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A brand-new venue within Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, Sadler’s Wells East (SWE) is a highlight of East London’s fast-developing performing arts scene.
First conceived in 2013, its long development included pandemic delays, with plans evolving in close collaboration with theatre consultancy Charcoalblue and with extensive input from leading international contemporary dance artists. Designed by Dublin-based architect firm O’Donnell + Tuomey, it opened its doors in February 2025.
The original Sadler’s Wells has been a home for dance performance for well over 300 years. To build further on this legacy and status, and to provide seamless production transfers between the two venues, SWE aimed to create the very best possible hub for dance production, performance, and education in the 21st century. As such, its audio aspirations were of the highest order.
Led by technical director Oli Clark and head of sound Neil Sowerby, SWE’s sound team were looking for the new venue’s sound capability, for its main 550-capacity auditorium and six studio spaces, to achieve three broad but interlinked targets: quality, flexibility and longevity.
Oli Clark explains, “We wanted excellent sound reproduction – clear, full and uninterrupted coverage to every listener. We also wanted a high degree of usability for touring companies and expandability for our produced work and productions which might require a different system configuration from the standard proscenium format.”
There was also a need to be able to accommodate fast-developing technology. “It was important that it was future-proofed,” says Clark, “with the ability to integrate reinforcement and surround system elements to offer a more dynamic sound environment – including multi-layer and spatial capability – without too much reconfiguration.”
In dance performance, music and sound can be of the utmost importance, so the system’s uncompromised clarity was a must. Further still, with aesthetics in mind, the speakers needed to be discreet, especially within the space around the proscenium.
Clark adds, “And with acoustics, sound separation – between the theatre space, the outside world and other dance studios in the building – was key.”
Over such as extended timeframe, many contributors played a part in navigating the project’s multiple needs and the changing landscape of audio technology.
Charcoalblue advised on the system infrastructure and integration of paging and comms system elements. Sadler’s Wells Head of Sound Mark Noble – a key early collaborator in the control systems, audio and facilities infrastructure – moved on (to Autograph, no less) and his work was continued by Paolo Melis. Mike Walker, of theatre sound specialist Loh Humm Audio, sense-checked and ratified the requirements, and Jason Barnes from Plann (project manager for the client) helped guide the tender stage. The main technical infrastructure contractor was LSI Projects, led by Ian Thomas and Liam Hawes.
To fulfil all these requirements, LSI Projects worked closely with Autograph, a company with a long-established relationship with the Sadler’s Wells organisation. Clark recalls, “Various different systems and setups were considered and demoed by Autograph for our technical teams to ensure the proposition was right for our presenting, touring and our own produced shows.”
The eventual solution used a d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker system, selected, says Clark, for its “compatibility with our existing venues, and the quality of sound reproduction.”
Autograph used d&b ArrayCalc software to design and accurately predict the systems. The main performance space PA comprises L-C-R main hangs, each of three AL90 augmented array cabinets, complemented by a flown Vi Sub array and two ground-stacked XSL-GSUBs per side. Front-fill and surround duties are from d&b 44S cabinets, while Y7Ps are used for on stage monitors. Amplification is from 40D and 5D models, with Autograph’s own Signature Series AES-160D providing Dante-to-AES conversion for the 40Ds. Autograph also provided analogue inputs to all the amplifiers as a means of backup in case of network failure.
In addition, Autograph was asked to design the PA positions for the six studio spaces and the Foyer Stage. Autograph commissioned, programmed these systems on behalf of LSI. Yamaha DME audio architecture throughout the theatre and studio spaces providing a stable workflow from the Yamaha desks at FOH.
A building-wide Dante system for paging, show relay and cue lights created by LSI Projects was supplemented by Autograph with two additional Dante networks for production in the theatre and studios, allowing ultimate control and configurability. Volume and Bluetooth controllers for each studio were programmed into the DME7. All production networks can be accessed via a centralised system PC located in the rack room, enabling a technician to centrally manage as much of the building’s audio activity as possible.
A standalone intercom network has the ability to trigger a paging call from a Riedel Bolero wireless beltpack routed through to the Q-SYS paging system installed by LSI – a feature request that also exists in the original Sadler’s Wells Theatre in Islington.
Autograph commissioned and programmed all these systems, in consultation with the client, followed by numerous training and handover sessions.
“The Autograph team met these challenges with great flexibility and with positive collaboration across all the contractors and the Sadler’s Wells team,” says a satisfied Oli Clark. “They were supportive, knowledgeable, highly professional and realistic in their approach. This, combined with their years of experience within the audio and theatre show presentation environment, meant they were able to offer valuable support and guidance from proposal to opening night – even providing remote monitoring to ensure the configurations are holding true during the first season of shows.”
He adds, “The venue is magnificent – flexible, modern and designed for dance at its core.” Central to that is the sound system, which he describes as “powerful, dynamic and detailed in sound reproduction and intelligibility.”
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Click on photos to enlarge. Photo credit: Graham Chrimes
