Life, a radical reinterpretation of Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère that questioned the West’s exotic representations of India, and Boris Charmatz’s immersive piece danse de nuit, which we presented outdoors in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. A response to the Paris terrorist attacks of 2015, the production saw six dancers perform at Here East’s multi-storey car park after dark, with audiences following them across the space. Israeli choreographer Sharon Eyal was invited to become our latest Associate Artist. Following her debut on our stage in 2016 with OCD Love, performed by her company L-E-V, her piece Bill was featured in a triple bill by Ballet British Columbia in March. During the year’s school holidays, she worked with National Youth Dance Company as Guest Artistic Director (see p. 29). Breakin’ Convention returned over the May Bank Holiday weekend for its 14th edition, taking over the building with workshops, MCs and graffiti art. The festival showcased the best hip hop dance theatre from the UK and around the world. This year’s lineup included spectacular acrobatics from South Korea’s Just Dance; intricate, origami‑inspired moves from the all‑female Canadian crew Tentacle Tribe; and upbeat, fast‑paced performances by London collectives the Locksmiths and Boy Blue Entertainment. Park Jam, the free event closing the festival, saw 3,500 people from the local communities crowding Spa Fields throughout the Bank Holiday Monday. In June, we delivered the second Elixir Festival: four days of performances, workshops and events recognising the contribution to the art form made by older dancers. It opened with KnowBody II, a mixed bill of work made and performed by older artists. Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar choreographed a new piece for the Elixir Ensemble, a group of former dancers in their mid‑50s to late-80s. Eminent choreographer Robert Cohan and Martin Welton collaborated on Forest Revisited, a reimagining of the former’s 1977 work Forest, with a cast including five former London Contemporary Dance Theatre dancers and five alumni of the National Youth Dance Company (NYDC). Our Company of Elders performed a new piece by Shobana Jeyasingh. In the Lilian Baylis Studio, Elixir Extracts showcased 20 non-professional older adult dance groups from the UK and Europe, including our community dance group Silver Routes, Holland Dance (the Netherlands) and Skånes Dansteater (Sweden). At the Elixir Conference,
international speakers shared ideas about the value of older dancers, the role of heritage in contemporary dance and changing perceptions of age in dance. The festival was delivered as part of Dance On, Dream On, Pass On (DOPODO), a European‑wide partnership aimed at promoting the valuing of older people in society. Through DOPODO, we presented Berlin‑based Dance On Ensemble in Matteo Fargion’s 7 Dialogues. In the summer, we were delighted to welcome our Associate Artist Akram Khan’s DESH back to our stage, where it had its London premiere in 2011. The performances marked the last time he performed the celebrated full-length solo. Our Associate Company English National Ballet returned with Khan’s award-winning version of Giselle in the autumn. Sadler’s Wells’ major new in-house productions for 2017-18 were our International Associate Company Acosta Danza’s Debut and Dystopian Dream, a theatrical realisation of our Associate Artist Nitin Sawhney’s 2015 album of the same name, co‑devised with dancers and choreographers Honji Wang and Sébastien Ramirez.
“Beg, borrow or steal a ticket. Fly to Cuba if you miss them here.” Laura Freeman, Evening Standard, on Debut
We were thrilled to launch Carlos Acosta’s new company, Acosta Danza, in Havana in the spring. The ensemble is made up of the best dancers from Cuba, half of whom are trained in ballet and half in contemporary dance. The aim is for them to perform creations by Cuban choreographers little known outside the country, by Spanish and Latin American choreographers, and by international dance makers accomplished in blending ballet and contemporary movement language. With Valid Productions, we produced the company’s first programme of new repertoire, Debut, which had its sold-out UK premiere at Sadler’s Wells in September. The evening featured works by Cuban choreographer Marianela Boán, Spanish dance‑makers Jorge Crecis and Goyo Montero, New York City Ballet resident choreographer Justin Peck and our Associate Artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui – whose beautiful new duet, Mermaid, was performed by Carlos Acosta and company dancer Marta Ortega. With costumes designed by Hussein Chalayan, the piece featured music composed by Woojae Park, a regular collaborator of Cherkaoui.
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Inspired by concepts woven through Sawhney’s album and directed and performed by Wang Ramirez, Dystopian Dream premiered at Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg in September. With projections by Nick Hillel, costumes by Hussein Chalayan and singing by Eva Stone, the show combined choreography, live music and theatre to explore themes of loss, isolation, surrender and continuity. This was the sixth production brought to the stage by Sadler’s Wells in collaboration with Les Théâtres de la Ville, making the Luxembourg venue the co-producer we have worked with the most since we became a producing house in 2005.
“[It] is a show which takes us somewhere else, for the pleasure of our eyes and ears.” Par Mireille Petitgenet, Luxemburger Wort, on Dystopian Dream
Our Associate Artist Matthew Bourne celebrated 30 years since establishing his own company in 1987. To mark this significant milestone, Resident Company New Adventures revived Early Adventures – a brilliant programme including three of Bourne’s early successes – which came to our stage in spring, before returning for their ever popular long run over the Christmas period with Cinderella. Over 95,800 people came to see the two productions at Sadler’s Wells. We provided a platform to leading national companies Northern Ballet, Rambert, Scottish Ballet and Richard Alston Dance Company to reach London audiences. International artists we presented on our stage included James Thierrée’s Compagnie du Hanneton, Boris Charmatz, Alain Platel’s les ballets C de la B, Dorrance Dance, Lyon Opera Ballet, Sasha Waltz & Guests, Ballet British Columbia and Sadler’s Wells International Associate Companies Rosas and Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch. We also presented three dance artists on our stage for the very first time: celebrated American-born, Brussels-based Meg Stuart, MacArthur Genius Grant Fellowship recipient Kyle Abraham and “tap-dancing dynamo” Michelle Dorrance.
In November, we presented the Darbar Festival, which for the first time since its founding in 2006 comprised both Indian classical music and dance, with the latter programme being curated by Akram Khan. The event included 11 performances across our main stage and the Lilian Baylis Studio, involving acclaimed stars such as sitar player Nishat Khan, renowned artists like Aditi Mangaldas, Mavin Khoo and Seeta Patel, as well as emerging talents such as Dheerendra Tiwari. As ever, our artistic programme featured inclusive companies of disabled and non-disabled dancers. Marc Brew Company performed BREWBAND in the Lilian Baylis Studio, while Candoco Dance Company returned to our main stage with duet Dedicated to…, a new work for the company by Caroline Bowditch, as part of Sadler’s Wells Sampled, as well as a double bill of works commissioned to Yasmeen Godder and our New Wave Associate Hetain Patel. Among the innovative and experimental choreographers we presented in the Lilian Baylis Studio throughout the year were Adam Linder, Nora (Eleanor Sikorski and Flora Wellesley Wesley), Jan Martens, Maud Le Pladec and Summer University participants Joe Moran and Pepa Ubera. Supporting and presenting high-quality dance work for children and family audiences remained a firm commitment. Over the Easter holidays in April 2017, we programmed award-winning company Aracaladanza’s Vuelos, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings and writings on flight, which we co-produced, while English National Ballet and English National Ballet School returned to our West End home, The Peacock theatre, with My First Ballet: Cinderella. Northern Ballet performed Goldilocks & the Three Bears in May, and we presented our Associate Artist Jasmin Vardimon’s enchanting Pinocchio for a second year during half term in October. At Christmas, we welcomed the return of Arthur Pita’s moving The Little Match Girl in the Lilian Baylis Studio, while the Birmingham Repertory Theatre marked the 20th anniversary of bringing The Snowman to The Peacock.
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In March 2018, Liv Lorent’s dance-theatre adaptation of Rumpelstiltskin was performed on our stage as part of our Family Weekend during the Easter break. A collaboration with Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, this was the last of the choreographer’s fairy-tale trilogy works following Rapunzel and Snow White, all of which we co-produced. In addition to this, we commissioned Melbourne-based company one step at a time like this to create upsidedowninsideout, a site-specific immersive adventure for young explorers and their families, who embarked on a mission to unlock the secrets of Sadler’s Wells guided by an interactive storybook.
“Sensuality, luxuriance, intimacy and open‑heartedness – such are Lorent’s enduring strengths.” Sanjoy Roy, The Guardian, on Rumpelstiltskin
The Peacock theatre continued to attract enthusiastic audiences, including a significant number of first-time attenders, with an eclectic programme of entertaining shows, such as Motionhouse’s Scattered and Charge, Mark Murphy’s OUT OF THIS WORLD, musicals Taj Express and Footloose, Cirque Éloize’s Saloon and the return of our production Vamos Cuba!. Forging strategic partnerships As the UK’s national dance house, we do not just bring the best dance from all over the world to our audiences in London and, through our touring productions, around the country. We also support exceptional companies based outside the capital, providing them with a London platform to show work and build their audiences. Over the year, we strengthened our relationship with three companies: Newcastle’s balletLORENT, Leeds’ Phoenix Dance Theatre and Leicester’s Aakash Odedra Company. All of them have strong and original choreographic voices at their helm, and we had been working with them in different ways for some time. As our National Partner Companies, in addition to welcoming them regularly to our stages each year, we are sharing advice, skills and knowledge with them in a variety of areas, including marketing and communications, in order to build audiences for their work and raise their profile.
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Touring our productions
We presented 167 performances of 15 Sadler’s Wells productions in 56 venues in 19 countries, to 133,000 people. Following its launch in April 2017, Acosta Danza undertook a successful tour in Llodz, Moscow and Bergen, followed by a sold-out performance at the Peralada festival in Spain in August. After premiering Debut in Havana and taking it to our stage in September, in the autumn the show went on an international tour that encompassed dates in five UK cities as well as in Germany, Austria and Turkey. The new commissions in the programme were produced as part of The Movement – our large‑scale producing partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome and The Lowry in Salford. Through The Movement, we also presented Dance: Sampled at The Lowry, modelled on our own Sadler’s Wells Sampled festival. Two major Sadler’s Wells productions choreographed by Associate Artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui returned to our main stage as part of successful tours. As part of a Dance Consortium tour, m¡longa toured to nine venues across the country, including Saffron Hall in Essex, where we had never presented one of our productions before. Sutra – a collaboration among Cherkaoui, sculptor Antony Gormley and monks from the Shaolin Temple in China – celebrated its 10th anniversary and ongoing international tour with performances in three cities in The Netherlands and at the New Oxford Theatre before returning to Sadler’s Wells, where we marked the occasion with a fitting post‑show party complete with a commemorative cake for the cast and creative team.
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In summer, we presented dance at Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire for the second time, and returned to programme dance on the Waterfront Stage at Latitude festival in Suffolk for a 10th year. Following a national tour that brought hip hop dance to 10 cities across the UK, Breakin’ Convention returned to Luxembourg for the second year running and toured to Toronto for the first time, where 4,000 people attended the festival – the largest audience Breakin’ Convention has ever had. The tour continued to the US returning to Harlem and Charlotte and making its debut in Miami and Denver. In total, the American dates attracted record-breaking crowds of over 13,000. Our Associate Artist Michael Keegan-Dolan’s Swan Lake/Loch na hEala toured around the world, with performances at Brighton Festival, eight different venues in Ireland and in Germany, Australia, Russia, New Zealand, Luxembourg and South Korea – the first time we ever toured a production to the East Asian nation. We toured Yang Liping’s Under Siege to Brisbane and Melbourne in Australia and the Festspielhaus St. Pölten in Austria. Our Associate Artist Russell Maliphant’s Conceal l Reveal was performed in four venues in France and Germany, while contemporary circus company The 7 Fingers brought our co-production Triptyque to The Netherlands and Canada.
Sadler’s Wells touring 2016–17
Touring locations UK & Ireland Birmingham, England Brighton, England Cornbury Park, England Drogheda, Ireland Dublin, Ireland Edinburgh, Scotland Henham Park, England Hull, England Ipswich, England Leicester, England Letterkenny, Ireland London, England Mullingar, Ireland Newbridge, Ireland Newcastle, England Nottingham, England Oxford, England Plymouth, England Roscommon, Ireland Saffron Walden, England Salford, England Sligo, Ireland Southampton, England Virginia, Ireland Europe Amsterdam,Netherlands Bergen, Norway Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany Heerlen, Netherlands Istanbul, Turkey Łódź, Poland Luxembourg City, Luxembourg Moscow, Russia Neuss, Germany Paris, France Peralada, Spain Rotterdam, Netherlands St. Pölten, Austria Stuttgart, Germany Vernier, Switzerland Rest of World Brisbane, Australia Charlotte, USA Denver, USA Havana, Cuba Melbourne, Australia Miami, USA Montreal, Canada New York, USA Seoul, South Korea Sydney, Australia Toronto, Canada Wellington,New Zealand
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Nurturing talent
Nurturing talent
Artist development is central to Sadler’s Wells’ mission and the future of dance as an art form. We are committed to supporting artists at every stage of their career and to nurturing talent. Throughout 2017-18, we provided 338 hours (42 days) of studio space in kind benefiting 14 artists, and led 92 one‑to-one advice sessions. Our artist development programme encompasses the promising young performers in the National Youth Dance Company; early-career artists consolidating their work in the Lilian Baylis Studio; our New Wave Associates; and our more established Associate Artists. In addition to these projects, we identified the need for more support to be given to those at the very outset of their dance-making careers, who have often just left higher education with a desire to establish their choreographic voices early on. In February 2018, we launched a new initiative, the Young Associates programme, supporting talented dance makers aged between 18 and 24 and providing a crucial first step into their career as choreographers. The first Young Associates are: Anthony Matsena, Wilhelmina Ojanen, Ruby Portus and Christopher Thomas. We are supporting them in a variety of ways, including with production time in our studios and theatres, providing guidance, advice and networking opportunities.
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National Youth Dance Company Sadler’s Wells continued to run the National Youth Dance Company (NYDC). Established in 2012, the company cultivates the brightest dance talent from across England, offering the chance to work with renowned choreographers and to perform at world-class venues. NYDC gives young dancers a unique insight into the dance profession, with over 80% of former NYDC dancers going on to further dance studies, vocational training or professional work.
During the tour, the company created a film with The Guardian newspaper in the city of Hull, which was the UK’s City of Culture 2017. NYDC dancers were filmed performing in various locations around the city and the final video gained over 140,000 views online. They also worked with Hull City Council to create a new company – NYDC:HULL – which brought its new production inspired by Tarantiseismic to Middleton Hall in Hull and to our Lilian Baylis Studio in London.
Many of the NYDC alumni are now working professionally in leading dance companies such as New Adventures, BalletBoyz, Cullberg Ballet, Teac Damsa, Ultima Vez and Shechter ll, while others have returned to Sadler’s Wells to assist in different projects. These have included a new piece created by Botis Seva for the V&A’s Reveal Festival; an intergenerational performance project with choreographer and performer Catarina Carvalho and Silver Routes, an arm of Sadler’s Wells’ outreach programme for the over-60s; and a work by Michael Keegan-Dolan at the Sadler’s Wells Gala, held in partnership with UAL’s London College of Fashion.
Alongside the tour, NYDC delivered 23 experience workshops around England, visiting 16 different towns and cities and involving over 470 young dancers. As part of these workshops, NYDC’s guest choreographer for 2017-18, Sharon Eyal, was casting her choices for the subsequent year’s intake. Sharon and the 41 dancers selected worked during school holidays throughout the 2017-18 academic year toward a premiere of her new work Used To Be Blonde at Sadler’s Wells in April 2018.
“NYDC has allowed me to grow so much in a very short amount of time. If I wasn’t in NYDC, I wouldn’t be the person and dancer I am today.”
In August 2017, NYDC and Corali Dance Company – an inclusive dance company working with dancers with learning disabilities – brought together a group of young dancers with and without disabilities from across the UK to create Escape the Nowhere, a short film choreographed and directed by Paul Davidson, a dancer with both NYDC and Corali. The short film formed the basis of screenings and workshops that took place in six different cities and involved over 1,500 people.
Paulina Bazala, NYDC dancer, 2016-17
NYDC’s 2016-17 cohort premiered Damien Jalet’s Tarantiseismic at Sadler’s Wells in April 2017. During the summer, the company’s national tour saw performances in Plymouth, Newcastle, Leicester, Birmingham, Ipswich and at Latitude festival, with a final graduation performance in the Lilian Baylis Studio. Overall, the show reached an audience of 5,629.
Independent research showed that, through the NYDC programme, participants are gaining artistic and physical skills as well as key transferable skills, such as leadership, teamwork and confidence, which will support them in their future training and employment.
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New Wave Associates Our New Wave Associates programme offers support to early to mid-career artists consolidating their development as dance makers and establishing a distinct artistic voice. We provide bespoke support for each artist, including research time, technical support, and professional and artistic guidance. The aim is to provide a creative home while enabling them to contribute to the artistic programme with their energy and fresh ideas. Throughout 2017-18 we continued to support our three New Wave Associates – Wilkie Branson, Hetain Patel and Alexander Whitley.
“Alexander Whitley’s poetic and playful creation captures the alien unknowableness of the universe, as well as its visual magic.” Judith Mackrell, The Guardian, on 8 Minutes
In June 2017, we presented the world premiere of 8 Minutes, the first full-length production for our main stage by Alexander Whitley, which we co‑produced. Inspired by solar science research, the work explored forces on a cosmic scale and asked questions about humanity’s relationship with the sun. Wilkie Branson’s research and development for his show TOM has been painstaking and meticulous. Wilkie created a series of hand‑crafted models of landscapes and objects, which he scanned and digitised in a process known as photogrammetry. Into this organic, digital landscape are projected dancing figures for a seamless blending of film, live dance and animation. The end product, set to premiere in November, is an installation more than a performance: a unified, three-dimensional digital projection that tells the story of one man’s journey to rediscover his identity.
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Hetain Patel’s Let’s Talk About Dis was performed as part of a double bill by inclusive company Candoco in March 2018. This was a reprisal of Hetain’s commission for the company, which originally premiered in 2014 to critical acclaim. The piece was witty as ever; an intimate creation employing singing, signing and talking in multiple languages to explore the individual personalities of the seven Candoco performers and their relationships to the labels they operate through – that of ‘disabled dancers’. In February 2018 we welcomed three more New Wave Associates: Julie Cunningham, Project O and L’atisse Rhoden. Julie Cunningham launched her own company after 15 years of dancing with the iconic Merce Cunningham Dance Company and Michael Clark Company. Her work employs text and movement, and is concerned with gender identity. Project O is a collaboration between artists Alexandrina Hemsley and Jamila Johnson-Small. Their work explores the body as a site of politics, considering the impact of colonial history in the UK today. L’atisse Rhoden comes from the hip hop dance theatre community. Introduced by our Breakin’ Convention team, she trained with dance companies Avant Garde Dance and Botis Seva’s Far From the Norm. A solo artist and director of the female collective 25, her work is heavily influenced by surrealism.
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Summer University We continued to support 21 dance artists to further their practice through Summer University. The 2015-18 class entered their third and penultimate two-week intensive in July 2017, led by choreographer Jonathan Burrows. Over the course of four years, the scheme supports dance artists early in their career by expanding their perspective on dance. Curated interventions, debates and dialogue are at the heart of this unique initiative – and through exposure to less familiar artistic practices and viewpoints, these dancers and choreographers are set to shape the growth of the art form in new and interesting directions.
“It is invaluable to be in a room full of people who are coming from very different backgrounds and approaches to making dance. It challenges my own preconceptions and prejudices and helps me to understand my place underneath the larger umbrella we call dance. I will take away the importance to make time for thinking, discussion and for making things happen.” James Cousins, Summer University participant, 2016-17
This year’s intensive took place both at Sadler’s Wells and at the Performing Arts Forum (PAF) in St Erme, northern France – an artist-led cooperative that acts as a hub for creatives from all over Europe. Eating, working and living together in this environment allowed the group to build a distinct sense of community through which they could learn in greater depth about each other’s artistic practice. The distinctly pan-European composition of PAF and its residents yielded greater insight into the contemporary artistic climate beyond the British Isles.
The programme aimed to incorporate a greater sense of self-curatorial autonomy: during the first week, the artists were encouraged to propose workshops and classes organically amongst themselves. Each artist led at least one session during the week, and there were further discussions led by Jan Ritsema, the founder of PAF, and Matt Hare, its resident philosopher and academic. Returning to Sadler’s Wells for their second week, on their first day the artists heard lectures from Catherine Wood, Senior Curator of International Art (Performance) at Tate Modern, and Jeroen Peters, writer, dramaturg and performer. Throughout the week there were further talks on singing from musician Jessie Mayron Davies; on literature from poet Tom Chivers; on the performing arts industry from Flora Wellesley, vice chair of Equity’s Dance Committee, Lucy Cadena, International Programme Coordinator for Climate Justice and Energy at Friends of the Earth, and dancer and choreographer Nicholas Keegan; and on psychotherapy and creative practice from therapist Frank Bock. In addition to the series of lectures, there were organised visits to shows at Sadler’s Wells and the Southbank Centre. Dance artists taking part in Summer University 2015-18 are: Kwame Asafo-Adjei Neil Callaghan Theo Clinkard Katye Coe Nicola Conibere James Cousins Dan Daw Antonio de la Fe Adrienne Hart Alexandrina Hemsley Stefan Jovanovic Stephanie McMann Joe Moran Patricia Okenwa Katerina Paramana Eva Recacha Alesandra Seutin Charlotte Spencer Pepa Ubera Marquez Zangs
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Wild Card Launched in 2013, the Wild Card initiative aims to bring fresh perspectives and lesser-known dance styles to the stage. Talented dance makers are given the opportunity to curate an evening in the Lilian Baylis Studio, featuring their own work as well as others’, with support from our professional teams. In June 2017, Ella Mesma presented Guerreras, an evening of pieces intersecting hip-hop, latin and theatre, with a particular focus on the tempestuous history of the rumba. The work on show determinedly reclaimed what it means to be ‘ladylike’. The evening saw performances from guest artists Yinka Esi Graves (dotdotdot dance), Houston Dance Collective and Luanda Pau Baquero, a Cuban salsa dancer.
“All works are exceptional and fascinating in their ability to investigate emotions” Francesca Marotto, The Wonderful World of Dance, on Wild Card: Gianluca Vicentini
Gianluca Vicentini, himself fascinated by the relationship between movement and emotion, showcased in November 2017 some of the most promising dance talent from the North of England - Carlos Pons Guerra with his flamenco-infused kitchen drama O Maria: A Divine Comedy of Ham and Bondage, Crystal Zillwood’s articulate and thoughtful solo Evolutio and Jamaal Burkmar with The Calm. In March 2018, Adrienne Hart curated an evening with collaboration at its core. Adrienne’s company Neon Dance performed excerpts of Empathy, an enchanting exploration of our ability to share in the emotions of others. Among the guest performers were talented musicians John Kameel Farah (Neue Meister) and cellist Anne Müller (Erased Tapes), as well as dance artists Maeva Berthelot and Pichet Klunchun. The enraptured audience enjoyed particularly intimate performances that centred on the form and sound of the piano; a nod to Piano Day, a celebration first established by Berlin-based composer and musician Nils Frahm.
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Breakin’ Convention Since 2008, our Breakin’ Convention team has offered professional development opportunities to over 800 hip-hop artists through its artist development programmes. In January 2018, two-week choreographic course Back To The Lab gave 18 professional hip hop practitioners the chance to develop their work, supported by mentors and music producers. Two dance pieces developed through the project – one by hip-hop dancer Chad Taylor, another by choreographer and performer Jade Hackett – were programmed as part of Breakin’ Convention 2018. Last year saw two separate Open Art Surgery sessions in London, in September 2017 and March 2018, offering 15 and 12 hip-hop dance theatre artists respectively the opportunity to develop and experiment with new ideas, share new work publicly and receive mentorship from their peers, including Breakin’ Convention’s Artistic Director Jonzi D. After a week of discussions and workshops, the participants presented their work in live performances hosted by Jonzi. In the intimate space of the Lilian Baylis Studio, he invited the audience to question and critique the fresh and raw work on display. The formula has proved successful, and as such Open Art Surgery toured to Toronto for the third time in March 2018, providing a platform for the sharing of hip-hop theatre knowledge with Canadian artists. Higher Learning took place in December 2017; a three-day intensive course led by Jonzi D and dramaturg Jane Fallowfield. Mentors, writers and hip hop theatre makers came together to collaborate, educate and innovate. As well as dramatic composition and storytelling, the course touched on all aspects of theatre production – from the technical side of lighting, staging and finance to methods of social empowerment.
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Engaging audiences
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Dance for all
At Sadler’s Wells, we aim to bring the joy and drama of dance to as large an audience as possible, unrestricted by background, ability or demography. Our Learning and Engagement team focuses on ensuring that our artistic practice is as inclusive as possible, and that new and existing audiences continue to be inspired by dance as an art form. Of particular focus are schools and young people, local communities and under‑represented groups in the dance world. Our approach has been proving successful – in 2017-2018, we recorded over 34,000 attendances to our range of participatory activities. We continued to take our work offsite, including programming the dance stages at Latitude and Wilderness festivals, and at the Great Get Together event in east London. Overall, outdoor events attracted audiences of over 17,200. Breakin’ Convention delivered their Park Jam in May 2017 to around 3,500 people; a free, family‑friendly dance, music and art event for the local community in Spa Fields. Sadler’s Wells Sampled in February 2018 gave audiences the opportunity to enjoy performances from international artists in different dance styles at an accessible price. Our main building was demarcated into separate areas that visitors were welcome to move between, each showcasing a different genre – including firm favourites flamenco, breakdance, ballet and contemporary. Among those performing were NDT2, Humanhood, Candoco Dance Company and the 2017 BBC Young Dancer winner Nafisah Baba. Through the generous support of American Express Foundation, we were able to invite 400 members of our local community to watch the performance for free and worked with our local community centres and groups to provide free dance taster workshops.
In March 2018, we took part in the Get Creative festival for the fourth consecutive year. Motionhouse’s Rehearsal Director Junior Cunningham delivered a free workshop for over‑60s inspired by the company’s latest production Charge, which we presented at The Peacock. Through our community engagement scheme, Get into Dance, we continued to enable people from low-income households in Islington to engage with our work by accessing £3 tickets for shows, a first-time experience for many local residents who register for the scheme. Get into Dance now has 166 active members, who in 2017‑18 purchased a total of 1445 tickets. We continued to work with our eleven Associate Schools, offering reduced tickets and workshops so that children and young people can engage with dance from an early age. We led just under 100 educational sessions – including with newcomers Mossbourne Riverside Academy. For pupils there, curriculum sessions were delivered by both East London Dance and English National Ballet. These were weekly workshops where dance was used as a tool for cross-curricular learning, feeding into their established classroom topics. Both organisations also delivered whole‑school training sessions for teachers and one stand-alone dance session for parents.
“I observed great progress with the Year 1 class, they are collaborating beautifully together and working on a lovely water piece that they are starting to feel very proud about.” Amy Wood, Principal, Mossbourne Riverside Academy
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Our Breakin’ Convention team continued their series of educational and outreach programmes, with their particular focus on engaging young people with different aspects of hip-hop culture. In March 2018, after spending the February half term creating a music video with cutting-edge mentors as part of the Future Elements project, young participants shared their work at the Lilian Baylis Studio in a night celebrating the next generation of the UK’s hip hop dance and theatre talent. Among the expert teachers on offer were prolific producer and rapper Nutty P and acclaimed filmmaker Sebastian Thiel.
“I am just writing to you as I watched Breakin’ Convention on Sunday with my mum, nan and three brothers and thought it was amazing. It was so well organised and all the staff were very kind and helpful. I wear hearing aids and loved the lady signing on stage. The graffiti man was really helpful and interesting. We had such a fun day at Sadler’s Wells theatre. Thank you.” Freya, aged eight, Essex
Starting From Scratch offered taster sessions in various theatrical hip-hop art forms – acting, DJ-ing, dance and rap – to young people aged between 13 and 21. Taking place in January 2018, there were a total of 24 sessions run with 88 participants. As part of the project, young people – many of whom had never visited a theatre before – were taken to see hip-hop productions at Sadler’s Wells and Battersea Arts Centre. Those taking part collaborated on theatre pieces for which they wrote the lyrics, recorded the music and designed the stage and lighting – all leading toward a performance at Breakin’ Convention 2018. During the June half term in 2017, Breakin’ Convention led a two-day workshop centring on rap lyricism – Graffical – to spark local young people’s creativity through writing and visual art. Mentored by rappers and educators, participants analysed their favourite rap songs, exploring the social and political issues addressed by the lyrics as well as the personal meaning the words had to them. Alongside this, they wrote their own lyrics with the purpose of inspiring their families and communities. The group collaborated on a mural, which was displayed in Islington, near the Andover Estate. Overseen by graffiti artist Mr. Dane, the teens brought their words to life by incorporating themes from their lyrics into the sprayed work.
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Reaching our audiences We continued to reach wide audiences in London, the UK and further afield. In 2017-18 we recorded a total attendance of 529,000 to our London theatres and over 130,000 from touring and festivals. We increasingly used our social media channels to livestream dance directly to viewers, a highlight being Rosie Kay Dance Company’s 5 SOLDIERS: The Body is the Frontline; a 60-minute performance and a post-show talk featuring choreographer Rosie Kay, Lt Gen James Bashall CBE, Lt Col Sue Wright, our Artistic Director and Chief Executive Alistair Spalding and Observer dance critic Luke Jennings.
“I applied to be a Social Mover because I really wanted to extend the work I was doing as a dance student and with my blog. I wanted an opportunity to bring more content to that, and also to reach a wider audience and to get more people interested in dance who might not otherwise have gone to see it.” Jessica Carter, Social Mover
Working with social media influencers has been an increasingly important component of our digital strategy. Giving people with established digital followings access to our shows and the freedom to spread the word in their own voice has helped our artistic programme reach new audiences and create wider conversations about dance. Through our regional touring initiative The Movement, in partnership with The Lowry and Birmingham Hippodrome, we gathered a team of influencers, dubbed Social Movers, who posted show reviews and created a series of short films to promote dance. This helped generate over 400,000 social media impressions and 133,000 video views through The Movement’s social channels.
Our social media followers continued to grow, with an increase of 20% in YouTube subscribers, 21% in Facebook followers and 66% in Instagram followers. Of the content we posted on YouTube, the film with the highest engagement was the trailer for Tango After Dark, with 83,378 views. This brought our total number of video views in 2017-18 to 1.3 million. In April 2017, we hosted in our sold-out theatre the live broadcast of the BBC Young Dancer Grand Final, a competition for dancers aged 16-21 across four categories: ballet, contemporary, street and South Asian. The show was presented by Anita Rani and Ore Oduba, with Darcey Bussell providing commentary along with Sir Matthew Bourne (Choreographer and Artistic Director of New Adventures), Shobana Jeyasingh (Choreographer and Artistic Director of Shobana Jeyasingh Dance) and Kenrick H2O Sandy (Artistic Director of Boy Blue Entertainment). The winner, dancer Nafisah Baba, was invited back to perform at Sadler’s Wells Sampled to showcase her preferred style – contemporary dance. Following our brand refresh in 2014, three years later we were able to monitor its impact on our business, and in February this year it was announced that Sadler’s Wells had won Silver in the Design Business Association’s Design Effectiveness Awards. 83% of staff and 78% of audiences thought that the new brand had “made Sadler’s Wells feel more contemporary”, and 39% of the audience were more adventurous in their selection of shows. In May 2017 we relaunched our membership scheme, and it proved an instant success. Over the financial year we saw a 10% increase in new members, and we broke recruitment records in seven out of the twelve months of the year. We also saw a 9% increase in renewals, demonstrating that loyalty to the Sadler’s Wells brand is growing.
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Making it happen
Fundraising
The many individual donors, organisations, trusts and foundations that support Sadler’s Wells have once again enabled us to create and deliver outstanding productions, nurture artists and ensure that dance is accessed and enjoyed by all. In Spring 2017 we brought together a group of six individual donors to form the Acosta Danza Circle, supporting our International Associate Company to create new work over two years. Acosta Danza’s Debut programme was presented here in September 2017 and received widespread critical acclaim, going on to tour in New York City, Poland, Russia, Austria and Norway. The generous supporters of the Acosta Danza Circle were invited to the UK and US opening night performances, as well as having access to the company’s pre-show ballet class. In November 2017, in collaboration with UAL’s London College of Fashion we hosted the Material Movement gala in support of each organisation’s creative development programmes. The evening included several performances, created collaboratively and featuring dancer Nafisah Baba, and choreographers Adrienne Hart, Botis Seva and Lee Griffiths. Guests enjoyed dinner on the stage and were wowed with a performance of Michael Hulls’ Mechanical Ballet. The evening ended with a stunning piece by National Youth Dance Company, choreographed by our Associate Artist Michael Keegan-Dolan. We are grateful to our gala committee and all those donors who helped us raise a significant amount of funds to support the next generation of creative talent. Our commitment to reaching new and diverse audiences through our Sadler’s Wells Sampled programme was continued thanks to a two-year pledge of support from the American Express Foundation. The grant has predominantly enabled the Sampled festival, which gives audiences the opportunity to experience the widest possible range of world-class dance at an accessible ticket price. In addition, it has supported two new engagement programmes for school children and members of the community who would not otherwise come to the theatre.
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The support Sadler’s Wells offers to artists at a key stage early in their career through the New Wave Associates programme was made possible through the support of the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. A particular highlight was the world premiere of 8 Minutes by New Wave Associate Artist Alexander Whitley’s Dance Company. This commission was his company’s first full-length production presented on our main stage. Alongside funds from major donors and The Monument Trust, which supports all our commissions and co-productions, this particular production was also generously supported by Cockayne – Grants for the Arts and The London Community Foundation. Our increasing focus on commissioning and producing new work has continued to be generously supported by a number of charitable trusts and individuals. In December 2017 this was recognised by The Monument Trust through a transformational legacy gift of £1,000,000 to start a Creative Development Fund, the purpose of which is to support the new commissions and artistic collaborations that lead to ground-breaking work, alongside support for artist development within our learning and engagement activities that are integral to the artistic programme. We warmly thank all our supporters, longstanding and new, for their generosity and spirit.
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Our people and places
Providing opportunities As part of our ongoing commitment to training the next generation of educators, producers, arts managers, technicians and backstage staff, we offered 10 work experience placements, seven apprenticeships, six technical placements and five internships. This helps us build a culturally diverse arts workforce that offers fair access, particularly to those who might otherwise struggle to find opportunities to break into the arts sector. We continued to host two one-year technical apprentice positions in conjunction with the Roundhouse, with apprentices spending time being trained and working in both organisations throughout the year. In July, two staff members received awards at a ceremony celebrating the role of local young people and employers in delivering the legacy of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Human Resources Manager Lesley Owusu and our former Community and Engagement intern Jade Leatham were honoured at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Apprenticeship Awards, held at Here East. Lesley won the Making it Happen Partnership of the Year Award for her work in offering high-quality, accessible employment and education opportunities to young people from the communities that surround the park in east London. Jade received the Best Intern Award for her work as Community Engagement Intern at Sadler’s Wells. In partnership with the London Legacy Development Corporation and Create Jobs, we delivered and hosted the Creative Opportunity Programme. Free for participants to attend, this two-week programme offers young people interested in a career in the creative and cultural sectors advice and practical steps on how to apply, and supports knowledge and skills development for entry route positions.
We also piloted the Shared Training and Employment Programme (STEP). For residents of Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Waltham Forest, aged 18-30, the programme offers placements across a range of cultural organisations, including Sadler’s Wells, where we offer successful applicants two six-month internships in two different departments. Serina Lopez joined us in 2017, beginning in Visitor Experience, and is set to conclude her placement in Producing and Touring. Philippe Cato completed six months in Producing and Touring before successfully securing a role as Production Assistant with Paines Plough, a touring theatre production company.
Generating income Our Catering & Events and Visitor Services teams had a particularly successful year, with a £2.9 million net contribution from supplementary activities including catering, events and front‑of‑house sales. Our catering service achieved high margins, and our event hire service performed particularly well, with high utilisation rates for all our available spaces both at Sadler’s Wells and The Peacock. March 2018 was a particularly busy month for the events department. Annie Lennox spoke and performed at an evening of music and conversation with proceeds donated to The Circle, a charity she founded to change and challenge the injustices and inequality facing women and girls. Hachette UK’s staff event celebrated upcoming author talent with speeches from Malala Yousafzai, Ferne Cotton, Dermot O’Leary and Akala among others. Closing the month was ‘A Life in Classics’, Mary Beard’s in-conversation event celebrating her life and writing, organised by Guardian News & Media and presented by their chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins.
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Sustainable development Sustainable creativity is at the heart of our practice at Sadler’s Wells, as we believe the future of the arts and culture – no less wider society – depend on it. Environmental concerns extend to all areas of our activities and projects, including our artistic programme, our building and staff. In 2017 we worked with Julie’s Bicycle toward the Creative Green assessment, an accreditation recognising environmental commitment and achievement within the creative sector. We were awarded an “Excellent” four-star Creative Green rating, with a 9% increase in our score on last year. To encourage sustainability leadership in the wider cultural sector, in June 2017 we presented a seminar on sustainability in theatres with SiPA (the Sustainability in Production Alliance) at the Association of British Theatre Technicians show at Alexandra Palace. In November, we took part in Vehicle Idling Action, a London-wide behaviour change campaign that took place in 18 local authorities, engaging volunteers and staff to educate motorists and coach drivers parked around the theatre pre and post-show. We introduced our Sustainability Policy into our contracts with visiting companies, and we share shows’ energy use data with them. Our policy has been strengthened to reflect our commitment to help mitigate climate change, with explicit reference to the Paris Agreement.
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Our Catering team has been at the forefront of sustainable change within our buildings. We were acknowledged in the Evening Standard when we switched from plastic to paper straws, and our takeaway boxes are now either recyclable or compostable. The takeaway cutlery is also now compostable ‘veg-ware’, and the ice cream tubs have been changed from plastic to cardboard. Our Wardrobe team continue to use eco-friendly laundry products for all our productions. One of the more popular sustainability policies among our staff has been the planting of a herb garden in the Sadler’s Wells courtyard. The planter was built by Ghion, resident carpenter in the Building Services team, and is overseen by our Green Team – who meet regularly throughout the year to discuss new ideas and the implementation of our Sustainability Action Plan. The wooden structure plays host to bay trees, sage, thyme, marjoram, chives and mint, which our kitchen staff are able to use in food for the café. The updated Building Management System and energy metering put in place during our 2013-15 refurbishment continues to allow us to monitor consumption on a more detailed basis, for consistent incremental improvements to energy and water efficiency.
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How we are funded
9%
12%
9%
70%
Sadler’s Wells’ income 2017–18 Presentations Fundraising Trading and Other Arts Council England
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Financial performance
2017-18
2016-17
£’000
£’000
18,767
18,566
Trading and other
2,963
3,213
Unrestricted fundraising
2,529
1,357
Arts Council England
2,456
2,456
26,715
25,592
18,391
18,075
Theatre overhead
5,071
4,986
Trading and other
2,008
1,913
562
424
26,032
25,398
Movement on investments
(51)
232
Net Operating
632
426
–
(426)
(1,000)
–
Net after Transfers
(368)
–
Opening General Reserve
1,000
1,000
Charge
(368)
–
632
1,000
Income Theatre presentations
Expenditure Theatre presentations
Fundraising
Designated Fund Transfer Creative Development Fund Transfer
Closing General Reserve
As ever, the income generated from ticket sales and other show-related income was our principal source of funding. The annual funding we receive from Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation is important to our long‑term financial sustainability; in 2017‑18, this represented 9% of our income, amounting to around £5 per seat.
Our other sources of income are voluntary donations from individuals, trusts and foundations and corporate bodies, together with trading income derived from hiring out the spaces in the theatre complex. Income from presentations accounted for 70% of our revenue, with 21% generated from trading and fundraising. There was a transfer of a donated gift in year of £1 million to establish the Creative Development Fund. The net deficit of £368,000 was charged to the General Reserve.
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Sadler’s Wells Trust and Foundation
Sadler’s Wells ambassadors
Sadler’s Wells Fellowship We thank former board members and those who have given significant and sustained support:
Sadler’s Wells Trust
Sadler’s Wells Foundation
Chairman Nigel Higgins
President Lady Solti
Directors Humphrey Battcock Sue Butcher Sarah Evans Robert Glick David Lan Farah Ramzan Golant David Ripert Sanoke Viswanathan Sharon White
Honorary Vice President Ian Albery Ian Hay Davison CBE
Trustee placements Sharla Duncan Jo Wolfe Honorary Member Sandi Ulrich
Chairman Nigel Higgins
Honorary Members Valerie Colgan Robert Kahn Martin Klute Honorary Clerk Joachim Fleury
Ambassadors Gillian Anderson Hussein Chalayan Antony Gormley Anish Kapoor Arlene Phillips Fiona Shaw Neil Tennant Richard Wilson
Clerk to the Foundation Alistair Spalding CBE
Directors Sir David Bell Rab Bennetts Celeste Fenichel Kathryn Firth Harry MacAuslan Lesley MacDonagh Celia Rodrigues Roger Spence Paul Williams
Sadler’s Wells artists and companies
Ian Albery David and Primrose Bell Angela Bernstein CBE Jules Burns Nica Burns OBE Marco Compagnoni Kathleen Crook Joachim Fleury Ian Hay Davison CBE Ian Jentle Carol Lake Annie Norton Lady Panufnik Robin Pauley Robin Saunders Ann and Martin Smith Valerie Solti Vanni Treves CBE Sandi and Jake Ulrich
Sadler’s Wells co-producers Sadler’s Wells would like to thank its UK and international co-producing partners, whose collaboration made it possible to create and tour work across the globe:
Associate Artists BalletBoyz® Matthew Bourne Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui Jonzi D Sharon Eyal Michael Hulls Michael Keegan-Dolan Akram Khan Russell Maliphant Wayne McGregor Crystal Pite Kate Prince Nitin Sawhney Hofesh Shechter Jasmin Vardimon Christopher Wheeldon Associate Artist Emeritus Sylvie Guillem New Wave Associates Wilkie Branson Julie Cunningham Alexander Whitley Project O Hetain Patel L’atisse Rhoden Young Associates Anthony Matsena Wilhelmina Ojanen Ruby Portus Christopher Thomas
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Resident Companies Company Wayne McGregor New Adventures ZooNation: The Kate Prince Dance Company Associate Company English National Ballet International Associate Companies Acosta Danza Rosas Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch National Partner Companies Aakash Odedra Company balletLORENT Phoenix Dance Theatre
Athens Festival BB Promotion Birmingham Hippodrome Blancon Productions Colours International Dance Festival Danse-Cité DanceEast deSingel international arts campus, Antwerp Dublin Theatre Festival Eastman Festival d’Avignon Festspielhaus St Pölten Festival de Barcelona Grec Fondazione Musica per Roma La Monnaie, Brussels Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg Les Nuits de Fourvière/ Départment du Rhône
Migros Culture Percentage Dance Festival Steps Movimentos Festwochen der Autostadt, Wolfsburg New York City Center Royal Albert Hall Shaolin Cultural Communications Company Stanford Live Théâtres de l’Achipel, scène nationale de Perpignan Théâtre du Jorat, Mézières Theatrehaus Stuttgart Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne Théâtres de la Ville-Paris The Movement The Lowry, Salford The Point, Eastleigh Thomas Lightburn TOHU, Monreal Valid Productions
Support Sadler’s Wells would like to thank all those who generously supported the theatre’s activities in 2017-18
Individuals Avant-Guardians Anonymous Humphrey & Ginny Battcock David & Primrose Bell Angela Bernstein CBE Sue Butcher Aud Jebsen Sanya Polescuk & Nigel Higgins Robin Saunders Ann & Martin Smith The Ulrich Family Major Project Support The Blavatnik Family Foundation The Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation Stephanie & Jacques Gabillon Barbara Kahn Moller & Karsten Moller Artistic Director’s Circle Anonymous William & Judith Bollinger Jules & Cheryl Burns Marco Compagnoni Kathleen Crook & James Penturn Christophe Czajka & Brid T Rodgers Lloyd & Sarah Dorfman Sarah Evans Jack & Linda Keenan Fameed Khalique Sophie Lecoq & Fawzi Kyriakos-Saad Lesley MacDonagh Paul Mulholland Julie & Karim Saddi Season Patrons Maria Adonyeva Sir Trevor & Lady Chinn Celeste Fenichel Stéphane Lapiquonne Samantha Lee Craig Mullan Majella Murphy-Altschuler Yukiko Pajot Robin Pauley Shafranik Family Acosta Danza Circle Anonymous Sue Butcher Michael & Claire Francies Jeannette Grohe Esther Isaacs Jack & Linda Keenan New Production Patrons Anonymous Denise & Rab Bennetts Lauren & Michael Clancy John Drewitt Charles Glanville The Richard Grand Foundation Claire Griffiths Mrs Joyce Kan Frank & Helen Neale Stephen & Yana Peel The Porter Foundation Switzerland
Trusts & Foundations Project Supporters Aspect Charitable Trust Carol Lake The Mactaggart Third Fund Michel & Ellen Plantevin Seat Appeal Supporters Kate Wormald – OESA Partners Legacy Circle Klara Bloch David & Deborah Botten Mike & Caroline Howes Ross Roberts Commissioning Patrons Anonymous Francois & Anais Aguerre Geoff & Judith Batchelar Justin Bickle Nigel Boardman & Lynda Gratton Kristina Borsy & Nick Turdean Nica Burns OBE Alexander de Mont Juliana Farha & Kit Malthouse Neil Griffiths-Lambeth Lettie Hart Laoise Hayes Bee Hopkins Anne Kauder Faizal Khan Latifa Kosta Dominique & Laurent Laffy John & Susan Lazar Alison & Dominique LeMaire Lindy Mason Nancy Miller & Glen Ireland Nathalie & Nicolas Motelay Nicola Nicholls John Nicoll and Laurence Colchester Mr C & Mrs A Norton Georgia Oetker Dr Elizabeth Parker Frances Prenn Joan Ritchie Ross Roberts Kristina Rogge His Excellency Ghassan I Shaker Georgie Shields & Trevor Francis Wendy Sigle Graeme & Susan Sloan Matthew Slotover & Emily King Christopher & Fiona Steane Max D Steinkopf Gabrielle Tana Allen Thomas & Jane Simpson Eric Tomsett Geoff Westmore & Paula Clemett Paul & Christine Williams Meng Zhou The American Friends David & Melissa Bernstein Matthew & Elissa Bernstein Colin & Deirdre McKechnie (Deputy President) Celia Rodrigues (President) & Mark Rodrigues Monica Voldstad
Opening Night Patrons Anonymous Tobe & Nicholas Aleksander Diana Allgaier Carolyn Amhurst Hannah Azizollah Severine Balick Joanne Black John Bolland William Boyce Jenny Brend Alison Brodie Maria Bukhtoyarova Cristina Bundyra Ossi & Paul Burger Jim Carroll Guy Chapman Jenny Chu Geoffrey Collens Victoria Conran Philippa Crane Sean Cross Andrew Cullen Amanda Cupples Tess Daly Dr Genevieve Davies Angela Docherty Simon & Jane Duncan Maryam Eisler Sarah Elson Magdalen Fisher Mo Fisher Sybille & Lionel Giacomotto Karine Giannamore Clare Haden Jonas Havnes Sarah Hayter Eleanor Heine Steve Hendry Mina Gerowin Herrman & Jeffrey Herrman Gina Hickey Gary Hocking & Sandra Quinn Mike & Caroline Howes Rita Hughes Mr Sajid F. Hussein Raphael Im Colin Izzard Claire Johnston Colin Keil Louise & Philip Keller Christopher Kneale & Michael Page Sybil & Herbert Kretzmer OBE Rebecca Kwee Vicki Lant Kim Lavely Derek Lee Fiona Leishman Andrew Lerpiniere Gwen Lewis & Jonathan Holliday Harry & Fiona MacAuslan Chantelle Mackay Tim Marlow Alessandra Masoero Patricia Masri
David Mathew Terrie McCann Martha Mehta Alison Margaret Miller Jane Miller Andrea Mitchell Erdem Moralioglu Richard Morgan Koji Moriya Britannia Morton The Mucha Family Nahla Murad Susan Noble John Nugent Simon Nurney Venkatramanan Panchapakesan Sarah Perry Dave Plummer & Lesley Whitby Sia Ratajczak Kerri Ratcliffe & Doug Henderson Peter B Rea David Ripert Marc Roberts & Rafael Navarro Susanna Rodriguez Angel Rodriguez Issa Robert & Corinne Rooney Zerin Safa Anatoly Savin Alastair Sharp Maria Sheremteva Brian Smith Alistair Spalding CBE Helen Stevens Juliet Strang Sue Swallows Ebba Thott Alex Timken Lan Tu Nigel Turner Cem/Tolga Uzuner Anna Valentine & Jonathan Berger Kevin Walker Sarah Jane Watson Simeon Williams Holmes Wood Josh Wood David & Vivienne Woolf Kate Wormald – OESA Partners Jenifer Young Performance Members Andrew Barnett Jemma Cowley Lt Col Dafydd Edwards Sandrine Jensen Eugene Leahy & Helmert Robbertsen Gerald Lidstone Juliette Morris Helen Mundy Anthony & Alison Nathan Sally Pasmore Geraldine Ravet Isla Smith Alison Smyth David Taylor
Major Supporters & Partners Anonymous The American Express Foundation The Baring Foundation Cockayne – Grants for the Arts Dame Hilda Bracket Trust The Edwin Fox Foundation in memory of Michele Fox Esmée Fairbairn Foundation Helen Hamlyn Trust The Linbury Trust The Monument Trust The Pure Land Foundation Fidelity UK Foundation Supporters & Partners The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust The Austin & Hope Pilkington Trust Chapman Charitable Trust The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust The Derek Hill Foundation Ernest Cook Trust The Golsoncott Foundation Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation The Rayne Foundation The Royal Victoria Hall Foundation Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement Teale Charitable Trust The Three Monkies Trust The Sylvia Waddilove Foundation
Corporate Corporate Supporters Bloomberg Citadines Apart’Hotels Clifford Chance Criterion Ices DoubleTree by Hilton JPMorgan Chase & Co. London Islington ERMAK Group Rothschild & Co Local Business Members Bourne & Hollingsworth Frederick’s Moro Viaduct Furniture Embassies / Government Agencies Italian Cultural Institute Taipei Representative Office in the UK
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Sadler’s Wells staff
Artistic Director & Chief Executive Alistair Spalding
Digital Communications Officer, Breakin’ Convention Dave Barros
Chief Operating Officer Britannia Morton
Education Coordinator, Breakin’ Convention Shay Rafati
Executive Director Magdalen Fisher Director of Artistic Programme Katy Arnander
Breakin’ Convention Coordinator Karine Goudout
Marketing & Sales Director of Marketing & Sales Sebastian Cater Head of Campaign Marketing Sammie Squire Marketing Manager (Touring) Lucy White Senior Marketing Officer Martha Quigley
Finance Director Mark Rhodes
Marketing Assistant, Breakin’ Convention Owen Ling
Executive Producer Suzanne Walker
Learning & Engagement
Director of Technical & Production Emma Wilson
Director of Learning & Engagement Joce Giles
Content Officer Rosie Mackie
Director of Marketing & Sales Sebastian Cater
General Manager, NYDC Hannah Kirkpatrick
Marketing Coordinator Kirsty McGuinness
Community & Engagement Manager Natasha Anderson
Marketing Assistant Nicki Perrett
Director of Learning & Engagement Joce Giles Director of Development Phoebe Reith Executive Assistant Rosalind Glass
Projects Producer, Learning & Engagement Lucy Clarke-Bishop Rosalind Hewett (Maternity Cover) Projects Manager Elaine Foley
Programming, Learning & Engagement Director of Artistic Programme Katy Arnander
Programming Artistic Programmer & Artist Development Eva Martinez
Learning & Engagement Officer Sara Daniels Emma Bellerby (Maternity Cover) NYDC & Learning & Engagement Coordinator Rosalind Hewett Laura Warner (Maternity Cover)
Marketing Insight Officer Ian Briggs Publications Officer Maxine Smiles
Digital & Marketing Apprentice Temi Fernandez
Lee McDonnell Thomas Montagu-Harrison Sheila Motani Grace Nyandoro Joel O’Donoghue Paula Patritti Rosalind Reeder Rachel Salisbury Nicola Salt Caitriona Shoobridge John Sinclair Lois Tucker
Finance & IT
Press
Project Accountant Ben Dart
Head of Media Relations Abigail Desch Senior Press Manager Caroline Ansdell Senior Press Officer Dan Macarthur
Projects Producer Robyn Cabaret Programme Manager Richard Cross Programming Coordinator Sarah Lacombe Christopher Haddow
Breakin’ Convention Artistic Director, Breakin’ Convention Jonzi D Head of Breakin’ Convention Michelle Norton Tour Producer, Breakin’ Convention Emma Ponsford
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Executive Producer Suzanne Walker Head of Producing & Touring Bia Oliveira Senior Producer Ghislaine Granger Producer Ellie Hartwell Tour Producer Aristea Charalampidou Technical Production Manager Adam Carrée Production Accountant Ricci Pleszkan Producing & Touring Coordinators Georgia Kersh Florent Trioux Producing & Touring Intern Phillipe Cato
Finance Financial Controller Paul Warren Production Accountant Ricci Tait
Show Accountant Lorne Cuthbert Finance Officer Monisola Samuel
Press Officers Eugenie Dunster
Finance Assistants Sheena Shah Hannah Titterton (Maternity Cover)
Press Assistant Jessica Galliver
IT
Corporate Communications
Head of IT Matt Kirby
Digital Digital Manager Mark Doerfel
Senior Communications Manager Giulia Ascoli
Development
Ticket Office
Director of Development Phoebe Reith
Senior Ticket Office Manager James Broderick Deputy Ticket Office & Systems Manager David Knight Ticket Office Supervisors Barbara Birch Mark Hammond Abigail Parker
Development Manager, Corporate Partnerships Sarah Drake Individual Giving Manager Katie Wellington Trusts & Foundations Manager Edie Culshaw Senior Development Officer, Members & Patrons Rebecca Fogg
Memberships & Ticketing Services Administrator Ritchie Dach Ticket Sales Assistants Virginia Aparicio Samuel Bailey Naomi Bowen Clare Bracewell Stephanie Brotchie Tim Chen-Hudson Melissa Collier Neil Collins Louise Crane Katherine Dalton Florence Evans Brandon Force Ben Francis James Hameed Elspeth Harrison Wesley Jones Steph Lodge
CRM Database Manager Dmitrij Zeile IT Systems & Network Manager Raymond Neequaye
Digital Officer Sarah Vaughan-Jones
Producing & Touring Head of Programme Anneliese Graham Ninon Jerome (Maternity Cover)
Finance Director Mark Rhodes
Development Coordinator, Corporate Partnerships & Events Ornela Salloum Individual Giving Coordinator Katherine Sharp Trusts & Foundations Coordinator Sarah Wingfield Development Assistant Joely Langston
IT Support Analysts Stephen Amissah Jake Hummerston
Human Resources Head of HR Clair Kelly HR Manager Lesley Owusu HR Coordinator Braham Lyons Administrative Apprentice, HR Tiegan Hummerston
Capital Projects Projects Facilitator Charlotte Meyer
Technical & Building Services Director of Technical & Production Emma Wilson
Sadler’s Wells Theatre Technical Manager Zeynep Kepekli Technical Coordinator Tom Hares Head of Stage & Flys Colin Wilson Head of Lighting & Sound Graham Cutting Technicians Kirsty Campbell Rob Foskett Kirstin Harrison Aran Morrison Mark Noble Nick Rundall Ben Walker Wardrobe Supervisor Miwa Mitsuhashi
Sous Chef Paul Walsh
Events Manager Alessio Romani
Senior Chef De Parties Aaron Hartmann Paul Mileham
Events Executives Phillipa Owusu Pascha Rix-Whippey
Kitchen Assistants Ellie-Brook Dean Luminita Sfesnic Kitchen Porters David Cabrol Andrew Ejayese
Senior Technician James Kazwini Thomas Pritchard Technician Sophie Brown
Lilian Baylis Studio Senior Technician Fraser Thompson-Noble Technician Pete Maxey
Building Services Senior Building Services Technician Wayne Lawrence Building Services Technicians Richard Emmett Mark Hobson Daniel Knapton Ghion Mekonnen Connor Spencer Darren Spencer
Building Services & Technical Coordinator Elsa Stevens
Catering & Events Head of Catering & Events Zuzana Galikova Development Head Chef Kenny Warren
Head of Visitor Experience Howard Clark Visitor Experience Intern Serina Lopez
Catering Operations Front of House Manager Justin Rogers Catering Administrator Janet Elliott Duty Catering Managers Alessio Colandrea Jolanta Petrauskaite
The Peacock Technical Manager, The Peacock Paul Burgess
Visitor Experience
Catering Team Leaders Michael Curtin Marcus Romaneli Maurice Rowan Bishop Sonia Teape General Catering Assistants Aliya Aris Karolina Baublyte Natalie Beale Nicola Beale Deborah Boateng Rosaleen Brooks Jamie Buchanan Lottie Chivers Sarah Covington, Sonya Crème Paige Dehaarte-Wiseman Maria De Melo Sousa Eva Escribano Olmo Josh Gill Deborah Gomes Rosalind James Egija Kavecka James Kent Laura Kerin Jennifer Lake Ciara Lynch Niamh Malin Hannah Mason Isobelle Mason Maria Moragas-Auladell Claudia Marciano Katie McGregor Chesney Parchment‑Otegbade Eva Parets Merino Alexandra Plaige Bethany Pratt Aine Reynolds Raffaella Scotto Di Clemente Anita Sidoruk Nestor Soto-Tordecilla Waddah Sinada Lizzie Treece Kathryn Turner Thomas Van-Hulle Razvan-Ioan Vermesan Marilyn Webster Hallam Wood
Senior House Manager Marguerite Bullard House Manager Haroula Lountzi Deputy House Managers Dara Brooks Larry Harrison-Mateeba Janine Kaufman Duncan Steer Duty House Manager Luigi (Gigi) Giannella Front of House Sales Administrator Louise Cooper Performance Cashiers Dara Brooks Robert Churchill, Chris Harmer Larry Harrison-Mateeba Alex Wood Front of House Assistants Jessie Acton Christina Adonoo Marie-Claire Adriaenessens Josiane Adriaenessens-Gardes Keziah Allen Winifred Arhin-Amankwah Makiko Aoyama Serael Asphall Naida Babic Paddy Barras-Hargan Corinna Barker Alex Barnes Lisa Beck Rochelle Belfon Amy Bentley Dominic Berry Alessandra Bertocco Lorea Burge Becky Byers Jane Chan Vicky Chapman Rita Chowdhury Belinda Clark Marie Deane Ioana Delves-McGuire Helen Doyle Barney Evans-Doran Lindsey Fraser Lauren Ford Carina Griffiths Sally Hacking James Hameed Chris Harmer Aimee Harrison
Anna Harrison Antony Hately Kylie Hawryliw Sam Hind Geber Sandoval Heredia Nadia Jaglom Kornelia Jaroc Jasmine Kambi Athina Kavaklioti Grace Keeble Ewa Lamond Lisa Laville Ljiljana Lemajic Maddie Lewis Vivien Loh Esther Mark Montana Marlow Claire Marty Katie Mason Timesha Mathurin Takeshi Matsumoto James McAndrew Iona McGuire Madeleine Millar Hannah Millward Carole Mitchell Rhiannon Montagu-Harrison Thomas Montagu-Harrison Joel O’Donoghue Amelia O’Hara Samantha Oldham Raisa Pankalainen Wendy Parry Hannah Parsons Paula Patritti Raffaella Petropoulou Nicki Perrett Danielle Pollastri Eloise Price Magdalena Radlowska Georgia Redgrave Kelly Robinson Rowan Roberts Chiara Sarra Dorit Schwartz Jamie Sheehan Shorai Shoniwa-Forchin Benjamin Todd-Jones Caroline Topley Lily Tran Nu Tran Calvert Watson Emma Wells Robert Wilkes Jairo Zaldua
Housekeeping Cleaning & Housekeeping Manager Fabian Arias Housekeeping Operations Supervisor Katarzyna Rogulska Cleaning & Housekeeping Supervisor Ken Debidin Cleaners Marc Aster Albina Boho Jeffrey Balighot Fortunato Carian Ben Coughlan Kelly Dago Jesiel Da Silva Jose Lary Legario Marlon Passial Mercan Sahin Thayaparan Eliyathamby Sinnathamby Ziegfredo Tanilon Cyrille Tchaho Wandji Crystal Wong Antonio Villanueva Amani Yoboue
Security Security Officers Andrew Ayinbode Akeel Ahmed Tariq Aziz Kenny James Nii Lartey James Moore Mohammed Mulla Katie Torbett Kemoh Sesay
Stage Door Receptionist Joann Peek Stage Door Keepers Marie-Claire Adriaenessens Faith Alibi Hollie Ashton-Penketh Cory Haas Sam Hopkins Laura Kerin Vivien Loh Magdalena Radlowska Rosannah Smith Marcia Umbelino Michael Warburton
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Photography credits
Cover Carlos Acosta and Marta Ortega in Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Mermaid, part of Acosta Danza’s Debut Photo: Johann Persson Page 2 Top: Nigel Higgins Photo: Cameron Slater Bottom: Alistair Spalding Photo: Cameron Slater Pages 6-7 Wayne McGregor’s Autobiography Photo: Andrej Uspenski
Page 21 The cast of Sutra celebrating the production’s 10th anniversary at Sadler’s Wells. Photo: Lucy White
Page 43 Mentors and participants during Starting From Scratch sessions Photo: Owen Ling
Pages 24-25 Wild Card: Ella Mesma’s Guerreras Photo: Camilla Greenwell
Page 44 Audience members viewing Breakin’ Convention and National Youth Dance Company short films at Sadler’s Wells Sampled Photo: Ian Gavan
Page 27 Jamaal Burkmar’s The Calm, part of Wild Card: Gianluca Vincentini Photo: Danilo Moroni
Page 9 Hofesh Shechter’s Grand Finale Photo: Rahi Rezvani
Page 28 National Youth Dance Company performing Damien Jalet’s Tarantiseismic Photo: Tony Nandi
Page 10 Yeah Yellow performing at Breakin’ Convention 2017 Photo: Ian Gavan
Page 31 Alexander Whitley’s 8 Minutes Photo: Johan Persson
Page 12 Shobana Jeyasingh’s Bayadère – The Ninth Life Photo: Jane Hobson
Page 32 Jonathan Burrows (second from left) with Summer University artists Photo: Robyn Cabaret
Pages 14-15 Honji Wang, Eva Stone and Sébastien Ramirez in Dystopian Dream Photo: Johan Persson Page 16 Aracaladanza’s Vuelos Photo: Pedro Arnay Page 19 balletLORENT’s Rumpelstiltskin Photo: Bill Cooper Page 20 BalletBoyz performing Craig Revel Horwood’s The Indicator Line, part of Fourteen Days Photo: Panayiotis Sinnos
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Page 35 Wild Card: Neon Dance Photo: Camilla Greenwell Page 36 Artists during an Open Art Surgery session Photo: Owen Ling Pages 38-39 Audience members taking part in foyer activities at Sadler’s Wells Sampled Photo: Ian Gavan Page 40 A foyer performance at Sadler’s Wells Sampled Photo: Ian Gavan
Pages 46-47 Botis Seva’s 60 Sec, performed at the Sadler’s Wells and UAL’s London College of Fashion Material Movement gala Photo: Richard Eaton Page 49 Nafisah Baba performing Laïla Diallo’s Near The Place Where Your Feet Pass By, performed at the Sadler’s Wells and UAL’s London College of Fashion Material Movement gala Photo: Richard Eaton Page 50 Sadler’s Wells’ HR Manager Lesley Owusu and former Community and Engagement Intern Jade Leatham at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Apprenticeship Awards 2017 Page 53 Compagnie du Hanneton in James Thierrée’s The Toad Knew Photo: Richard Haughton
Edited by Giulia Ascoli Alexander Peel Designed by Red&White Design Ltd Printed by Kolophon Ltd