Located in Islington, north London, the current Sadler’s Wells building is the sixth to have stood on site since entrepreneur Richard Sadler first established the theatre in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera having all started at Sadler's Wells. Read more about our history.

Our main theatre in Islington opened in 1998 after a major fundraising programme, supported by Lottery funding. In this 1500-seat auditorium, we present large-scale work by the best national and international companies.

The Lilian Baylis Studio, part of the Rosebery Avenue site, seats 180 and presents a programme of small-scale work by emerging and early-career dance artists, experimental work by established artist and high-quality productions for young audiences.

Sadler's Wells' West End venue, The Peacock, is the home of entertainment in the heart of London. Every few weeks, The Peacock presents a new live show featuring world-class dancers, daredevil circus acts and breath-taking physical theatre performers.

A new venue in east London

Sadler’s Wells is to open an additional mid-scale space in east London in 2022. Our new theatre building will be at the heart of a new cultural and education district in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, where we will sit alongside the BBC, UAL’s London College of Fashion, V&A and UCL. Find out more about Sadler’s Wells East here.