Sadler's Wells sets out 2027 season with seven world premieres
Sadler's Wells, the London dance house, has announced its 2027 season. It includes seven world premieres, meaning productions staged for the first time anywhere, and four UK premieres, the first time a work is staged in Britain. WhatsOnStage reported the programme on 5 November 2026.
The most eye-catching title may be The Breakfast Club. Phoenix Dance Theatre will present its dance interpretation of the 1985 film about five teenagers stuck in a Saturday detention. It opens at Sadler's Wells East from late April.
Dance fans will also find some well-known names. Northern Ballet will mark 25 years of Wuthering Heights and will stage a new Robin Hood at Sadler's Wells East for younger audiences. Scottish Ballet will bring Coppélia by Jess and Morgs to Sadler's Wells Theatre. Matthew Bourne's New Adventures will return with Play Without Words for its 25th anniversary, running from 27 July to 21 August.
Visiting companies are a big part of the line-up. Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch will perform Palermo Palermo, part of Bausch's World Cities series. Martha Graham Dance Company will dance Inner Landscape – Programme A from 20 to 23 January 2027. San Francisco Ballet returns for the first time since 2019, performing from 9 to 12 September. GöteborgsOperans Danskompani will perform Alexander Ekman's Hammer, and Kidd Pivot will bring Assembly Hall, the Olivier Award-winning piece about medieval re-enactors, to the building.
Younger audiences have their own strand. balletLORENT is putting on a retelling of Hansel and Gretel. London Children's Ballet will return with Snow White, performed by an all-child cast aged nine to 16. English National Ballet will stage a family version of Cinderella at the Peacock Theatre, and Mythos: Ragnarök will make its West End debut there.
Some of the season is built around local artists. An 18-month development programme supports five UK-based artists. It will finish with Five Dances, a takeover of the whole Sadler's Wells East building. Associate artist Dan Daw will show Exxy, which looks at working-class life in the Australian outback. Anthony and Kel Matsena return with a new version of Cain and Abel. Breakin' Convention, the hip hop theatre festival hosted and curated by Jonzi D, will take over Sadler's Wells Theatre.
Not every event is a traditional show. Ewa Dziarnowska's three-hour durational piece, which is part of the LIFT festival, will run at Sadler's Wells East. A durational piece is one that lasts for a set, long stretch of time, and audiences can come and go. Wayne McGregor's Deepstaria returns using Vantablack Vision technology with a score by Lexx.
The theatre also reported figures for its wider work. According to WhatsOnStage, audience figures are up by eight per cent. Nationwide participation in its dance workshops is up by 23 per cent.
Sadler's Wells runs four theatres: Sadler's Wells Theatre, the Lilian Baylis Studio, Sadler's Wells East and the Peacock Theatre. Before the main season, The Snowman runs from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Many of the new productions will be on sale from the box office and the theatre's website.
