Curated Culture 25.02.25
Our weekly recommendations round up from North East stages and cultural venues
Hello and welcome to the latest Curated Culture newsletter - a useful Tuesday delivery for your inbox offering a pile of what’s on intel from the programmes and calendars of cultural stages and venues all over the North East.
If you’re a new reader (*High 5 right here*), keep reading. Regulars can scroll past the bullet points.
Each and every Tuesday, this newsletter serves up:
At least a double handful of featured listings of things we think are worth your time of over the next fortnight or so;
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 events, gigs, shows, festivals and the like which are happening later in the year. Basically stuff you might want to get booked in sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.
This mailout is also where you can get involved with our weekly newsletter prizedraw -giving Cultured. North East subscribers an exclusive chance to win tickets to something great.
This week, we’ve got a pair of tickets to see Birmingham Royal Ballet’s fairytale production of Cinderella at Sunderland Empire on March 13, 2025 at 7.30pm.
All the details and information on how to enter can be found at the bottom of the newsletter… but it would be foolish to speed scroll past everything else to get there.
See you soon and thanks as ever for 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
MUSIC: The Futureheads
Where: Boiler Shop, Newcastle
When: March 2
Bookings and info: boilershop.net
Sunderland indie-rocking treasures, The Futureheads are back in their native North East to finish a tour celebrating the release of their career-arching singles collection, Decent Days & Nights: The Singles.
Unbelievably, there are still a few tickets left for the final tour date at Newcastle’s Boiler Shop, which will boast a setlist of hits including The Beginning of the Twist, Hounds of Love, and Radio Heart.
Do yourself a favour - this is a nailed on Sunday night treat if ever there was one.
THEATRE: The Baddies
Where: Gala Durham
When: February 25-27 (daytime, various)
Bookings and info: galadurham.co.uk
The popular story by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler tells of the worst Baddies in the world.
Adapted for the stage by David Greig and Jackie Crichton, it premiered at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, in October and has rolled into Durham for half term.
Featuring a witch and a troll who attempt to scare a girl out of her wits, it lasts an hour and is deemed suitable for ages three and over who presumably don’t need nerves of steel.
The show, directed and choreographed by Katie Beard and with songs by Joe Stilgoe, is a co-production with Brighton-based Freckle Productions whose other shows have included Stick Man, Tabby McTat, Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales, and Zog and the Flying Doctors.
COMEDY: Dan Tiernan- Stomp
Where: The Stand Newcastle
When: March 1
Bookings and info: thestand.co.uk
He’s been nominated as Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe (2023) and has enjoyed two sell-out runs at the north of the border summer comedy feast.
Known for his ‘high energy chaos’, audiences are being told to expect ‘tightly-packed gags about gout and gay-awakenings’.
Ooh, and we’re also assured that there’s a magical finale too.
Read more: Prepare for a puppet invasion!
MUSIC: Howay The Lasses
Where: Chapel at Gibside, Rowlands Gill
When: Saturday, March 8, 7pm
Bookings and info: nationaltrust.org.uk
A stirring gig is in store as part of a special programme at the National Trust property marking International Women’s Day.
Howay The Lasses is a group comprising singer and accordionist Annie Ball, cellist Katie Tertell and singer and songwriter combination Gareth and Bronwen Davies-Jones who are also father and daughter.
Since they came together in 2021, they have built up a following, performing at folk festivals and venues including churches and at The Glasshouse in Gateshead.
They have a repertoire of songs celebrating women who have made their mark, including the Roman Claudia Severa, whose birthday invitation to friend Sulpicia Lepidina was found at Vindolanda on Hadrian’s Wall, and 17th Century feminist writer Mary Astell who was born in Newcastle.
These feature on their eponymous debut album and will get an airing in the Chapel at Gibside, forever connected with the turbulent life and marriages of Mary Eleanor Bowes.
You can learn more about her in a talk by historian and author Val Scully (11.30am on the same day) called The Wonderful Women of Gibside.
The day also features a performance by the SHE Choir Newcastle in the Chapel at 2pm.
Read more: Winning hearts and minds at Tyneside Cinema
CLASSICAL: Newcastle International Chamber Music Series - Cuarteto Quiroga
Where: The Glasshouse
When: March 8
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
A Gateshead debut is on the calendar for award-winning Spanish string quartet Cuarteto Quiroga next week.
“No music is more likely to bring a smile to my face than a Haydn string quartet,” says our resident Classical enthusiast, Huw Lewis, adding: “These are almost always remorselessly smart, witty and optimistic works”.
Also on the bill are Beethoven and Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera.
COMEDY: Lou Sanders - No Kissing In The Bingo Hall
Where: Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle
When: March 6
Bookings and info: tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk
TV regular Lou Sanders - you’ll recognise her from the likes of Taskmaster (which she won), Unforgivable (where she served as Mel Giedroyc’s excellent assistant), QI, Would I Lie To You and Dancing on Ice - is on tour with what is apparently her most personal show to date.
That may be the case, but she’s also calling it ‘a deep, dumb show for the masses’. I don’t know about you, but this sounds like just what the doctor ordered.
BIG SCREEN: Expo Sunderland Pavilion
Where: Keel Square, Sunderland
When: From Tuesday, February 25
Information: exposunderland.com
Sunderland’s ‘Smart City’ ambitions are writ large this week as Expo Sunderland Pavilion’s big screen comes to life, paving the way to the opening of Culture House later this year.
A dynamic Pavilion programme is promised with interactive experiences, family-friendly activities and cutting-edge tech content, alongside multimedia showcases of global artists’ work.
Expo Sunderland, partnered by the University of Sunderland, was launched in 2023 as a programme of events designed to show how the city is shaping up to a carbon neutral, digital savvy future.
The pavilion lies at the heart of it with its programme fusing arts, culture, music and innovative technology and aided by one of the UK’s largest semi-transparent LED screens (20 metres by five) overlooking a versatile events space.
Councillor Beth Jones, cabinet member for communities, culture and tourism at Sunderland City Council, says: “The Expo Sunderland Pavilion is a dynamic reflection of our city’s ever-changing landscape.
“It’s a space where creativity meets technology, inspiring residents and visitors alike to imagine a brighter future.”
Read more: New season signals new era at Alphabetti
OPERA: The Magic Flute / The Flying Dutchman
Where: Newcastle Theatre Royal
When: March 6-8
Bookings and info: theatreroyal.co.uk
Never mind flying Dutchmen, this seems like a flying visit by our friends and purveyors of brilliance from Opera North.
And it must be said that at this stage of play, there are very few seats free for any of the four performances offered by the Leeds-based company.
James Brining’s sparkling production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute was here in November (and also, before that, in 2019) and there are 7pm performances on March 6 and 7.
They’re preceded by a pared down performance (1hr 45mins including interval) at 11am on March 6, styled The Magic Flute Lite.
New to most of us will be The Flying Dutchman, a new production of Wagner’s disturbing take on the ghost ship legend directed by Annabel Arden and with the reliable Robert Hayward as the Dutchman.
The sole Newcastle performance is at 7pm on March 8. Plenty of seats in the gallery at the time of writing but not much else.
Read more: New Durham art gallery a step closer
MUSIC: Seven Drunken Nights – The Story of The Dubliners
Where: Stockton Globe
When: Sunday, March 9
Bookings and info: stocktonglobe.co.uk
A musical sensation, The Dubliners carried the upbeat sound of Irish folk music around the world for more than 50 years.
You’ll get a sense of their style from this show which pays tribute to their achievements and whose title recalls the group’s hit of 1967 which got them on Top of the Pops.
In association with the Irish pub O’Donoghue’s, where The Dubliners first performed, Seven Drunken Nights: The Story of the Dubliners is marking its eighth year of leading audiences down memory lane.
Listen out for The Irish Rover, Tell Me Ma and The Town I Love So Well, along with new songs added for this tour including Paddy on the Railway, and The Lark in the Morning.
Dublin-born frontman and narrator Ged Graham, who is also writer and director, has had a career almost matching that of the band he’s championed for many years.
Joining him as he guides the audience through the decades of The Dubliners will be Aidan Keene, Eoghan Burke, Shane Morgan and Luc Power – joined by fiddler Aidan Burke, banjo players Conor Kenny and Peet Jackson, and supporting actor Dylan Graham.
Says Ged: “Performing the music of The Dubliners around the world truly is a privilege for everyone involved with the Seven Drunken Nights show.
“The connection we’ve built with the audience over the years is incredible; they know we’re keeping the iconic music of The Dubliners alive with the same passion that they have for it.”
If you can’t catch the show in Stockton, it’s also due at Sunderland Empire on April 13.
THEATRE: Hangmen
Where: People’s Theatre, Newcastle
When: March 4-8, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: peoplestheatre.co.uk
Billed as “a savagely comic exploration of justice and punishment”, it is unlikely this one would fit neatly under the heading ‘cosy crime’.
Playwright Martin McDonagh doesn’t really do cosy. Tense, suspenseful and squirm inducing better describe his fictional territory.
If you’ve seen The Pillowman on stage or The Banshees of Inisherin on screen, you’ll know what we mean.
The play is set in a pub where former executioner Harry Wade is holding court on the day capital punishment is abolished. The arrival of a mysterious stranger triggers what follows.
Read more: Newcastle fixture for footy drama, Dear England
VENT: The Lort Burn Specials - Helen Charman
Where: Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle
When: March 1
Bookings and info: alphabettitheatre.co.uk
A new ‘radical books night’ at Alphabetti is aiming to add some countercultural spice to the North East’s cultural mix.
The brainchild of authors Alex Niven (The North Will Rise Again, 2023) and Peter Mitchell (Imperial Nostalgia, 2021) together with North East journalist (and editor of The Teesside Lead) Leigh Jones, the first event plays host to acclaimed writer, activist and poet, Helen Charman.
Charman’s first book, Mother State: A Political History of Motherhood, was well received, with one reviewer saying: “at once a sorely needed politicised history of motherhood… and a tender love letter to her own mother’s knees”.
Read an introduction to The Lort Burn Specials from Leigh Jones
STILL SHOWING
Exhibition: Pieces of Woman, RePUBlic Gallery, Blyth, until Mar 15
Theatre: Jesus Christ Superstar, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, until Mar 1
Exhibition: Northumberland Open Exhibition, Woodhorn Museum, until June 1. Read David Whetstone’s full preview of the exhibition.
Comedy: Ignacio Lopez, The Witham, Barnard Castle (Feb 26, 3pm and 8pm); and Alnwick Playhouse (Feb 27, 3pm and 8pm)
Theatre: The Koala Who Could, Northern Stage, Newcastle, until Mar 2
Comedy: Steam to Grin, Discovery Museum, Newcastle, Feb 28
Music: Annie Mac Before Midnight, Newcastle 02 City Hall, Feb 28
Theatre: Champion, Live Theatre, Newcastle, until Mar 8
Theatre: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Newcastle Theatre Royal, until Mar 1
Exhibition: Between Land and Sea, Hartlepool Art Gallery, until March 29
Exhibition: The Urbanites, VANE Gallery, Gateshead, until Mar 1
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
Theatre: Bangers, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Mar 11-13
Theatre: Night Classes, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle, Mar 14
Comedy: Louise Young - Feral, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Mar 14
Music: Jason Donovan - Doin’ Fine 25 Tour, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead
Comedy: Carl Hutchinson - Today Years Old, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Mar 17
Music: Matt Goss - The Hits and More, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Mar 19
Music: Ruth Lyon, Cluny 2, Newcastle, Mar 29
Theatre: Penguin, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Apr 9-12; ARC Stockton, Jun 4-5; The Exchange 1856, North Shields, Sept 17
Music: Stockton Calling, ARC Stockton and other venues, April 19
Theatre: Dogs on the Metro, Live Theatre, Newcastle, May 1-17
Theatre: Kinky Boots, Newcastle Theatre Royal, May 6-10
Theatre: Blackbird in the Snow, Laurels Theatre, Whitley Bay, May 6-17
Music: Andy Bell, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, May 8
Music: David Ramirez, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle, May 8
Theatre: The Sunderland Story, Sunderland Empire, May 15-31
Music: Smoove and Turrell, The Fire Station, Sunderland, May 31
Theatre: Something About Lennon - The John Lennon Story, Queen’s Hall, Hexham, Jun 15
Event: Kynren 2025, Bishop Auckland, Saturdays from July 19 to September 13
Festival: Hardwick Live, Sedgefield, County Durham, August 15-17
Theatre: Miriam Margoyles - From A-Z, The Globe, Stockton, Sept 15
Comedy: Mark Watson - Before It Overtakes Us, The Stand Newcastle, Oct 4
Comedy: Grayson Perry - Are You Good?, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Oct 13
Music: Adam Ant - Antmusic 2025, The Glasshouse, Oct 29 and The Globe, Stockton, Oct 30
Comedy: Rob Beckett - Giraffe, Newcastle 02 City Hall, Nov 27-29
2026
Music: Bad Manners, Newcastle 02 City Hall, Jan 30 (also ARC Stockton on Nov 1, 2025)
Theatre: Matilda the Musical, Sunderland Empire, Feb 11-28
Event: Sunday for Sammy, Utilita Arena, Newcastle, Feb 15
Comedy: Ross Noble, Newcastle 02 City Hall, Feb 18-20
Theatre: TINA - The Tina Turner Musical, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Mar 3-14
Dance: Diversity - Soul 2026, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Mar 7 (On general sale Feb 28)
Theatre: Fawlty Towers, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Jun 30-Jul 4
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 see Birmingham Royal Ballet’s fairytale production of Cinderella at Sunderland Empire on March 13, 2025 at 7.30pm.
Audiences are being encouraged to locate their glass slippers and step into a magical world where ‘Fairy Godmothers triumph over cruel stepmothers, pumpkins turn into sparkling carriages and a jewelled slipper changes one young woman’s life forever’.
Praised by audiences and critics alike, former BRB company director David Bintley’s Cinderella blends wonderful dance, spectacular scenery, and a cast of characters that include mice, lizards and even a dancing frog. Find us an imagination which isn’t fired up by that lot!
The production is at the Empire from March 13-15. Visit the website for more information and booking.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: No dancing after midnight by (12pm) on Sunday, March 2, 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.