Curated Culture 18.02.25
Our weekly recommendations round up from North East stages and cultural venues
Hello and welcome to the latest newsletter we like to call Curated Culture - a regular Tuesday mailout which brings a host of what’s on suggestions from cultural stages and venues all over the North East direct to your inbox.
If you’re a new reader (*big wave*), stick with us. Regular readers can skip on past the bullet points.
Every Tuesday, this newsletter offers:
At least a double handful of featured listings of things we think are worth getting in front of over the next couple of weeks;
A list of things from previous Curated Culture mailouts which are STILL SHOWING; and
The NOW BOOKING section, which looks further into the future to highlight stuff you might want to get firmed up sooner rather than later
This is also the place to get involved with the weekly newsletter prizedraw - which gives Cultured. North East subscribers an exclusive chance to win tickets to something great.
This week, we’ve got a pair of tickets to see Olivier Award-winning play The Shark is Broken at Newcastle Theatre Royal on March 18, at 7.30pm. Diving into the relationships between the three leading actors on 1975 blockbuster, Jaws, it sounds tremendous.
All the details and information on how to enter can be found at the end of this newsletter. Take your time getting there though. You wouldn’t want to miss what comes first.
See you soon and thanks as ever for all your support.
Sam and Dave*
*Like Chas and Dave but with less hair and better accents
PS: If you haven’t liked/followed/high fived us on our socials, you can rectify that on Facebook, Instagram and Blue Sky
THEATRE: The Koala Who Could
Where: Northern Stage, Newcastle
ShenL February 25-March 2
Bookings and info: northernstage.co.uk
Based on the multi-million copy selling book by Rachel Bright and Jim Field, this tuneful and funny stage adaptation brings the empowering tale about embracing change - via a tree-clinging koala called Kevin - to life.
February half term treat (if you’ve got or need to amuse younger kids 3+) SORTED.
FILM: Relaxed craft-a-long screening of Masters of the Universe
Where: Gosforth Civic Theatre
When: February 25, 4.30pm
Bookings and info: gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk
A special relaxed screening of the classic 80s fantasy-action adventure featuring He-Man as its main man (in a big battle with Skeletor over Castle Grayskull bragging rights, obvs) encourages audiences to enjoy a spot of crafting alongside enjoy Dolph Lundgren’s hair, (presumably sponsored by Elnette).
Knitting, crochet, drawing and paper-based crafts are among the suggestions from Daydream Cinema, which is an organisation focusing on accessible screenings, events and programming opportunities for neurodivergent and disabled people.*
That said, if you’d rather just sit back and enjoy the movie, then that is more than fine too!
Two more Daydream relaxed screenings take place at Gosforth Civic Theatre on Feb 25: Ferngully - The Last Rainforest (2pm) and Fantasy A Gets a Mattress (7pm).
*Look out for our interview with Daydream founder, Midnight, later this week.
COMEDY: Steam to Grin
Where: Discovery Museum, Newcastle
When: February 28
Bookings and info: discoverymuseum.org.uk
Newcastle’s Discovery Museum’s Great Hall is playing host to its first ever stand-up comedy night this month.
Bethany Black, Cal Halbert and Chris Kehoe are the three main acts audiences can look forward to alongside a bar and a lot of laughs.
Part of the wider Steam to Green: A North East Energy Revolution event programme, this is the second Discovery Nights after-hours event, created just for the adults.
Kylea Little, keeper of history at Discovery Museum said: “At Steam to Grin we want our adult visitors to kick back, have fun and maybe become inspired along the way – and most importantly – laugh!
“The Great Hall is a fabulous space to hold an event like this. Our first Discovery Nights event was popular so we’re hoping our first ever comedy night hits the spot.”
Read more: RTS Awards - Big celebration for the region’s small screen winners
MUSIC: Annie Mac Before Midnight
Where: Newcastle 02 City Hall
When: February 28
Bookings and info: o2cityhallnewcastle
Like dancing but have can’t remember the last time you tapped your toe on a nightclub dancefloor? Allow international DJ and broadcaster, Annie Mac to sort you out.
Expect top notch DJs playing music to match… and to be tucked up in bed by midnight. Sounds like a perfect Friday night plan to us.
EXHIBITION: Pieces of Woman
Where: RePUBlic Gallery, The King’s Head, Blyth
When: Until March 15
Bookings and info: republicgallery.co.uk
The Blyth pub turned café/art gallery is showing work by a pair of North East artists who are intimately acquainted. They are Helen Grierson and Almudena Rocca who are mother and daughter.
Helen is a Morpeth-based glass artist; Almudena is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Newcastle.
Following the death of her mother, Helen was inspired to produce a body of work around ageing and women, wanting to focus on the beauty, wisdom, strength and resilience that comes with advancing years.
“Western society highlights all the flaws to sell women creams, pills and fitness regimes,” she says. “What I want to show is how powerful we are and to suggest we can make ageing aspirational”.
Almudena has created clay work inspired by the way women of different generations relate to each other and with nature.
The pair will be running glass and clay workshops as part of a programme that also includes a poetry evening with Cathi Rae, Amy Langdown and Lizzie Lovejoy and a writing workshop.
MUSIC: Uriah Heap - The Magician’s Farewell
Where: Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: February 22
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
Legendary hard rockers and progressive pioneers, Uriah Heap have booked a date with Tyneside as part of a tour celebrating 55 years of rock history.
Having clocked up over 45-million albums and more than 4,000 live shows, the band are understandably winding down their international touring schedule… fans should not miss this chance to hear hits such as Lady In Black, Gypsy, Stealin’ and The Wizard from a live stage.
Read more: Newcastle Theatre Royal teams up with Laurels’ founder to Open Door to new talent
COMEDY: Ignacio Lopez
Where: The Witham, Barnard Castle (and elsewhere)
When: Wednesday, February 26 (3pm and 8pm)
Bookings and info: thewitham.org.uk
There’s a lot of the Welsh/Spanish comedian about at the moment. He’s zapping here, there and everywhere with not just one but two shows.
You could say he was destined for this kind of lifestyle, having been born in Majorca (his father is Spanish) but then flitted between there and Wales, where his mother’s from.
He studied film and video in Newport and then worked in a cinema in Swansea… until one day his mates urged him to try stand up. He has never looked back.
He is currently touring with his new family show called Juan Solo’s Excellent Adventure in Space! which is billed as an interactive sci-fi adventure show suitable for ages five plus. Catch it at The Witham at 3pm.
But then the man’s back on stage at 8pm in a different show, aimed at a more grown up audience (14 plus), called Ignacio Lopez: Señor Self-Destruct.
He is repeating the twin show routine at Alnwick Playhouse (Feb 27). Before that, you can catch Ignacio Lopez: Señor Self-Destruct at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Feb 21 and at Queen’s Hall, Hexham on Feb 23 - both at 8pm.
Read more: Why mother languages matter
EXHIBITION: History of Black Music on Tyneside Photography Installation
Where: Discovery Museum, Newcastle
When: Until February 23
Bookings and info: discoverymuseum.org.uk
Presented as part of the MOBO Fringe Newcastle 2025, a montage of photographs are being projected on the high glass wall above the Discovery Museum’s iconic Turbinia ship to a soundtrack featuring Black artists.
While the MOBO Awards are happening (Feb 18 at the Utilita Arena) as we write this, this installation, which celebrates four decades of Black Music on Tyneside, will continue for a few days yet.
Chaka Khan, Public Enemy, Goldie, Soul ll Soul, Bhundu Boys, Jimmy Cliff, Candi Staton, Richie Havens together with contemporary Newcastle artists Kema Kay and Kay Greyson are among those who feature.
Leila D’Aronville, managing director of Northern Roots said: “Northern Roots is privileged enough to work with some of the most exciting Black talent in the city and have a history of bringing artists such as Prince Buster and Soweto Gospel Choir to the region.
“This exhibition is just a glimpse into moments in time, with the future holding so much more for artists and audiences in our community!"
Read more: Culture Digest 14.01.25 - our weekly arts and culture news round up
ART: Northumberland Open Exhibition
Where: Woodhorn Museum
When: February 22 to June 1
Bookings and info: museumsnorthumberland.org.uk
The annual Northumberland Open Exhibition attracted a record submission of 458 artworks by about 200 amateur and professional artists from across the county and region.
The 379 entries chosen by the selection panel, comprising artists and curators, can be seen from Saturday, when the exhibition opens to the public.
Featuring the work of painters, sculptors, glassmakers and others, it offers an insight into the depth and breadth of talent in the region.
As in previous years, a winning submission has been chosen – Robert Newton’s painting, English Pastoral, depicting a view of fields, trees and hills beyond, all under a big sky.
The Northumberland Open Exhibition as Woodhorn prepares to join with 11 other sites (most of them previously under the banner of Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums) as part of the renamed and expanded North East Museums.
Read David Whetstone’s full preview of the exhibition.
Read more: Review: Fauré’s Requiem, Royal Northern Sinfonia & Chorus
THEATRE: Jesus Christ Superstar
Where: Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle
When: Feb 25 to March 1
Bookings and info: tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk
Tyne Theatre Productions is following up recent successes 9 to 5 the Musical and School of Rock with this ambitious rock-opera-retelling of the final days in the life of Jesus Christ - through the eyes of Judas Iscariot
With music and lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice respectively, this amateur production is promising ‘a theatrical experience that will leave you moved and inspired’.
STILL SHOWING
Dance: Pitman, Newbiggin Maritime Centre (Feb 19); Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle (Feb 20); The Maltings, Berwick (Feb 21)
Theatre: Only Fools and Horses the Musical, Newcastle Theatre Royal, until Feb 22
Theatre: Hadaway Harry, various North East venues, until Feb 22
Classical: Fauré Requiem & Rutter Magnificat, Newcastle Civic Centre, Feb 22
Theatre: Champion, Live Theatre, Newcastle, until Mar 8
Event: MOBO Awards 2025, Utilita Arena, Newcastle, Feb 18
Music: Fairport Convention, The Fire Station, Feb 19
Theatre: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Feb 25-Mar 1
Exhibition: Between Land and Sea, Hartlepool Art Gallery, until March 29
Exhibition: The Urbanites, VANE Gallery, Gateshead, until Mar 1
Theatre: Tiny Fragments of Beautiful Light, Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham (Feb 19); Hipp @ The Hullabaloo, Darlington (Feb 20) and Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle (Feb 21-22)
Exhibition: The Skin We Live In, NGCA at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland, until March 2
Exhibition: Spellbound, The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre, Northumberland, until April 6
Exhibition: Sustainable Clay, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle, until May 3. Read our review.
Exhibition: Sheila Fell - Cumberland on Canvas, Tullie House, Carlisle, until Mar 16, 2025 (coming to Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens after it closes
Exhibition: Framing Fashion, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until Mar 2, 2025
Music: Nerina Pallot, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, March 21 and 22
Exhibition: Romance to Realities: The Northern Landscapes and Shifting Identities, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, until April 26, 2025
Exhibition: Ted Holloway - A Bevin Boy Remembered, Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland, until June 8, 2025
Exhibition: Magna Carta and the North, Durham Cathedral Museum, Jul 11 until Nov 2
NOW BOOKING
Opera: Opera North at Newcastle Theatre Royal with The Magic Flute and The Flying Dutchman, March 6-8
Music: Alison Moyet, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Mar 6
Comedy: Mitch Benn - The Point, Queen’s Hall Arts, Hexham, Mar 6
Theatre: Bangers, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Mar 11-13
Music: A Night with Janis Joplin, screening at Gala Theatre Durham, Mar 13 and at The Maltings, Berwick, Apr 2
Theatre: Fluff, Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle, Mar 14-15
Music: Lost in Music - The original disco show, The Fire Station, Sunderland
Music: The Delines, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Mar 29
Theatre: Tits Up, Laurels Theatre, Whitley Bay, Apr 1-12
Festival: Newcastle Puppetry Festival, various venues across the city, Apr 19-27
Theatre: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Sunderland Empire, Apr 22-27
Comedy: Richard Herring - Can I Have My Ball Back?, Gala Theatre Durham (Apr 26) and The Stand Newcastle (Apr 27 - afternoon and evening shows)
Dance: balletLORENT’s Snow White, Darlington Hippodrome, May 16-17
Music: Cat Power Sings Dylan ‘66, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Jun 4
Music: The Christians, ARC Stockton, Jun 6
Dance: The Midnight Bell, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Jul 8-12
Comedy: Ordinary Decent Criminal, Live Theatre, Jul 23-26
Theatre: Chicago, Sunderland Empire, Aug 4-9
Music: The Boomtown Rats - Happy Birthday Boomtown: Celebrating 50 Rat years, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Nov 8
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 the Olivier Award-winning play The Shark is Broken at Newcastle Theatre Royal on March 18, at 7.30pm.
The smash hit comedy, which has enjoyed successful runs in the West End and on Broadway dives into the infamously troubled making of Steven Spielberg’s iconic blockbuster film, Jaws and is co-written by Ian Shaw, who plays his dad, actor Robert Shaw (Quint) in the play.
As mechanical sharks brake down, boats sink and changes to the script emerge day on day, The Shark Is Broken is set during the long gaps in filming, exposing the tense and argumentative relationships between the three lead actors, Shaw, Roy Scheider (Chief Brody) and Richard Dreyfuss (Hooper).
“I’d spent my life trying not to be associated with my dad,” Shaw says. “You want to carve your own path, so I was wary of that. But I’m obsessed with films, and I’m obsessed with the story of filmmaking.
“I just imagined three men stuck on this boat, marooned out in the water. Something about that idea appealed to me. I’ve reached a point now where I guess the comparison with my dad doesn’t matter so much. I’m also at the same age as my dad when he was doing Jaws.”
The Shark is Broken plays Newcastle Theatre Royal from March 18-22. For full details and bookings, visit the website.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: You’re gonna need a bigger boat by (12pm) on Sunday, February 23, 2025.
The winner, who will be selected at random, will be notified within 48 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.