Sadler's Wells Theatre Archive

Promoting the theatre - the 1930s

One category of material well represented in the Sadler’s Wells Theatre Archive are the items used to promote the theatre and communicate with its audiences. In an earlier blog article, Allie wrote about our fascinating collection of playbills  dating between 1793 and 1901; we’ve also seen some of the playbills and handbills illustrating previous posts.

We'll now take a look at how Sadler's Wells promoted itself after reopening in 1931.

Leaflets (also called flyers or brochures) have been one of the most commonly used methods of promoting theatre performances throughout the twentieth century, and are still used to promote performances today. In the 1930s, the Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells produced a regular green- coloured leaflet listing all the performances at the two theatres. Lilian Baylis (the Manager of Sadler's Wells and the Old Vic) apparently gave piles of leaflets to anyone visiting her office and asked them to distribute them wherever they went!

Green leaflet, September 1936 (click to enlarge)

 

Back of green leaflet (click to enlarge)

 

At Sadler’s Wells the programme changed each day and the theatre alternated between opera and ballet performances. Performances were given five nights a week (Tuesday to Saturday) during the season plus afternoon matinees on Saturdays. 

Another typical method of promoting theatre performances is the poster, which like the leaflet is still used today as a standard method of advertising by most theatres and productions. Unfortunately only a few Sadler’s Wells posters from the 1930s are held in the collection. One of the posters from the time that has survived is one advertising the opening night.

 

Old Vic and Sadler's Wells Magazine (click to enlarge)

 

Sadler’s Wells and the Old Vic also communicated to its audience members and others who were interested through a regular newsletter – The Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells Magazine. This included articles by various people connected with the theatre, including staff and management, performers and others. Lilian Baylis herself was one of the contributors. Articles often featured informnation about the current and future productions, as well as news about the theatres and their staff. At a later time, I will go on to talk in this blog about how Sadler’s Wells promoted its performances after the war to the present day.

Let's Twist Again!

Blog readers may recall my  December 2011 post  - Christmas with a Twist - that highlighted one of the treasures held in the Sadler's Wells Theatre Archive, namely a play-script of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist performed at the Wells in December 1838.

I am delighted and excited to announce that, for the first time in over 170 years,  the play using the original script is being performed at Finsbury Library on Thursday 26 April (details below).  To commemorate the bicentenary of the great novelist's birth, and as part of the Cityread London initiative celebrating Oliver Twist, the play is being staged by the Wadham Players in association with Islington Library and Heritage Services. This is truly bringing the past alive!

Admission: £5 on door
Time: 7pm
Date: Thursday 26 April 2012
Location: Finsbury Library, 245 St John Street, London EC1V 4NB 

We are expecting a large audience, so be sure to arrive early. Also take advantage of visiting A Twist in the Tale: Charles Dickens in Islington, a display exploring Dickens's connections to the area at Islington Local History Centre, Finsbury Library (until 31 May 2012). The original play-script is on show as part of the display.

Below: Page taken from Oliver Twist, as first performed at Sadler's Wells in 1838
and again at Finsbury Library in April 2012, some 170 years later!

 

Sadler's Wells Opera

In my last blog, I talked about Ninette de Valois and how she made Sadler’s Wells known throughout the world for ballet. The Wells was also  home to one of Britain’s principal opera companies – Sadler’s Wells Opera (now English National Opera).

The company’s origins began with the opera performances given at Lilian Baylis’ Old Vic theatre. The Old Vic was granted its dramatic licence during the First World War, which enabled it to hold full opera performances for the first time. By 1920 the opera company was giving five performances a fortnight. Following the opening of Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 1931, performances alternated between the Old Vic and Sadler’s Wells. This alternation of opera, ballet and drama between the two theatres ended in 1934, and Sadler's Wells became the permanent home of the opera and ballet companies.

During the Second World War, the company spent much of its time on tour as a result of the wartime closure of Sadler’s Wells Theatre. Temporarily the theatre and the company were based at the Victoria Theatre, Burnley and then, from 1942, at the New Theatre, St Martin’s Lane in London. It performed at 69 different towns all around Britain. This enabled Sadler’s Wells Opera to become much more widely known throughout the country.

In 1945, the company returned to Sadler’s Wells with Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes (see photograph above). This was the opera's world premiere and it is now performed widely by opera companies around the world - it was a great success for the company.

Sadler's Wells Opera expanded after the war but Sadler’s Wells Theatre was now considered inadequate in size and facilities for the growing company. Plans were developed during the 1950s and 1960s for the company to move to a new national theatre and opera house which was being planned for the South Bank, London. It was intended that Sadler’s Wells would close to help pay for the new theatre. In 1967 the Government however withdrew support for the opera house part of the scheme and was therefore it was abandoned.

After this disappointment for the opera company, which felt it needed a new home, its manager (Stephen Arlen) quickly set to work in finding another theatre suited to the company’s requirements. The London Coliseum was chosen and the company moved there in 1968. Initially the company continued to be called the Sadler’s Wells Opera but was renamed English National Opera in 1974.

This was not the end of opera at Sadler’s Wells. A variety of opera companies have performed there on tour such as the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, which was a regular visitor to the theatre from the 1930s to 1980s. In 1983 the theatre re-established an opera company of its own, the New Sadler’s Wells Opera Company. This however did not last long – the company was disbanded in 1989.

The collection includes a variety of items relating to opera at Sadler’s Wells. These include programmes, photographs of performances, publicity material (such as posters), press cuttings and some administrative files (mainly correspondence and financial records) concerning Sadler's Wells Opera, New Sadler's Wells Opera and visiting opera productions.