PIN Sadlers Wells Theatre

The sixth in a famous line of playhouses

Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue of the borders of Islington and Clerkenwell and can be found on the corner Rosebery Avenue. The current theatre is the sixth one of the same name and the site has been there the site since 1683.

History

There have been six theatres built on this site – an unassuming address in Rosebery Avenue, Islington . The original and first 'musick house' was built in 1683 by a certain Mr Sadler, who also discovered rejuvenating springs in the grounds of his property which were much vaunted for their medicinal properties.

In the 1930s building was built after Sadler's Wells theatre had been in a steep decline for several years. The building's construction was funded by a public appeal and it opened with a performance of Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night'. The famous cast included John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Valentine Dyall. The theatre closed in 1996 to make way for the present theatre, which opened on the same site in 1998. The theatre’s capacity today is 1,568.