 On Boxing Day 1781 , Grimaldi took the part of Little Clown in the pantomime The Triumph of Mirth ; or , Harlequin 's Wedding at Drury Lane . It was a success for him personally , and the pantomime enjoyed an extended run until March 1782 . As a result of his performance , he received further work offers from the management and became an established juvenile performer at Drury Lane . At the same time , he was a prolific performer at Sadler 's Wells where he played a host of minor roles , including monkeys , imps , fairies and demons . The Drury Lane season ran every year from September to late spring , with Sadler 's Wells playing from 15 April to the second week in October . Though the two theatres staged similar productions , they appealed to different audiences : Drury Lane to the wealthy classes of society and Sadler 's Wells to the boisterous working class . Although Grimaldi 's stage career was flourishing , Giuseppe enrolled him at Mr Ford 's Academy , a boarding school in Putney , which educated the children of theatrical performers . Although Grimaldi struggled with reading and writing , he showed a talent for art , as evidenced by some of his drawings that survive in the Harvard Theatre Collection . 
