Press Release: Culture Minister Hails Sadler's Wells East 'People's Theatre'

[Jan McNulty]

Culture Minister Hails Sadler's Wells East "People's Theatre"   The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, The Rt Hon Lucy Frazer KC MP, hailed Sadler’s Wells East as “a people’s theatre…building on the proud legacy of Lilian Baylis" at an event held by Sadler’s Wells, hosted by the MP Luke Pollard in Parliament today.  The event was attended by the Secretary of State, MPs and arts industry representatives, who heard about Sadler’s Wells’ new venue opening in east London next year. Sadler’s Wells East will be a new kind of cultural destination with local roots, national impact and global perspectives. Situated in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park as part of the groundbreaking East Bank cultural and educational development, Sadler’s Wells East will have a 550-seat theatre, six studios for creating work, a community dance space, a hip hop theatre academy (Academy Breakin’ Convention) and the Rose Choreographic School. Due to the support and continuing investment of the Government and the Mayor of London, East Bank represents the most significant single investment in London's culture since the 1851 Great Exhibition, and it will shape the cultural life of the city for the 21st century and beyond.       The Secretary of State said: "I feel certain Sadler’s Wells East is going to be a space for communities to come together; a venue for finding and discovering local talent; a place for people to be creative and fulfil their potential; and somewhere that will grow our cultural economy and drive people to east London." Sir Alistair Spalding CBE, Sadler’s Wells’ Artistic Director and Chief Executive, was joined by Executive Director Britannia Morton, STEP intern Parwinder Kaur, and choreographer Vicki Igbokwe-Ozoagu, whose production Our Mighty Groove will be the first show on the Sadler’s Wells East stage, to tell attendees about the new venue.      Alistair Spalding said: “Building on Sadler’s Wells’ historic legacy, this new venue represents a leap forward for dance in all its forms. It is intended to engage new audiences with dance, develop the next generation of dance artists, help drive the regeneration of east London and reinforce the capital’s position as a global powerhouse. We’ll be presenting a wide variety of dance styles with something for everyone – hip hop, ballet, flamenco, contemporary dance, South Asian dance, family shows, community productions and a fantastic Christmas show for the whole family.” The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan welcomed East Bank as a “major new visitor destination for the UK” and said Sadler’s Wells East “will bring the wonder of dance to so many people.”     Please visit our website for more information including a film that we screened at the event: Sadler's Wells East - About us - Sadler's Wells (sadlerswells.com)   Notes to editors:      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 more than 200 new dance works to the stage, embracing both the popular and the unknown. Our acclaimed productions tour the world. Since 2005 we’ve produced 64 new full-length works and performed to audiences of more than two million, touring to 51 countries.       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 2024 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     Stay up to date with everything Sadler’s Wells on social media      Facebook: @SadlersWells      Twitter: @Sadlers_Wells      Instagram: @sadlers_wells      YouTube: Sadler’s Wells Theatre                        About Sadler’s Wells East   Sadler’s Wells East joins the rich cultural heritage of Stratford, opening in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2024 as part of the East Bank development alongside the BBC, UAL’s London College of Fashion, UCL and the V&A. Sadler’s Wells East will support artist development and training, and the creation of new work. It will build the infrastructure for dance and make it accessible to more people. Home to Academy Breakin’ Convention and the Rose Choreographic School, Sadler’s Wells East will also house a flexible theatre presenting a wide variety of dance performances. Community will be at the heart of Sadler’s Wells East with a large open foyer that can be used by everyone as a meeting or performance space. There will also be dance studios and world-class dance facilities for dancemakers to train, create and rehearse productions.

[Blossom]

And yet there isn’t enough funding in the arts and this may well spread what money there is more thinly. I am absolutely pro Sadlers Wells East and accessibility but it would be nice if funding was taken more seriously. There was an interesting article in today’s Times about Keir Starmer wanting to put more budget into creative arts education, I genuinely think we need to start lobbying all parties (specifically Culture secretary and shadow secretaries) ahead of the next general election. 

[jmhopton]

Hear hear Blossom. Well said. Culture can only be truly accessible for everyone if it's started early, at school age and preferably at school. Otherwise it will be just a lottery, dependent on parents and relatives encouraging arts attendance and participation.  For too long the Arts have been treated as some sort of optional extra, filling in gaps between 'proper' and 'useful' school subjects; if they have any place at all in the modern curriculum.  Yet apart from enhancing life experience and encoraging mental wellbeing, the Arts play a huge part in our economy. The exports in television programmes and films, the tours abroad of our major theatre companies and actors and musicians. Not to mention our world beating dance companies  and the technical knowledge and support that makes it all possible. I don't know any figures to quote but I suspect our Arts industry economy is one if the highest in the world for a country our size and should be celebrated and encouraged not treated as an optional extra that politicians are ashamed to admit to attending for fear of being thought elitist. Something is only elitist if it isn't understood (education) or unaffordable.  ROH please take note.

 

 

[SheilaC]

On 07/07/2023 at 20:22, jmhopton said:

Hear hear Blossom. Well said. Culture can only be truly accessible for everyone if it's started early, at school age and preferably at school. Otherwise it will be just a lottery, dependent on parents and relatives encouraging arts attendance and participation.  For too long the Arts have been treated as some sort of optional extra, filling in gaps between 'proper' and 'useful' school subjects; if they have any place at all in the modern curriculum.  Yet apart from enhancing life experience and encoraging mental wellbeing, the Arts play a huge part in our economy. The exports in television programmes and films, the tours abroad of our major theatre companies and actors and musicians. Not to mention our world beating dance companies  and the technical knowledge and support that makes it all possible. I don't know any figures to quote but I suspect our Arts industry economy is one if the highest in the world for a country our size and should be celebrated and encouraged not treated as an optional extra that politicians are ashamed to admit to attending for fear of being thought elitist. Something is only elitist if it isn't understood (education) or unaffordable.  ROH please take note.

 

 

Today's Observer has a very interesting article,' 12 Culture Secretaries in 13 Years', which understandably wasn't selected by Jan for the Links as it's only indirectly relevant to ballet. But it's well worth a read (really sorry I'm not capable of providing the link).

It shows how, since Chris Smith, very few Culture secretaries have had any interest in the arts as a whole. It claims that Nicky Morgan suggests that few audience members at the ROH are likely to be Tory voters- even in the ROH 'dress circle' (sic) when challenged.

Most interestingly it is claimed the the Arts Council had already largely prepared its funding round when Nadine Dorries sent ACE  a letter in February 2022 instructing them to make ' an annual reduction of £24M in the budget for NPO investment in London and the funds to be directed outside the capital .... akin to "lobbing a hand grenade" at a process that was then almost settled'.

As Joan says, the arts sector contributes significantly to the economy so it is disappointing that arts cuts, very minor compared to the national budget as a whole, can become political footballs.

[Ian Macmillan]

I suspect this is the link to which SheilaC refers, above:
 

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jul/09/twelve-culture-secretaries-13-years-tories-conservatives-arts-funding-bbc