Curated Culture 15.10.24
Our weekly signpost to a selection of picks from what's currently on offer from venues and attractions across North East England
Hello and welcome to this week’s what’s on pick ‘n’ mix from stages and attractions around the North East.
This is a casserole of highlights we think are well worth your consideration as you plot the course for good times over the next fortnight or so.
For newcomers (lovely to see you!), this is also the place where we round up the stuff mentioned in previous Curated Culture mailouts, which is STILL SHOWING as well as a collection of things a bit further ahead, which are NOW BOOKING.
We’re very much enjoying receiving your suggestions (and supportive messages) - so keep ‘em coming.
For this week’s newsletter prizedraw, which prides itself on offering Cultured. North East subscribers an exclusive chance to win tickets to something smashing, we’ve got a pair of tickets for Amy Matthews’ stand up show, Commute With The Foxes at The Stand Newcastle on Saturday (October 19) at 7.30pm. More information and details of how to enter can be found at the end.
Thanks as always for your help spreading the word about what we’re doing at Cultured. North East - it’s very much appreciated.
See you soon
Sam and Dave*
*Like Chas and Dave but with less hair and better accents
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COMEDY: Henry Normal and Nigel Planer
Where: Wylam Brewery, Newcastle and The Witham, Barnard Castle
When: October 17 and 24, respectively
Bookings and info: Wylam Brewery tickets here; and The Witham tickets here
Poetry, stories, jokes, questions and answers, fun, knitwear and surprises are all trailed for this show which brings together comedy legend, Nigel Planer (The Young Ones, Nicholas Craig) with Radio 4’s ‘poet in reticence’, comedy producer and writer, Henry Normal.
THEATRE: Chicago
Where: Newcastle Theatre Royal
When: October 28-November 2
Bookings and info: theatreroyal.co.uk
The iconic musical which brings the razzle dazzle wherever it goes, is back on Tyneside later this month.
Coronation Street star, Faye Brookes leads the cast as crime of passion purveyor, Roxie Hart alongside West End regular and Loose Women panellist, Brenda Edwards as the formidable Mama Morton and former Strictly champion pro, Kevin Clifton as slick lawyer, Billy Flynn.
Note: If you can’t make this run, the production will be back in the region next year with a run at the Sunderland Empire from August 4-9.
Read more: Soul’d Out in the city - Georgia May interview
COMEDY: Shaparak Khorsandi: Scatterbrain
Where: Northern Stage
When: October 17
Bookings and info: northernstage.co.uk
Stand-up audiences are being invited to spend an evening exploring the ‘cluttered’ mind of comedian, Shaparak Khorsandi.
An ADHD diagnosis and a memoir have prompted the TV regular to spend some time reassessing her life… and she’s ready to report back.
MUSIC: Liz Corney album launch
WHERE: The Cluny, Newcastle
When: October 20 (matinee performance - doors open at 12pm)
Bookings and info: ticketweb.uk
Fans of Cornshed Sisters and Field Music won’t need introducing to Liz Corney.
A founding member (sibling) of the folk fusion quartet alongside Marie Nixon, Jennie Brewis and Cath Stephens, Liz has also been a regular presence looking after keys on the live stage with the (Field Music) Brewis brothers for more years than any of us care to count.
On October 18, she is stepping out on her own with her debut solo album, We Need New Eyes and its first single release, Ceremonies. A thoroughly civilised afternoon party at The Cluny sounds like a smashing way to mark the occasion.
Read more here.
CLASSICAL: Transfigured Night
Where: The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: October 19
Bookings and Info: theglasshouseicm.org
Explore one of the first masterpieces of modern music in the intimate surroundings of Hall 2 at the Glasshouse, where the Royal Northern Sinfonia perform Arnold Schoenberg’s rich and complex Verklarte Nacht.
The concert is an exciting start to a series of four directed by Maria Włoszczowska as she moves from being the Sinfonia’s lead violin to its Artistic Partner. There’s more of Schoenberg and his Vienna colleagues to come in November. Britten’s 1940 setting of Rimbaud poems Les Illuminations is also on the bill this time round.
Read more: Review - My Name is Rachel Corrie at Alphabetti Theatre
THEATRE: Play 4
Where: The Customs House, South Shields
When: October 17
Bookings and info: customshouse.co.uk
The annual new writing night at the South Shields venue will see 15 minutes of work from each of five North East writers performed as part of a rehearsed reading directed by Natasha Haws and delivered by a cast of professional actors.
The writers were asked to ‘make us care about people, past and present from the North East’ - and on Thursday night, a Pay What You Feel audience will get to hear what they came up with and share their feedback.
One of the writers, who are Janet Plater (Sugar, Sugar); Andrew Thompson (One Hundred Oxen); Sarah Rumfitt (Healing the Hyem); Tom Kelly (The Runners); and Owen Saunders (Paper Gulls) will also be awarded the Peter Lathan Prize for New Writing, which will translate to £2k of in-kind support from The Customs House.
CLASSICAL: Beethoven and the Jupiter Symphony
Where: The Glasshouse
When: October 27
Bookings and Info: theglasshouseicm.org
Here’s the perfect concert for anyone exploring orchestral music for the first time, or stepping back in after a long break. Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto is packed with melody and mood shifts, while Mozart’s adrenalin- packed final symphony, The Jupiter, bursts at the seams of its 18th century origins.
Stephen Hough is the star soloist, and alongside the crack string-playing of the Royal Northern Sinfonia should provide a thrilling night.
EXHIBITION: Illuminated Sheep
Where: Newcastle Cathedral
When: October 22-24, 6.30pm-8.30pm (time slot entry)
Bookings and info: newcastlecathedral.org.uk
They’ve been lighting up landmarks all over the region, but the irresistible Illuminated Sheep will be flocking to Newcastle Cathedral later this month.
Inspired by the Lindisfarne Gospels’ themes of light and pilgrimage, and created by artist Deepa Mann-Kler, the 30 life-size sheep have been touring around the likes of Alnwick Garden, Bamburgh Castle, Hexham Abbey and Woodhorn Museum.
Across these three evenings, visitors will be able to see the flock close up and lighting up the Cathedral’s nave.
EVENT: National Dialect Festival
Where: The County Suite, The County Hotel, Newcastle
When: October 19 and 20
Bookings and info: northumbrianlanguagesociety.co.uk
Lads, lasses, gadgies and all manner of other smashers will be coming together on Tyneside for a national celebration - and reckoning - of dialects from around the UK.
Trophies are up for grabs, there will be readings and concerts and the Northumbrian Society’s annual Roland Bibby lecture is also in the programme.
Read more in Tony Henderson’s preview, here
MUSIC: Nick Heyward
Where: The Fire Station, Sunderland
When: October
Bookings and info: thefirestation.org.uk
Haircut 100’s Nick Heyward is following a big 2023 with a touring 2024.
Promising a setlist which spans a 40-year career, including Haircut’s 80s hits Fantastic Day, Favourite Shirts and Nobody’s Fool, there will also be much to enjoy we’re sure from his growing solo back catalogue.
COMEDY: Dom Joly - The Conspiracy Tour
Where: The Fire Station, Sunderland; The Witham, Barnard Castle; and ARC, Stockton
When: October 23, 24 and November 7, respectively
Bookings and info: nlp-ltd.com/dom-joly/
Comedian, TV star and author, Dom Joly is bringing his latest tour back to the North East later this month.
Reporting back from the conspiracy theory frontline, the tour is a companion to his book, The Conspiracy Tourist: Travels Through a Strange World, which sees the 56-year-old - who first found fame alongside a massive mobile phone on Trigger Happy TV - making his way around various international locations, meeting people who believe they know more than most when it comes to questions like:
Is the earth flat? Does Finland exist? Is Denver Airport a massive panic room for the Illuminati? and Are UFO’s piloted by lizards?
EXHIBITION: Solidarity Forever: Banners of the Durham Mining Community
Where: Durham Cathedral
When: October 22-November 7
Bookings and info: durhamcathedral.co.uk
The 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike is being marked in colourful fashion later this month when 40 banners representing communities from across the region go on display at Durham Cathedral.
All the banners showcased in the exhibition have been paraded through the streets of Durham during the Miners’ Gala, which takes place on the second Saturday in July, and all have been blessed at the Cathedral.
Read more: It’s playtime again at Baltic with exhibition aimed at kids
MUSIC: Paul Weller
Where: Newcastle City Hall
When: October 24 and 25
Bookings and info: academymusicgroup.com
Songs spanning five decades - including lots from his latest album, 66 - are on the cards from former frontman of The Jam and multi-award-winning solo artist, Paul Weller who has booked a double date with Newcastle.
THEATRE: Jon Ronson’s Psychopath Night 2024
Where: Tyne Theatre and Opera House
When: October 24
Bookings and info: tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk
Fifteen years after embarking on an adventure which fuelled his best-selling work, The Psychopath Test, acclaimed documentary journalist and storyteller, Jon Ronson reopens his investigation with new anecdotes and fresh reflections on this live tour.
The show will also feature mystery special guests who play and important part in the story, but never appeared in the original book.
Unsurprisingly, there are only a few dotted-around tickets left.
STILL SHOWING
Exhibition: Romance to Realities: The Northern Landscapes and Shifting Identities, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle
Comedy: Larry Dean - Dodger, ARC, Stockton, Oct 19
Exhibition: Brian Hutchinson: A Retrospective, ARC, Stockton until Nov 16
Music: The Pretenders, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Oct 17
Theatre: Showstopper - The Improvised Musical, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Oct 17
Exhibition: The Human Spaceship – Sea of the Edge, VANE, Gateshead, until Oct 26
Music: HowayFest 2024, various Tyneside venues, until Oct 19
Theatre: Othello, various North East venues until Oct 20
Theatre: Wicked at Sunderland Empire, until Oct 20 (read our review, here)
Theatre: My Name Is Rachel Corrie, Alphabetti Theatre, until Oct 26 (read our review, here)
Theatre: Saint Maud at Live Theatre, Oct 10-Nov 2 (read our preview here)
Events: The Pumpkin Forest at Auckland Castle, until Oct 31
Events: The Glittering North, Raby Castle, Oct 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27, 30, 31 and Nov 1-3
Festival: Williams Shield Festival, Lit and Phil and other venues, Oct 15-Nov 28
Comedy: Ed Byrne - Tragedy Plus Time, The Witham, Barnard Castle and Queen’s Hall, Hexham, Oct 16 and 17
Comedy: Gavin Webster - An Evening of Swearing and Shouting, Queen’s Hall, Oct 18
Exhibition: Joanne Coates - Middle of Somewhere, BALTIC, until Nov 17
Exhibition: Hannah Perry - Manual Labour, BALTIC, until Jan 19, 2025
Screen: Prima Facie: National Theatre Live, various North East cinemas, until Dec 5
NOW BOOKING:
Oct 31: Psycho in Concert screening with the Royal Northern Sinfonia at The Glasshouse.
Nov 1 & 2: Jason Cook’s Comedy Club, The Customs House, South Shields
Nov 5-16: War Horse, Sunderland Empire
Nov 8: Mo Gilligan: In The Moment World Tour, Middlesbrough Town Hall
Nov 14: Electric arcade features classic video game themes at The Glasshouse.
Nov 15: The Corrs, Utilita Arena Newcastle
Nov 24: Tippett’s choral masterpiece A Child of Our Time at The Glasshouse.
Nov 29-30: Kathryn Tickell and Friends - Beyond Kielder Side, Live Theatre, Newcastle
Dec 3-21: Present, Live Theatre, Newcastle
Dec 7-9: Romeo and Juliet - Ballet Cymru, Dance City, Newcastle
Dec 9-23: Seagulls and Sad Sad Stories, Laurels Theatre
Dec 23: Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours with the Transatlantic Ensemble, Wylam Brewery, Newcastle
2025
Jan 19: The Glenn Miller Orchestra in Concert, The Glasshouse, Gateshead
Feb 5: Wet Wet Wet plus special guest, Heather Small, Stockton Globe
Feb 13-Mar 8: Champion, Live Theatre, Newcastle
Feb 17: The Simon and Garfunkel Story, Sunderland Empire
Feb 19: Fairport Convention, The First Station, Sunderland
Mar 2: The Futureheads, The Boiler Shop, Newcastle
Mar 13: A Night of Memories and Music with Rick Butler of The Jam, ARC Stockton
Mar 18-22: The Shark Is Broken, Newcastle Theatre Royal
Apr 4: Dvořák’s New World Symphony (Royal Northern Sinfonia), The Glasshouse, Gateshead
Apr 11: Skunk Anansie, NX Newcastle (tickets on sale Wednesday, Oct 16)
Apr 20: ‘100% Soul..!’ with the Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir, Wylam Brewery, Newcastle
Jun 14: Katherine Ryan: Battleaxe, Sunderland Empire
COMPETITION
Welcome to our latest newsletter prizedraw, offering our subscribers an exclusive opportunity to win tickets to see or do something great.
This week, we’ve got a pair of tickets to see Amy Matthews: Commute with the Foxes at The Stand Newcastle on October 19 (this Saturday) at 5pm.
Exploring the transformative nature of context via the question: Do things have a place and how do they change if they find themselves in a new one? this show collected a raft of lovely and heavily starry reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe in the summer, with comments such as “incredibly insightful”; “funny yet beautifully reflective”; and “classily put together”.
If you put the thoughts of Rolling Stone, Broadway Baby and Manchester Wire in a blender, Amy herself has been described as ‘an insanely original searing wit who treads the line between stand up and troubadour’.
We are IN… and you can be too.
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: FOX ON A BIKE before midday (12pm) on Thursday, October 17, 2024.
The winner, who will be selected at random, will be notified within 24 hours of the entry deadline.
Terms and conditions: Only subscribers to the Cultured. North East newsletter are eligible to enter the Newsletter Prize Draw competition. Prizes are as stated - subject to availability - and non-transferable. No cash alternatives will be offered. You must be over 18 years of age to enter. The Editor’s decision is final.