Curated Culture 25.03.25
Our weekly recommendations round up from North East stages and cultural venues
Good evening/morning/afternoon*
*Look out of the window/at your watch and delete as appropriate
Welcome to the latest CNE newsletter which exists to draw your attention to some of the excellent things happening at the region’s cultural venues and attractions.
Once again, we’ve been blessed by a boatload of new subscribers over the past week. If this is your first Curated Culture mailout (delighted to have you!), you’re going to want to hang around for a few useful admin bullet points*.
*CNE regulars can skip on down to details of this week’s newsletter prizedraw.
Every Tuesday, this newsletter serves up:
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 spotlight stuff happening later in the calendar, which you might want to get inked 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 friends at The Fire Station, Sunderland Culture and Sunderland Empire have given us a pair of tickets for the Saturday night performance of Public Record on April 26 (at The Fire Station).
All the details and information on how to enter can be found at the bottom - but take your time getting there. You won’t regret a slow scroll through everything which comes between here and there.
See you soon and thanks as ever for your lovely emails and support
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
SCREEN: Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival
Where: Berwick-upon-Tweed, various venues
When: Thursday, March 27-30
Bookings and info: bfmaf.org
The 20th edition of the cutting edge festival of radical cinema and screen-based art is almost upon us.
A large and wide-ranging programme is worth sifting through carefully but the action starts on Thursday when films of various length will be screened in locations including The Gymnasium (Black Glass, featuring images by photographic pioneer Eadweard Muybridge and directed by Adam Piron from America), 22 Bridge Street (Endless Love Tapes, directed by Wendy Clarke, UK) and The Magazine (Stepney Western, directed by Harry Lawson, re-imagining Byker as the Wild West).
St Aidan’s Peace Church is the venue for the extraordinary Some Strings, 300 minutes of footage contributed by more than 100 filmmakers and artists from around the world in response to the death of Palestinian poet Refaat Alareer.
He was killed in December 2023 in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, along with his brother, sister and four nephews. In April 2024 his eldest daughter, her husband and their newborn son, which would have been the poet’s first grandchild, died in similar circumstances.
A New Cinema Forum, featuring a series of hour-long conversations and discussions, will also take place at The Maltings from 12 noon on Thursday.
Read more: ‘An incredible, once in a lifetime archaeological find’
SCREEN/MUSIC: Singin’ in the Rain in Concert
Where: The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: Sunday, March 30, 6pm
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
Ben Palmer’s an interesting chap. He’s a classical conductor (and composer, arranger and orchestrator) who has carved out rather more than a niche for himself in the conducting of film scores.
John Williams, that giant of film music, has authorised him to conduct his famous scores and they are among the personal repertoire of more than 50 that he regularly performs with orchestras around the world.
Ben comes to Gateshead to conduct Royal Northern Sinfonia beneath a big screen showing of this upbeat 1952 MGM hit starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor.
This date, you might be intrigued to know, is sandwiched between his recent world premiere performance of The Silence of the Lambs in Concert, performed at London’s Barbican with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and Top Gun: Maverick in Concert in Lucerne, Switzerland, with the 21st Century Symphony Orchestra.
The broader smiles, we suspect, will be on the faces of those singin’ along at The Glasshouse on Sunday.
Ben will be back in Sage One at Christmas (December 6 and 7) to conduct the RNS for two screenings of Home Alone with its John Williams soundtrack.
But there’s much more to come from the resident orchestra in its Film Magic season which will see various conductors taking the baton.
Also look out for Charlie Chaplin’s The Gold Rush on April 6, conducted by Stefan Geiger; The Gruffalo and Room on the Broom on April 15 and 16, with Terry Davies conducting; and Ellie Slorach conducting How to Train Your Dragon in Concert (October 27 and 28) and then returning for that seasonal staple, The Snowman (December 22-24).
There’s also a concert performance, The Music of Star Wars (more epic John Williams), with the orchestra conducted by Stephen Bell, on May 4 with performances at 2pm and 7.30pm.
COMEDY: Lee Kyle - Bottle It
Where: Washington Arts Centre and Tyne Theatre & Opera House
When: March 28 and April 18, respectively
Bookings and info: sunderlandculture.org.uk and tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk
North East comedian Lee Kyle has booked a duo of dates on home turf to report back on the results of him throwing lots of message-filled bottles into the sea.
He’s been asking people to reply, you see. And apparently, they have been.
Known as a very funny storyteller straight out of the top drawer, expect this to be a good one… with a secret thrown in. (Like a bottle into the sea.)
MUSIC: Smoove & Turrell - Acoustic
Where: PILGRIM
When: April 4
Bookings and info: pilgrimncl.music
North East funk soul treasures Smoove & Turrell bring their Red Ellen home to PILGRIM, Newcastle (formerly Hoochie Coochie) with an exclusive Sunday afternoon acoustic show promising to be a very special return to the venue.
See more of PILGRIM’s spring gigs line up here.
Read more: Smoggie Queens gets a second series green light
THEATRE: T*ts Up
Where: Laurels Theatre, Whitley Bay
When: April 1-12
Bookings and info: laurelswhitley.co.uk
Three women from different generations and walks of life come together in the day room of an oncology clinic. United by a diagnosis of breast cancer, Tina, Rachel and Rosie learn about each other’s lives as their treatment continues.
A real-time play by Laurels’ new head of theatre and programming, Alison Stanley (Life of Reilly, Bedsocks & Secrets, Hard, You Need To Say Sorry), T*ts Up ‘examines the strength of maternal love and the choices that women make’.
Look out for a full preview, featuring interviews with the cast, coming this week.
EXHIBITION : Sheila Fell – Cumberland on Canvas
Where: Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens
When: April 10 to June 28, 2025
Bookings and info: sunderlandculture.org.uk
There are unlikely to be many North East art lovers who won’t want to see this first major retrospective of Sheila Fell’s work for more than 30 years.
It brings together 100 works from private and public collections including Tate, National Portrait Gallery, Royal Academy, Abbot Hall and the Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton where Sheila was a pupil.
It has been curated by Eleanor and Andrew Bradley who have compiled a comprehensive catalogue of Fell’s work due to be published in the spring.
Fell (1931-79) is regarded as a significant artist of the 20th Century and one of Cumbria’s finest. She grew up in Aspatria and the landscape inspired her for all of her relatively short life. LS Lowry was an admirer of her work.
The exhibition was first displayed at Tullie House in Carlisle but will open on Wearside early next month.
Read more: Bats and bullet holes: artist Luke Jerram on Helios
COMEDY: Ed Byrne - Tragedy Plus Time
Where: ARC Stockton
When: March 27
Bookings and info: arconline.co.uk
Irish comic Ed Byrne brings his marathon tour back to the North East for one last time (he did at least nine dates in the region in 2024 by our count).
This is the veteran stand up’s most personal show to date as he explores and mines the most tragic event in his life - the death of his brother, Paul aged just 44 - for the funny.
Paul would approve. He chose Disco Inferno as the music for the crematorium service.
FOLK: Johnny Campbell
Where: Vindolanda, NE47 7JN (and various)
When: Wednesday April 2 at Vindolanda, from 5.30pm
Bookings and info: johnnycampbell.co.uk
Johnny Campbell’s not the sort of musician happy to strum in a corner and watch the world go by. He likes fresh air and he likes to walk – as he’s demonstrating with his trek along the Pennine Way (all 268 miles of it) to mark its 60th anniversary.
It’s both trek and tour for his plan was to perform 17 gigs in 19 days. He started, as all Pennine Walkers should, at The Old Nag’s Head in Edale on March 19 and he’s coming our way.
You can catch him at Saddlers Bakery and Bistro, Alston, on Sunday, March 30 (7.30pm); The Threshing Barn at Greenhead on Tuesday, April 1 (7.30pm); then at Vindolanda, where they plan to turn the café into a tavern for the evening performance; and at The First & Last Brewery, Bellingham, on Thursday, April 4 (7.30pm).
How closely you can stick to a schedule in such circumstances is anyone’s guess but it’s probably worth checking the tour itinerary link above and maybe contacting the venue before heading off.
As Johnny himself has said: “It’s been a tough tour to orchestrate.
“For the 60th anniversary, I wanted to champion the route in a unique way. It’s not just a walking route - there’s culture, history and a myriad of fabulous venues too.”
Johnny’s album True North was released last year but he also put out a single recently, Roving I Will Go, to get his Pennine Way adventure off to a fitting start.
MUSIC: Eddi Reader
Where: The Fire Station, Sunderland
When: April 2
Bookings and info: thefirestation.org.uk
Inimitable Scottish singer Eddi Reader returns to Sunderland’s Fire Station for what promises to be a special evening.
Having introduced herself as the lead singer of Fairground Attraction who topped the single and album chart with Perfect and First of a Million Kisses, respectively, Reader’s subsequent solo career has been characterised by an ability to blend a variety of musical genres, including folk, pop, and traditional Scottish music.
A double handful of solo albums have showcased her deep connection to both her Scottish roots and a diverse range of musical influences. She’s a cast iron (bru) Scottish treasure.
THEATRE: Penguin
Where: Live Theatre
When: Apr 9-12
Bookings and info: live.org.uk
We’re betting the welcome return of the inspiring and excellent Penguin - presented by Hamzeh Al Hussein and Amy Golding - will have audiences on their feet once again as it recounts Hamzeh’s extraordinary true story with humour and beauty.
Taking audiences on a journey from Hamzeh’s village in the Syrian mountains, through the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan to his arrival in Gateshead, it’s a special and uplifting way to spend time in the theatre.
LECTURE: Photographic Legacies of Hadrian’s Wall
Where: Lit & Phil, Newcastle
When: Thursday, March 27, 6pm
Bookings and info: litandphil.org.uk
Many people visit Vindolanda to learn about the Roman occupation and to marvel at artefacts uncovered during the excavations that have taken place over decades.
But the stories of those involved in doing the excavating and recording, along with the methods employed, are also fascinating.
In this Lit & Phil presentation, the second in a series of archaeological talks, Marta Alberti-Dun, deputy director of excavations at the Vindolanda Charitable Trust, and archive assistant Bethany Goodman will talk about the importance of the Trust’s archival material.
Bethany, a recent recruit to the team, will introduce one of the Trust’s current projects, cataloguing and digitising the many photos taken by Charlie Anderson (1909-98) who spent nearly 50 years working as a stonemason on Hadrian’s Wall.
The images show work being undertaken but also the archaeologists themselves and therefore offer a valuable insight into the social history of the archaeology of Hadrian’s Wall and the surrounding area.
Next Bethany intends to turn her attention to the archive of historian and archaeologist Eric Birley (1906-1995) who first excavated on Hadrian’s Wall as an undergraduate in 1927 and whose life’s work is key to the story of Vindolanda in the 20th Century.
MUSIC: Michael Ball and Alfie Boe - Together at Home
Where: Utilita Arena, Newcastle
When: April 2
Bookings and info: utilitaarena.co.uk
When it comes to the latest tour from popular singing twosome, Michael Ball and Alfie Boe, ‘home’ is where the big crowd is.
The duo, who have been making music together for more than a decade, released their latest chart-topping album Together at Home in November - and booked an arena tour to share it wide and live.
Billed as ‘a selection of homegrown songs you know and love’, it includes hits such as Proud, Rule The World and Up Where We Belong.
STILL SHOWING
Exhibition: Sunlight. Shadow, RePUBlic Gallery, Blyth, until April 19
Lecture: Dr Lucy West, Dulwich Picture Gallery, The Spanish Gallery, Bishop Auckland, March 27
Music: Ocean Colour Scene and Kula Shaker, Stockton Globe, March 28
Music: Martin Simpson, Queen’s Hall, Hexham, March 29
Comedy: Zoe Lyons - Werewolf, The Stand, Newcastle, March 30
Film: Billy Elliot the Musical, various venues across the region, (mostly) March 30 and April 2. North East venues include: The Gala, Durham, 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: Everywhere – triple bill, Live Theatre, Newcastle, April 2
Dance: Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Newcastle Theatre Royal, March 25 to April 5
Exhibition: Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until March 2026
Exhibition: Being, Ali Cook & Kate Sweeney, Vane, Gateshead, until April 5
Theatre: ARC Stockton presents… Unruly, Darlington Hippodrome (Mar 28)
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: 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
Music: Megson, ARC Stockton, April 12
Music: Sean Paul and Ashanti, Utilita Arena, Newcastle, April 12
Comedy: Stuart Laws Has To Be Joking, Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle, Apr 16
Comedy: Lee Kyle - Bottle It, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, April 18
Theatre: Ghost Stories, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Apr 22-26
Theatre: A Beginners Guide to Widowhood, Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle, May 2
Music: Curtis Stigers, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, May 8
Event: British Food Awards 2025, The Fire Station, Sunderland, May 23-25
Music: The Waterboys, Stockton Globe, May 24
Music Festival: A Stone’s Throw Festival, The Exchange and other North Shields venues, May 25
Film/Theatre: A Streetcar Named Desire (National Theatre Live), Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle, Jun 6 and 14
Theatre: Havisham, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Jun 12
Poetry: Book of Crow, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Jun 17
Theatre: Hamilton, Sunderland Empire, Jun 17-Jul 26
Music: Altern-8, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, June 21
Comedy: Milton Jones - HA!Milton, Queen’s Hall Hexham, Jun 21
Music/Event: Gary Davies - Kick Up The 80s, Wylam Brewery, Newcastle, Oct 10
Music: The Boomtown Rats, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Nov 8
Music: JLS, Utilita Arena, Newcastle, Nov 8… and in related news, Five are also playing the venue on Nov 14 and 26
2026
Dance: Diversity - Soul 2026, The Glasshouse, (Mar 7); Stockton Globe, Mar 10;
Theatre: TINA - The Tina Turner Musical, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Mar 3-14
Theatre: The Bodyguard, Sunderland Empire, Apr 27-May 2
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 two tickets to Public Record at The Fire Station, Sunderland on April 26 at 7.30pm.
This is a special project which is bringing the Sunderland community together to make an album - ‘to make a record of who they are, what they’re about, where they’ve come from and where they want to go’.
Expect music and dancing, karaoke and DJs, a knockout house band, a massive disco ball and a cast of more than 100 people.
The Fire Station roof may be in trouble.
Featuring music from The Futureheads’ Ross Millard, a line up of local legends from Sunderland’s music scene, professional dancers and community groups who have been working together for months in a series of workshops, an ‘explosive new show’ is bring promised.
Public Record, which will be performed at The Fire Station from April 25-27 is produced by Sunderland Culture, Sunderland Empire and the National Theatre, as part of Public Acts - the National Theatre’s nationwide programme creating extraordinary acts of theatre and community.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: A matter of Public Record (12pm) on Sunday, March 30, 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.