Culture Digest 05.09.25
A round up of the arts and culture stories which caught our attention over the past week or so...
Dave Stewart honoured with Wall of Fame unveiling and new music project
Sunderland celebrated one of its most famous sons today (September 5) as Eurythmics legend Dave Stewart was unveiled as the first inductee into the Sunderland Music Wall of Fame, a new public artwork in the city’s Cultural Quarter.
The ceremony outside The Fire Station featured a choreographed dance performance of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Arts North Studios, honouring the 72-year-old’s incredible global career.
Dave takes to The Fire Station stage tonight (and Sunday) to perform his latest project, Dave Does Dylan, with Sunderland’s own Barry Hyde (The Futureheads) on piano and a string quartet from Sunderland Symphony Orchestra alongside him.
Today’s proceedings capped off a summer break in his home city. “Here for a good time”, Dave has been enjoying soaking up Sunderland’s charms including coffee and poached eggs at Pop Recs, spending lots of time on the beach, watching premiership footie and sampling the food and drink delights of Sheepfolds.
He has also unveiled plans to support the next generation of Mackem musicians.
Teaming up with the University of Sunderland and the Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME) - a project led by the aforementioned Barry and Dan Donnelly of The Levellers and The Wonder Stuff - he has helped create a new third-year module, Collaborative Songwriting with Dave Stewart.
Science reveals the true age of Sycamore Gap tree
The famous Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland was at least 100 to 120 years old when it was illegally felled, new research suggests.
It probably appeared in the landscape in the late 19th century or earlier, says Historic England.
The dendrochronological - tree-ring counting - investigation by the organisation’s national Investigative Science Team was carried out after the tree was illegally felled in September 2023.
The investigation is the first research into the age of the tree to have scientifically analysed a sample of the tree itself.
New era for Glasshouse as Abigail Pogson heads to Barbican
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music has announced that its chief executive, Abigail Pogson, will step down this autumn after 10 years in the role to take up a new position as director of London’s Barbican Centre, Europe’s largest arts complex.
Abigail has overseen what the organisation describes as a “transformational period of growth, change, and impact,” including guiding The Glasshouse through the pandemic, championing artists and young people in the region, and raising its artistic ambitions.
During her tenure, the venue’s activity is estimated to have contributed £1 billion to the local economy, while its learning and participation programmes have opened the door to music for 1.8 million young people.
It has been confirmed that Deputy CEO Fraser Anderson, who has worked alongside Abigail for the past five years, will serve as Interim CEO for 12 months.
Hartlepool draws illustrations from across the world for festival
Hartlepool will be buzzing with colour and creativity this autumn as the Northern Festival of Illustration returns for its biggest edition yet.
Running from September 13 to November 1, the biennial celebration of illustration and storytelling will span venues across the town, including Hartlepool Art Gallery, The Northern School of Art, Hartlepool Theatre and The Northern Studios.
At the heart of the festival is an exhibition at Hartlepool Art Gallery themed around Stories of Home, featuring more than 70 works from illustrators worldwide. Highlights include vibrant designs by Supermundane, eclectic prints by Jonny Hannah, the personal narratives of Bee Illustrates, and BAFTA-winning animator Mikey Please, whose work includes Aardman’s Oscar-nominated Robin Robin.
From shipyards to centurions: Wallsend’s layered history
Few of the families packed into the terraced streets around a Tyneside shipyard would have been aware of the thousands of individuals who had lived at the same location centuries previously.
The streets adjacent to the Swan Hunter yard were built from the late 19th century to house the influx of workers to Wallsend as shipbuilding and mining boomed.
The homes were constructed on and around land which had been the site of the Roman fort of Segedunum, garrisoned by a mixed force of infantry and cavalry and occupied for around 300 years.
That history lay hidden until the 1970s when demolition work began on the terraces and excavations started to reveal the remains of the fort.
Now a new exhibition has opened at the fort titled Streets Above: Photographs of the Roads and Buildings that Covered Roman Wallsend.
Nature’s classroom opens on Lindisfarne
A new research base will be opened today (Friday) to make the most of the natural potential of a Northumberland national nature reserve.
The new facility will boost opportunities for research at Natural England’s Lindisfarne NNR, which covers 3,541 hectares and was founded in 1964 to help safeguard its internationally important wintering bird population.
The base at Beal Station will provide accommodation for students to allow affordable and longer research stays. The opening will be attended by Newcastle, Teesside, Stirling, Durham, York and Edinburgh universities.
Vote now: North East cinemas in line for top film prize
A trio of North East cinemas are in the running for an accolade at the British Independent Film Awards.
Alnwick Playhouse, Hexham’s Forum Cinema and Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema are all contenders for the inaugural Cinema of the Year award.
The category aims to celebrate the unique role independent cinemas play in their communities - from spotlighting diverse stories on screen to bringing people together for the shared experience of film.
“Nothing is quite like the communal experience of watching a film on the big screen,” say BIFA, who want to shine a light on cinemas that go beyond screenings to act as cultural hubs.
Cinema audiences themselves will decide the winner, with public voting open until September 22. Visit the BIFA website to vote.
Lindisfarne Festival return confirmed for 2026
After a triumphant 10th anniversary event last weekend, tickets for next year’s Lindisfarne Festival are already on sale.
News of the 2026 event will have been music to the ears of thousands who danced three nights away on Beal Farm overlooking Holy Island… not least because just a few months ago, the Festival was at real risk of being cancelled.
Founding festival director, Conleth Maenpaa who was brought back on board by the backers of the Hardwick Festival in County Durham to head up the rescue, has thanked everyone involved via a series of very hoarse and heartfelt social media posts!
The 2026 festival will take place from September 3-5. Early bird tickets and updates from the website.
Jerwood Fellowships open for applications
New Writing North has announced the Jerwood Fellowships, offering three early-career published writers in the North of England the chance to receive £10,000 and tailored support over 12 months.
Open to writers of fiction, poetry or narrative non-fiction with professionally published work, the programme begins in 2026 and focuses on helping recipients develop new writing towards publication. E
ach fellow will also benefit from mentoring and take part in at least one public event towards the end of the year.
Supported by the Jerwood Foundation, applications close on October 15. More information and application forms on the New Writing North website.
Archaeologists return to world-famous Jarrow site
Excavations have re-started after a lull of decades at a Tyneside site which was one of Europe's most influential centres of learning and culture.
A series of excavations were carried out from the early 1960s and through the 1970s by Durham University’s Professor Rosemary Cramp at the 7th century site of St Paul’s Church and monastery at Jarrow.
Now digging has resumed in open land at Drewett’s Park adjacent to the site after investigations by Durham and Newcastle universities revealed evidence of buried structures.
Groundwork South and North Tyneside, the charity which operates Jarrow Hall, Anglo-Saxon Farm, Village and Bede Museum, has been awarded £249,188 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund for the community archaeological investigation.
Bursaries to offer creative support to young people in Sunderland
A fresh round of bursaries is being launched to help young people in Sunderland pursue their artistic passions.
Culture Start, the city-wide programme supporting children and young people from low-income households, is opening applications for the second phase of its Ignite Bursary Programme on September 16.
The scheme first launched in January, awarding £21,600 across successful applications from 46 young people aged 12–18, and up to 25 for those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Grants of £150, £300 or £500 were used for everything from art materials and digital software to workshops, specialist training and cultural trips. Some recipients even hired music studios or funded visits to college open days.
Crocodiles, Trockaderos and Train Wreckers - Newcastle Theatre Royal announces upcoming season
New brochures are being fanned out at the Theatre Royal, with a mix of family shows, dance, drama and big musicals on the way next year.
Highlights include The Enormous Crocodile (May 21–24), Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (May 26–27), My First Ballet: Cinderella (May 30–31), and Guys and Dolls (July 21–25).
Local playwright Ed Waugh brings The Cramlington Train Wreckers (July 12), while Barnum (August 11–15) and Mean Girls (January 18–30, 2027) promise plenty of bells, whistles and big numbers.
Tickets go on sale from the website later this month (general sale opens on September 25). Meanwhile we’ll be putting together a more detailed preview of the season in the coming days.
The rebirth of Redhills - home of The Pitman's Parliament
In a wide-ranging public consultation about the future of Redhills, many people referred to it as “Durham’s other cathedral” – although they were all people who understood its significance.
Play and Pasty back at Laurels
The monthly platform for pastry and new writing has been fired up again in Whitley Bay.
The Play and A Pasty Thursdays (on the first one of the month) kicked off again this week at Laurels Theatre on Whitley Road.
For just £5, lunchtime audiences get a drink, a pasty, and a live play reading - a baked in bargain if ever we heard one. Get it in your diary for next month.
Cragside piano goes (safely) under the hammer
A noteworthy item from a Northumberland historic house is being sold by the National Trust.
A satinwood boudoir grand piano by world-famous makers J. B. Blüthner of Leipzig has been consigned for sale on behalf of the Trust in Newcastle auctioneers Anderson & Garland’s Country House & Fine Interiors event on September 25.
The piano carries an estimate of £3,000 to £5,000 and has been previously housed and displayed at Cragside House after being gifted to the Trust in the 1980s.
New TV talent to be showcased on stage
Four North East screenwriters will put their work in front of an audience later this month, as part of a New Writing North event spotlighting aspiring TV talent at Newcastle’s Alphabetti Theatre.
On September 24, audiences will hear script-in-hand readings of the opening pages of a quartet of new TV pilots, followed by live feedback from a panel of industry producers and script executives.
Funded by Channel 4 Skills, it promises to be a rare chance to see the script development process in action, offering invaluable insight for both aspiring and experienced writers.
The evening will showcase work by Becky Glendenning-Laycock, Alex Oates, Lindsay Rodden and Hannah Walker. Their scripts will be discussed by producers from Quay Street Productions (After The Flood, Fool Me Once, The Red King), Lonesome Pine Productions (The Inheritance, The Feud) and Boudica Entertainment (Three Little Birds, Top Boy), offering an inside look at how television stories are shaped.
The event runs from 7-10pm. Tickets are £5 and available from the New Writing North website.
Another happy ending for writer’s sad (sad) story
North East playwright Sarah Bond has been nominated for a national award for her play Seagulls and Sad, Sad Stories.
Sarah, from Stanley, is shortlisted in the Best Writer category at the 2025 Stage Debut Awards, which recognise breakthrough talent in UK theatre. Her play premiered at Laurels in Whitley Bay at the end of last year, after being selected as the inaugural winner of the Richard Jenkinson Commission.
The Stage Debut Awards are regarded as one of the leading platforms for emerging theatre makers, with nominees this year drawn from productions staged at venues including London’s Almeida and National Theatre, as well as shows heading for Broadway.
The awards ceremony will take place on September 28 at central London venue, 8 Northumberland Avenue - that’s got to be a good omen for a North East nominee, yes?
Bargain Bob Olley sketch depicts the grit of Sunday League
The mega-money world of professional football has dominated the headlines with the saga of Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak.
But the other end of the footballing spectrum is celebrated by South Shields artist Bob Olley.
His portrayal of the world of local Sunday League football has been sold by Boldon Auction Galleries (for a bargain £15).
The pen and ink work is based on Bob’s own brief Sunday League appearances for South Shields firm Browns the Builders, where he worked as a painter and decorator before becoming a miner.
Bishop Auckland library at the heart of new cultural hub
Construction has officially begun on a new combined leisure centre and library in Bishop Auckland.
Durham County Council marked the start of building with a ground-breaking ceremony, celebrating what will be a landmark addition to the town. The project will bring together sport, wellbeing and culture under one roof.
At its heart will be a fully integrated library space, offering access not only to books but also to study facilities, digital resources and community activities.