Curated Culture 18.03.25
Our weekly recommendations round up from North East stages and cultural venues
Hello and welcome to the latest CNE mailout devoted to bringing more stuff from the North East’s cultural venues and attractions to your attention.
Before getting properly into it, we’d like to apologise for last week’s nod to the springtime arrival of sunshine and flowers, which came just 36 hours before a mixture of snow, hailstones and driving rain peppered our office windows.
The sun is shining as we type this, but we’re keeping thermal ear muffs on standby.
We’ve had a lovely wave of new subscribers this week. If you count yourself as one of them, stick around for some general Tuesday mailout pointers.*
*CNE veterans can leapfrog the bullet points to this week’s newsletter prizedraw reveal
Every Tuesday, this newsletter delivers:
At least 10 featured listings of things we think are worth your time over the next couple of weeks;
A round up of things from previous Curated Culture mailouts which are STILL SHOWING; and
The NOW BOOKING section, which looks to draw your attention to stuff happening later in the calendar, which you might want to get booked in.
The Tuesday newsletter is also the place to get involved with our weekly newsletter prizedraw - giving Cultured. North East subscribers an exclusive chance to win tickets to something great.
This week, our pals at Live Theatre in Newcastle have kindly given us a pair of tickets to see their upcoming world premiere production, Dogs on the Metro (May 1-17) with strict instructions to pass them on to one of our excellent subscribers.
All the details and information on how to enter can be found at the end of this mailout - but no need to rush. You wouldn’t want to miss all the good stuff before you disembark.
See you soon and thanks as ever for your support and kind words
Sam (Wonfor) and Dave (Whetstone)*
*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
EXHIBITION: Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion
Where: Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle
When: March 22 until March 2026
Bookings & Info: thebowesmuseum.org.uk
The co-founder (with husband John) of the Bowes Museum didn’t have to dress in hand-me-downs and nor did she. But as a collector she saw the value in saving things for future generations to enjoy.
Born 200 years ago, Joséphine Bowes collected textiles as she collected many other artefacts and from this weekend some of the best examples will be on display in the Fashion & Textile Gallery at the Bowes.
It’s a partner exhibition to the bigger Joséphine Bowes: Trendsetters and Trailblazers which runs alongside it, with both putting Joséphine’s important role at the forefront of the Bowes story.
This new special display focuses on the textile acquisitions made by Joséphine (and John… although it’s easy to imagine his French wife’s guiding hand) and highlights her interest in contemporary fashion.
An eclectic display of textiles includes items of clothing and accessories actually worn by Joséphine – some not displayed publicly for years – and things bought by her as a collector.
MUSIC: Mike + The Mechanics Looking Back - The Living Years 2025 Tour
Where: Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: March 22
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
A couple of years after the Refuelled Tour brought the crowds out, veteran pop rockers, Mike + The Mechanics are back with an evening bathed in nostalgia and classic tracks like Over My Shoulder, The Living Years and All I Need Is A Miracle as well as gems from the Genesis back catalogue.
THEATRE: Everywhere – triple bill
Where: Live Theatre, Newcastle
When: Saturday, April 2, 7.30pm
Bookings & info: live.org.uk
Award-winning British African theatre company tiata fahodzi hits the road shortly with three new plays by emerging writers, all inviting conversations and questions around the meaning of belonging.
Gestation, by Yusra Warsama, finds women on a hospital maternity ward in the near future as they contemplate the prejudices they and their unborn children will face in an uncertain world and future.
Set in an escape room, Y-Tephra by Magero, spoken word artist, writer and co-founder of The Brotherhood Creative Collective, sees three siblings search for freedom - from the game but also from their fractured family situation.
Anyebe Godwin’s Approach explores the housing difficulties faced by Black people in England today, inspired by Anyebe’s own experiences of homelessness while living with chronic illness.
DANCE: Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake
Where: Newcastle Theatre Royal
When: March 25 to April 5
Bookings and info: theatreroyal.co.uk
It seems utterly ridiculous that it has nearly been three decades since Matthew Bourne unveiled his rule-breaking reinvention of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece.
Since then, it has danced its way into the hearts of theatre goers and dance lovers the world over following its Sadler's Wells premiere and long runs in the West End and Broadway.
CLASSICAL: Newcastle Bach Choir
Where: King’s Hall, Newcastle University
When: Saturday, March 22, 7.30pm
Bookings & info: newcastlebachchoir.org.uk
Conductor Eric Cross, in his 40th season with the choir, will be in his usual position for this spring celebration of the music of JS Bach.
The concert opens with the composer’s popular setting of the Magnificat, dating from when he was director of church music in Leipzig, an appointment he took up in 1723, and described by the choir as “a dramatic mix of jubilant choruses with celebratory trumpets and drums and gentler numbers exploiting the flutes and oboes alongside the vocal soloists…”.
Another programme highlight is Bach’s Easter Oratorio, first performed 300 years ago on Easter Sunday, 1725. Quite a year of anniversaries, this, for a choir which celebrated its centenary a decade ago.
The concert also features Cantatas 42 and 50. We are reminded that composer and scholar WG Whittaker (that’s William Gillies Whittaker, born in Shieldfield in 1876 and an influential figure on the North East music scene) set up the choir mainly to perform Bach’s cantatas.
MUSIC: Ocean Colour Scene and Kula Shaker
Where: Stockton Globe
When: March 28
Bookings and info: stocktonglobe.co.uk
Ocean Colour Scene will arrive in the region for their only North East tour date at the end of the month, bringing their signature blend of rock, pop, and Britpop with them.
And while the band which brought us nineties anthems like The Day We Caught the Train and The Riverboat Song would be more than enough on their own, they’ve signed up psychedelic rockers, Kula Shaker (Hush, Govinda, Tattva) for the ride.
FILM: Billy Elliot the Musical
Where: Across the region
When: March 30 and April 2 (mostly)
Bookings and info: Various, including The Gala, Durham
The film, shot largely in and around Easington, was released in 2000, a huge and heartwarming hit for Lee Hall (writer), Stephen Daldry (director), Elton John (music) and all the cast and crew.
The story, familiar to so many now, tells of miner’s son Billy, aged 11, who finds that he loves to dance after stumbling into a girls’ ballet class after boxing one day.
The stage musical premiered in London in 2005 and the film of the stage show is doing the rounds to mark the show’s 20th anniversary. This year is also the 40th anniversary of the end of the miners’ strike against which the story is set.
The cinema at Gala Durham, on Billy’s home patch, is showing Billy Elliot the Musical on March 30 and April 2, as are most others although there are variations so it’s best to check.
Other North East screenings include, South Shields’ The Customs House; Alnwick Playhouse; the Vue cinemas in Gateshead and Cramlington; Showcase Stockton; Phoenix Theatre, Blyth; Jam Jar, Whitley Bay; Everyman, Newcastle; and The Maltings, Berwick.
THEATRE: Pygmalion
Where: People’s Theatre, Newcastle
When: March 18 to 22, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: peoplestheatre.co.uk
The People’s Theatre turns to one of its earliest friends and supporters, George Bernard Shaw, for its latest presentation.
In the popular play – written in 1912, premiered the following year in Vienna and named after the sculptor in Greek mythology who fell in love with a statue he’d made – Prof Henry Higgins, linguist and phonetician, boasts that he can pass a flower girl (Eliza Doolittle) off as a duchess by teaching her to talk ‘proper’.
It was filmed in 1938, with Leslie Howard as Higgins and Wendy Hiller as Eliza, and was then turned into a Lerner & Loewe stage musical, My Fair Lady, in 1956.
The film version of the musical, starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn, was released in 1964, going on to win multiple Oscars, including best picture and one for Harrison as best actor.
At the People’s it falls to Daisy Burden and Jake Wilson Craw to follow in this distinguished line, playing the prof and the Cockney flower seller.
MUSIC: Martin Simpson
Where: Queen’s Hall, Hexham
When: March 29
Bookings and info: queenshall.co.uk
Recognised as being one of the finest acoustic and slide guitar players in the world, folk legend Martin's interpretations of traditional songs offer a masterclass in storytelling.
He has been nominated 32 times in 18 years at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards and is on the road with a new-ish album in his guitar case. Twin release, Skydancers was released in April 2024 featuring a live CD recorded on recent gigs and a studio CD including some of Martin's favourite musicians.
EXHIBITION: Sunlight. Shadow
Where: RePUBlic Gallery, Blyth
When: Sunday, March 22 to April 19
Bookings and info: republicgallery.co.uk
Next up at the little gallery located in what was once the King’s Head pub (85 Bridge Street, NE24 3AE) is an exhibition of paintings by North Shields artist Anthony Downie for which the title is completely apt.
Sunlight and shadows define Downie’s landscapes which highlight the geometry of the built environment, emphasising intersecting planes and angles.
Maybe you never saw beauty in a back lane or a disused lido but with his limited palette of colours, Downie can make the humblest feature of the urban landscape a thing to behold.
On his website you’ll see that the appeal of his paintings translates into sales. His Tynemouth Pool series, such as it is? Sold. Likewise his Back Lane, Bedlington Station, his Hexham Silo and his Beacon Centre Fire Escape.
Fish Quay Warehouse Door (acrylic paint on ply), however, appears to be there for the asking and there will be others on show in Blyth in this exhibition of Downie contemporary paintings.
There’s a special opening night event on Saturday, March 29 (6-8pm) when – weather permitting – there will be an outdoor projection by Iain Bolton and Jim Donnelly.
The RePUBlic Gallery opens Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 3pm; Saturday, 10am to 2pm.
COMEDY: Zoe Lyons - Werewolf
Where: The Stand, Newcastle
When: March 30
Bookings and info: thestand.co.uk
TV and radio regular and accomplished stand-up comic, Zoe Lyons brings her latest show of life musings to Tyneside… and (spoiler) she thinks she may have been on the bumpy road to happiness for long enough to actually be getting somewhere.
Expect laughs-a-plenty and possibly the odd life lesson.
LECTURE: Dr Lucy West, Dulwich Picture Gallery
Where: The Spanish Gallery, Bishop Auckland
When: Thursday, March 27, 6pm
Bookings and info: aucklandproject.org
The Spanish Gallery, that cultural gem in County Durham managed by The Auckland Project, has reopened for the season with a special addition, Prince Baltasar Carlos on Horseback by Diego Velázquez (1599-1660), on loan from Dulwich Picture Gallery.
Dr West, the London gallery’s curator, will talk about the significance of a painting that was first loaned out in 1829, to the Royal Academy in London to help students with their studies.
She will also explain how artists of the time ‘translated’ Spanish art for the British art world and beyond.
“The loan of Prince Baltasar on Horseback to the Spanish Gallery places fresh eyes on this historic painting and I am delighted to have the opportunity to share some of our new research,” said Dr West.
A ticket for the lecture also offers the chance to explore the gallery after hours.
Prince Baltasar Carlos, incidentally, may have looked good on a horse but he was a sad little soul who died aged 16, whereupon his recently widowed father, 44-year-old Philip IV of Spain, promptly married his late son’s intended, the 14-year-old Mariana of Austria, who bore him five children of whom only two survived to adulthood. Tough times.
STILL SHOWING
Exhibition: Being, Ali Cook & Kate Sweeney, Vane, Gateshead, until April 5
Music: Matt Goss - The Hits and More, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle (Mar 19) and Middlesbrough Town Hall (Mar 22)
Music: Red Sky July, Alfie and Fin’s, Tynemouth, Mar 20
Theatre: ARC Stockton presents… Unruly, Live Theatre, Newcastle (Mar 22) and Darlington Hippodrome (Mar 28)
Comedy: Chris Cantrill - Easily Swayed, The Witham, Barnard Castle, Mar 22
Theatre: The Shark is Broken, Newcastle Theatre Royal, until Mar 22. Read David Whetstone’s interview with writer and star, Ian Shaw
Music: Danny and the Champions of the World, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Mar 22
Exhibition: Spring Welcome, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, until Apr 13
Exhibition: Unravelling, Samantha Cary, Granary Gallery, Berwick, until May 18
Theatre: The Moth, various North East venues until April 8
Exhibition: Northumberland Open Exhibition, Woodhorn Museum, until June 1. Read David Whetstone’s full preview of the exhibition.
Exhibition: Between Land and Sea, Hartlepool Art Gallery, until March 29
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
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
Music: The Young’uns Big Boro Bash, Middlesbrough Town Hall, Nov 15
Big screen: Expo Sunderland Pavilion, Keel Square, Sunderland, throughout 2025
NOW BOOKING
Theatre: T*ts Up, Laurels Theatre, Whitley Bay, Apr 1-12
Music: Eddi Reader, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Apr 3
Comedy: Stuart Laws Has To Be Joking, Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle, Apr 16
Music: Primal Scream, Newcastle 02 City Hall, Apr 19
Event: Hexham Book Festival, various venues in Hexham, May 2-11
Theatre: Blackbird in the Snow, Laurels Theatre, May 6-17
Music: Andy Bell, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, May 8
Theatre: The Sunderland Story, Sunderland Empire, May 15-31
Dance: balletLORENT’s Snow White, Darlington Hippodrome, May 16-17
Theatre: Sh*t Life Crisis, Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle, Jun 5-7
Theatre: Havisham, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Jun 12
Music: Butler, Blake and Grant, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, June 14
Music: Billy Ocean, Stockton Globe, Jul 2
Theatre: It’s the Economy Stupid, Live Theatre, Jul 17
Event: Susie Dent - Word Perfect, Darlington Hippodrome, Aug 20
Event: Miriam Margolyes: From A-Z, Stockton Globe, Sept 15
Music: Tom Grennan, Newcastle Utilita Arena, Sept 16
Music: Elkie Brooks - The Long Farewell Tour, Whitley Bay Playhouse, Sept 27
Music: Sonique, Boiler Shop, Newcastle, Oct 3
Comedy: Mark Watson, The Stand Newcastle, Oct 4
Comedy: Suzi Ruffell, Gala Theatre Durham, Oct 15
Music: Counting Crows, Newcastle 02 City Hall, Oct 23
Music: Mary Gauthier and Jaimee Harris, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Nov 2
Music: The Undertones, Boiler Shop, Newcastle, Dec 4
2026
Comedy: Ross Noble, Newcastle 02 City Hall, Feb 13 abd 18-20
Event: Sunday for Sammy, Newcastle Utilita Arena, Feb 15
Comedy: Sara Pascoe, Gala Theatre Durham, Mar 27
COMPETITION TIME
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 upcoming world premiere run of the wonderfully-titled, Dogs on the Metro at Live Theatre, Newcastle.
Written by Emilie Robson - the inaugural winner of the North East Playwriting Award - audiences will get to soak up this ‘love letter to friendship, lost youth, naivety and our beloved local transport system’ from May 1 to 17.
Launched in January 2024 to put the ‘North East voice centre stage’, the Playwriting Award was open to writers over 16 who were based in the region.
Emilie was praised by judges for her sharp writing, which delivers the story of Jen and Dean over a series of days, months and years as they travel back and forth on the Metro network, reflecting on and comparing their conflicting perceptions of the pivotal events which shaped their lives.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: Stand clear of the Dogs by (12pm) on Sunday, March 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.