Press Release: Sadler’s Wells Family Weekend This Easter

[Jan McNulty]

Sadler’s Wells Family Weekend
Sadler’s Wells Theatre, EC1R 4TN
Friday 15 & Saturday 16 April 2022     
Tickets: £8 - £18
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com

Children and their families are invited to take part in Family Weekend over Easter weekend. This is a jam-packed festival including exciting performances and activities. balletLORENT present a new Sadler’s Wells Co-Production The Lost Happy Endings. Xenia Aidonopoulou and Georgia Tegou bring their new multi-sensory dance theatre piece Underwater, for babies aged 0 to 24 months. Children can also get involved in activities including workshops, games and arts and crafts.

 

 

 

The acclaimed Sadler's Wells National Partner Company balletLORENT, based in Newcastle and run by Liv Lorent, returns to Sadler's Wells with an original story by former poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy.

 

The Lost Happy Endings features 18 famous fairy-tale characters including Snow White, Pinocchio, Cinderella and Goldilocks.  The engaging new production takes audiences deep into the forest to meet Jub, a fearless girl with six fingers on each hand, who has been tasked with guarding all the happy endings.  But one day a Witch steals them, and at bedtime the stories are destroyed.  As the Witch disappears with the stolen Happy Endings it is up to Jub to save the night, encountering many beloved fairy tale characters and woodland creatures in her quest.  Packed with spirit, adventure and glorious surprises, this fantasy family show will delight generations both old and young.

 

Choreographer Liv Lorent established balletLORENT in 1993. She enjoys working with performers with a range of ages and experiences. Dramaturg Ben Cromptonis an actor, writer and stand-up comedian. He was a regular in several TV shows including HBO's Game of Thrones. Scenario Writer Carol Ann Duffy has written for both children and adults, and her poetry has received many awards. She was also the scenario writer for balletLORENT’s Rapunzel, Snow White and Rumpelstiltskin.

Narrator Joanna Lumley OBE is a multi-BAFTA award-winning actress best known for her role as Patsy Stone in Absolutely Fabulous.  The show has an original score composed by Murray Gold, who composed the famous music for Doctor Who. He has also collaborated with balletLORENT for Rapunzel, Snow White and Rumpelstiltskin. Set Designer Neil Murray is an award-winning theatre designer. He is Associate Director/Designer at Dundee Rep and Northern Stage. He has won an Evening Standard Award, two Critic’s Circle Awards and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Design for Brief Encounter. 

 

Costume Designer Nasir Mazhar is a British fashion designer. In 2012 he designed the headwear for the opening ceremony of the UK Summer Olympics.  Lighting Designer Malcom Rippeth has been working with balletLORENT since 2002, lighting productions including Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White, Rapunzel, After Dark, The Night Ball, and Love Struck.

 

 

Following its sold out premiere at Watford Palace Theatre in February, Xenia Aidonopoulou and Georgia Tegou bring Underwater to Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler’s Wells. 

Underwater is a new multi-sensory dance theatre piece for babies aged 0 to 24 months, created by mothers and artists Xenia Aidonopoulou and Georgia Tegou.Seated on Family Islands, babies and their grown-ups are taken on a magical journey into the deep blue sea. The show vividly brings to life the journey of a ballerina as she wakes from a dreamy sleep and finds herself in the ocean, a comforting world of blue lights and bubbles. As she explores her gorgeous new home, she meets an octopus and the pair quickly form a loving friendship beneath the waves, dancing a duet to a twinkling soundtrack that features some familiar melodies.

This multi-sensory show engages and stimulates the imagination of babies and there’s plenty for adults to enjoy too. A series of online workshops for babies and grown-ups will accompany the performance.

Co-director Xenia Aidonopoulou is a dance dramaturg, creative consultant and director who has worked extensively in Greece. She is a keen observer intrigued by what cannot be verbally described. As a director she is interested in challenging boundaries between theatre and dance, creating narratives that reflect the human experience.

Co-director Georgia Tegou is a choreographer, creative director and performer. She approaches ‘dance-as-design.’, using physical motion to depict aspects of the human condition. Her performances and installations are created through collaborative processes resulting in experiences that blend contemporary dance, visual physical theatre and performance art.
 

balletLORENT 
The Lost Happy Endings 
Friday 15 & Saturday 16 April
Tickets: £12 - £18
Press performance: Friday 15 April at 3 pm    
Press contact:  Laura Neil on laura.neil@sadlerswells.com or 020 7863 8126

This performance contains haze and lighting effects. Suitable for ages five and above. 
 

Xenia Aidonopoulou and Georgia Tegou     
Underwater 
Friday 15 & Saturday 16 April 
Tickets: £8

 

Underwater is co-produced with the Greek National Opera Alternative Stage, commissioned by Belfast Children’s Festival, Watford Palace Theatre and the Lowry, Salford. Supported through public funding by Arts Council of England.
 

NOTES TO EDITORS
 

Listings Information
Sadler’s Wells Family Weekend
Sadler’s Wells Theatre, EC1R 4TN
Performances: Friday 15 & Saturday 16 April 2022     
Tickets: £8 - £18
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com

 

Xenia Aidonopoulou and Georgia Tegou    
Underwater
Friday 15 & Saturday 16 April
Tickets: £8
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com

 

balletLORENT
The Lost Happy Endings
Sadler’s Wells Theatre, EC1R 4TN
Performances: Friday 15 & Saturday 16 April 
Tickets: £12 - £18
Ticket Office: 020 7863 8000 or www.sadlerswells.com

About Sadler’s Wells
Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance organisation. We strive to make and share dance that inspires us all. Our acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap.

 

We commission, produce and present more dance than any other organisation in the world. Since 2005, we have helped to bring close to 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown.

 

Each year, over half a million people visit our three London theatres - Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Lilian Baylis Studio and Peacock Theatre. Millions more attend our touring productions nationally and internationally or explore our digital platforms, including Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage. In 2023 we’re opening a fourth London venue in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadler’s Wells East will house a 550-seat mid-scale theatre, as well as facilities for the Choreographic School and Hip Hop Theatre Academy. 

 

Supporting artists is at the heart of our work. We have associate artists and companies, which nurture some of the most exciting talent working in dance today. We host the National Youth Dance Company, which draws together some of the brightest young dancers from across the country. Sadler’s Wells Breakin' Convention runs professional development programmes to champion and develop the world’s best hip hop artists, as well as producing, programming and touring groundbreaking hip hop performances. 

 

Around 30,000 people take part in our learning and engagement programmes every year. We support schools local to our theatres in Islington and Stratford, designing experiences for children and young people to watch, explore and critically engage with the arts. We also run Company of Elders, a resident performance company of dancers aged over 60 who rehearse with renowned artists to make new work for public performances locally, nationally and internationally.

 

Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. 

www.sadlerswells.com

 

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