Culture Digest 07.08.26
Our round up of arts and culture stories from across the North East which caught our attention this week
Othello to open in Newcastle ahead of UK tour
A new production of Shakepeare’s Othello, set in the early 1980s against the backdrop of the Falklands War, is to open in Newcastle in September ahead of a national tour.
It’s a Northern Stage co-production with HOME Manchester and Glasgow Citizens Theatre, in association with Royal & Derngate in Northampton.
It is to be directed by award-winning Anthony Almeida who is as well known in opera as in theatre circles, having won the European Opera Directing Prize in 2022.
According to the creative team, this “bold new production reframes Shakespeare’s Othello as a tragedy of assimilation, asking: ‘What do we become when belonging depends on performance?’ Read more
balletLORENT gives classic fairytale a twist
Newcastle-based dance company balletLORENT is venturing back into the land of fairytale with a new production due for an autumn premiere in the city.
Hansel & Gretel and the Witch, billed as a fresh take on a classic tale, follows the company’s previous hugely successful forays into this magical territory.
The story is another adaptation by former Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy whose words also featured in past productions of Rapunzel, Rumpelstiltskin and Snow White.
North East actress Gina McKee will provide narration and the creative team includes Murray Gold (music), Mayou Trikerioti (set), Malcom Rippeth (lighting) and Nasir Mazhar (costume).
Actor and comedian Ben Crompton is to be dramaturg, ensuring the narrative flows.
Robson Green’s Northumbria Mysteries shoots final scenes
Filming has wrapped on The Northumbria Mysteries, the new BBC drama from Newcastle-based Lonesome Pine Productions starring North East actor Robson Green.
Sharing the news on social media, Green described the production as: “One of the most Joyous filming experiences of my career. What a story what a team… A series for all the family set against the magical and jaw dropping backdrop of Northumberland.”
The final days of filming also saw a visit from the BBC’s new Director General, Matt Brittin, who toured the Holy Island set and met representatives from North East Screen, the BBC and Lonesome Pine Productions to discuss the broadcaster’s growing investment in the region’s screen sector.
The visit follows the BBC’s expanded commitment to developing production and creative talent in the North East as part of its Across the UK strategy.
EATFLIX serves up a sequel
Eatflix Cinema is expanding to Tynemouth as the North East-born 5D immersive movie experience looks to take its film-inspired dining concept to the coast
The second venue in unit 4 of the Grand Parade’s Palace buildings will give founders Joe and Ollie Brack the opportunity to create bigger and more ambitious experiences, with the brothers saying they want to build “something here that you’d normally expect to have to travel to London, America or elsewhere to experience.”
Eatflix’s first permanent venue opened on Chillingham Road, Heaton in 2025 following a string of successful pop-up events, bringing favourite movies to life through imaginative themed tasting menus served up at story-appropriate intervals during screenings.
Since then, film fans have flocked to experiences inspired by everything from Pulp Fiction, Scream, Hocus Pocus, The Goonies, Shrek, Mamma Mia! and Christmas’ Elf.
Special events for Halloween and Christmas are on sale from eatflixcinema.com and people are being advised to keep an eye on the Eatflix socials for updates on the new opening in Tynemouth.
Sunday for Sammy sketch competition returns in search of new North East comedy writing talent
Aspiring comedy writers from across the North East are being invited to put pen to paper as Sunday for Sammy revives its Sketch for Sammy competition in search of the region’s next sitcom talent.
Open to writers of all experience levels, the competition offers entrants the chance to see their work brought to life by professional actors in front of a live audience, with the winning sketch potentially going on to be performed before thousands at the next Sunday for Sammy Arena spectacular in 2028.
The competition will culminate in the Sketch for Sammy final at The Exchange 1856 in North Shields on October 18, where six shortlisted finalists will see their five-minute sketches professionally staged during an evening of comedy and music.
Students helping create gifts for Mercury Prize nominees
Newcastle College students are playing a part in this year’s Mercury Prize after joining a project to co-design bespoke gifts for nominees and VIP guests ahead of the prestigious awards ceremony in Newcastle.
Creative Heritage Studios CIC has been commissioned to produce the commemorative gifts and has been working with students from the college’s Mandela Collective through a series of collaborative workshops led by the organisation’s founder and director, Corinne Lewis-Ward.
The project has been designed to give young people real-world product design and manufacturing experience while celebrating Newcastle’s heritage and developing their creative and collaborative skills.
Creative Heritage Studios, which supports creativity and employability among neurodivergent young people, is delivering the initiative in partnership with Newcastle College Mandela Collective, Newcastle City Council, Creative Central NCL and Mercury Prize Limited.
More details about the gifts will be revealed in the run-up to the awards ceremony.
Newcastle romance bookshop reopens after opening weekend sell-out
Newcastle’s first bookshop dedicated entirely to romance fiction is reopening after an extraordinary launch weekend saw almost every title fly off the shelves.
Based on Heaton Road in Heaton, The Sinful Spine, which specialises in romance novels and champions independent authors, temporarily closed after owner Bella Welsh revealed around 95% of the shop’s stock had sold during its opening weekend.
Because many of its indie titles are printed on demand rather than held in warehouses, replacing stock took longer than a standard next-day delivery.
Announcing the reopening, the bookshop thanked customers for their patience, saying: “We genuinely never imagined we’d have to close our doors so soon because you’d buy almost everything!... We still can’t quite believe you sold us out on our very first day.”
The Sinful Spine has now reopened with replenished shelves, new titles and updated opening hours.
Crucial works ensure music plays on at The Glasshouse
Most of the stories you’ll read here about The Glasshouse concern the music but this one dances to a rather different tune.
It’s about the capital works programme which is the reason the big concert hall, Sage One, is currently out of bounds and couldn’t be used this year for the BBC Proms.
Some £4 million is being invested in the building which opened in December 2004, a disconcerting blink for some of us but more than a lifetime ago for others.
The current operation involved the removal of the building’s chiller units by crane – and if you thought a chiller was something to do with an interval glass of wine, then think bigger.
These monster machines, plucked from their lairs and whisked skywards in an intricate but impressively smooth operation, are to do with the air conditioning.
They are to be replaced as part of a wider programme of improvements described as the most significant in the life of Gateshead’s famous venue designed by Foster and Partners. Read more
Felt Nowt launches Fringe comedy awards for North East performers
North East comedy collective Felt Nowt has announced a new set of awards celebrating the best shows at its Edinburgh Fringe venue.
Sponsored by Hilarity Bites, The Nowties will recognise comedians performing at Felt Nowt’s month-long Fringe takeover at The Alchemist’s Garrett Room, with the Best Show winner receiving £400, a trophy and a tour of at least six North East venues. A second award, One to Watch, will celebrate the best emerging act on the collective’s Long Live Comedy mixed-bill nights.
Winners will be chosen by a 17-strong judging panel made up of comedians, industry figures and comedy fans, with results announced at Felt Nowt’s sixth birthday celebrations in Newcastle in early September.
Stellar programme for dark skies festival
A train ride to the stars features in a newly released programme of almost 30 events in the 10th North Pennines Stargazing Festival.
Running from October 16 to November 1, the programme includes astronomy evenings, astrophotography workshops, stargazing suppers and a star camp, alongside more unusual experiences such as a Weardale Railway journey to a remote stargazing spot and an underground lantern-lit tour of Nenthead Mines.
Organised by the North Pennines National Landscape and partner organisations, the festival offers expert-led events for all ages, with advance booking required.
How Blyth got a boost from embracing culture
Blyth Celebrates, the programme of events, festivals, performances and cultural activities that was part of a wider regeneration initiative called Energising Blyth, attracted a total audience of some 90,000 during its inaugural year.
Funded by Northumberland County Council, it also helped to establish the town as one of the county’s emerging cultural destinations, according to those who monitor these things.
No wonder it’s coming back.
A new programme of “free and affordable events, performances, exhibitions and creative experiences” has been announced, running from this month until March next year. Read more
New Writing North seeks volunteers for Durham Book Festival
New Writing North is recruiting volunteers to help deliver this year’s Durham Book Festival and other literary events across the region.
The opportunity is open to adults living across the North East who are interested in books, events or gaining experience in the cultural sector. No previous volunteering experience is required, with successful applicants receiving training, a welcome pack and joining a volunteer pool for future events.
Volunteers must be available for training on September 29 and at least one half-day shift during Durham Book Festival (October 9-11). Travel expenses will be reimbursed and volunteers will receive free entry to festival events, subject to availability. More info here.
Foody art project reaches out to marginalised communities
Artist Sneha Solanki is to lead a project looking at the cultural heritage of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) communities in north Northumberland with a particular focus on food.
Her research, supported by the National Lottery Community Fund, is to be undertaken as part of a collaborative doctoral award between Newcastle University and The Maltings (Berwick) Trust.
James Lowther, the Trust’s head of visual arts, said he was delighted that the importance of the work had been recognised. Read more
Heritage funding for Derwent Valley
A heritage project which explores a valley’s industrial past and its return today to nature has been boosted by a £248,000 award.
The grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to community and environmental charity Groundwork NE & Cumbria goes to its Land of Oak & Iron project, which covers 177 sq kilometres of the historic Derwent Valley and surrounding areas.
The now tranquil valley between Gateshead and County Durham was a cradle of the Industrial Revolution, with a booming iron and steel industry that lasted from the 1690s until the 1980s.
Industry has left its mark on the landscape with the remains of forges and furnaces. It also shaped local communities, influencing traditions such as rapper dancing, and the writings of pitman poet Tommy Armstrong.
Nature has been reclaiming the valley, with its woodlands, riverbanks, grasslands, paths and trails supporting a wide range of species such as otters, kingfishers and red kites, which were reintroduced into the valley in 2004.
The award will help develop the history and heritage work at the Land of Oak & Iron heritage centre in Winlaton Mill in the Derwent Valley and two other linked visitor centres. Read more
A welcome boost for Tees Valley writers
Three writers have been chosen to be part of the Tees Valley development programme, one element of a £93,000 writing programme New Writing North is delivering on behalf of the Tees Valley Mayor and Combined Authority.
Emma Conally-Barklem, Irie McGurrin and Jo Newton will each receive a bursary of £1,000, mentoring and access to a series of industry masterclasses. Read more