Culture Digest 10.04.26
Our round up of some of the arts and culture stories from across the North East, which caught our attention over the past week or so
Unprecedented demand sees Jimmy Nail add a fifth date at The Glasshouse
Jimmy Nail has added a fifth date at The Glasshouse in Gateshead after tickets for his Stories and Songs run sold out in record time.
What was originally announced as a one-off performance this autumn has quickly grown into something far bigger. The North East singer, actor and writer will now play five nights at the venue, marking an unprecedented run in its 21-year history.
The shows, which form part of Jimmy’s first national tour in 25 years, were initially expanded to four dates between October 11 and 13 following strong early demand.
Now a final fifth date has been added on November 3, which will bring the tour to a close on home turf.
Stories and Songs promises an intimate evening reflecting on a career that spans more than four decades on screen and stage, from Auf Wiedersehen, Pet and Spender to Crocodile Shoes, Evita on the big screen opposite Madonna and his chart-topping music career.
Casting announced for Live Theatre’s new ‘razor-sharp’ two-hander
Casting has been announced for Shelagh Stephenson’s eagerly awaited new play at Live Theatre in Newcastle.
In Astell & Woolf, which imagines a meeting in the afterlife between Newcastle feminist Mary Astell and novelist Virginia Woolf, Phillippa Wilson will play Astell opposite Tessa Parr’s Woolf.
Clearly they’re plum roles so their delight is understandable.
“I’m over the moon to be cast as Mary Astell in this wonderful, important, hilarious new play by Shelagh Stephenson, playing such as iconic, under-celebrated woman,” said Phillippa.
“Often the women in our history are forgotten and it’s great to see that the first feminist from Newcastle is finally being recognised in her own right and coming to life on the Live Theatre stage.”
Tessa, who was born in Otley, said: “Traynor’s direction paired with Stephenson’s writing is a match made in heaven. As an audience, what’s not to be excited about?”
That’s Karen Traynor, the North East actor and director, who is well placed to give a hint of what we might expect when the play opens on May 14.
Show your side of local life in new photo call
Newcastle’s Side Gallery has launched its latest MySide project, asking the public across the region to capture the colours of everyday life in a new open call with a theme of ‘Local Colour’.
The initiative encourages contributors to document the details that give their neighbourhood a sense of identity – from blooming front gardens and painted shopfronts to market stalls, murals and even the shifting light on familiar streets.
Organisers say the brief goes beyond bright visuals, focusing instead on the moods, textures and small moments that define a place. With spring underway, entries might include seasonal changes such as blossom and new growth, alongside year-round features like street life and community character.
The project is open to everyone, regardless of experience, with an emphasis on authentic, personal perspectives rooted in daily life across the North East.
In short, get snapping! Submissions can be made via the Side Gallery website.
Big flavours on the menu for Bishop Auckland Food Festival
Final preparations - or garnishes if you will - are underway for the return of the ever-popular Bishop Auckland Food Festival, with organisers promising a packed weekend of food, entertainment and family activities.
Taking place on April 18 and 19, the free event will once again welcome visitors from all over the North East and beyond - filling the town’s Market Place with more than 150 traders offering everything from street food and sweet treats to artisan produce from across the UK.
A major draw for visitors is always the Cookery Theatre, which regularly features a line-up of well-known TV chefs and food personalities.
Among those appearing across the 2026 weekend are Phil Vickery, Briony May Williams and 2025 Great British Bake Off finalist Aaron Mountford-Myles, with Chris Bavin hosting demonstrations and sharing tips with audiences.
Culture and history combine for strike anniversary
Tyneside is gearing up to mark the centenary of the General Strike.
The strike lasted from May 1-12 1926 when an estimated 1.7 million workers stopped work, especially in transport and heavy industry in support of 1.2 million locked-out miners in a dispute after pit owners announced their intention to reduce wages.
A two-day conference on May 7-8 will be held on the history of the General Strike at Newcastle University’s School of History, Classics, and Archaeology.
And on Monday May 4, a show titled Centenary will be staged at The Glasshouse Gateshead which will comprise songs, comedy sketches, stand-up comedy and recitations.
The producer of Centenary is South Shields playwright Ed Waugh who penned The Cramlington Train Wreckers, which tells the story of striking miners who inadvertently derailed the Flying Scotsman. The play transfers to Newcastle Theatre Royal in July.
Crowdfunding appeal to finish dark comedy short TANIA
A North East production company has launched a crowdfunding campaign to complete a new dark comedy short film starring Stephen Tompkinson.
Sea and Sky Pictures is seeking support to finish TANIA, a “funny, fragile and unmistakably British” film that has already been shot and now requires funding for post-production. The cast also includes Gavin Webster, Lori York and Lucia Rovardi.
The film follows Alan, a reserved man living in a quiet northern cul-de-sac whose life begins to unravel after he is told he has less than a month to live. His biggest concern is not his diagnosis, but hiding a secret: his wife, Tania, is entirely made of plastic.
Blending dark humour with pathos, the story explores themes of love, shame and control, as Alan attempts to quietly erase the truth before it is discovered.
Horden players present rare early version of Hamlet
If the theatre company Ensemble ’84 were to adopt a motto, it could hardly be ‘Don’t run before you can walk’, nor even ‘Don’t bite off more than you can chew’.
‘Throw caution to the wind’ might be more appropriate, or perhaps best of all, ‘Fortune favours the brave’.
The company set up by Mark Dornford-May and his supporters in the former pit village of Horden, County Durham, recruited local people with little or no acting experience and plunged right in with an exhilarating opening production of Mother Courage and her Children, which is not to be undertaken lightly.
That May 2025 premiere of the Brecht classic, in an adaptation by Lee Hall, went down a storm and was revived in the autumn at Live Theatre.
True, the cast was bolstered by the experienced actors of the South African Isango Ensemble, an earlier Dornford-May success story, but the locals followed up with their own show about their mining heritage.
Pits, People and Players, marking Horden’s 125th anniversary, was delivered with the same confidence and panache.
Now comes production number three – and it’s Hamlet, but not as most of us will know it.
Big Garden Birdwatch reveals regional bird trends
A total of 19,000 North East observers took part in this year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.
They were among the 650,000 people participating in the world’s largest garden wildlife survey, counting more than nine million birds of over 80 species during the observation period.
The survey provides a valuable annual snapshot of how the most common garden birds are faring.
Morpeth Gathering to blend history, music and dance
Architect Sir John Vanbrugh created grand houses Blenheim Palace, Castle Howard in Yorkshire and Seaton Delaval Hall in Northumberland.
He also squeezed in Morpeth Town Hall in 1714 for the Earl of Carlisle and, in the person of costumed actor Ray Alexander, will be the guest of honour at the town’s annual festival of music, dance, dialect, crafts, stories, heritage and family events.
The three-day 58th Morpeth Gathering will run from tonight (Friday) to Sunday (April 10-12) with a Vanbrugh theme marking the 300th anniversary of his death.
Vanbrugh’s colourful life saw him working as a trader in India for the East India Company, serving as an army officer, arrested on suspicion of spying in France and serving jail time in the Bastille, becoming a playwright and then a leading architect.
Artists and audiences asked to share their vision for Alphabetti
A Newcastle theatre is inviting audiences to help shape its future as it develops plans for a relaunch in 2027.
Alphabetti Theatre on St James Boulevard will host its first public ideas event, Storyboard, on April 15 from 6pm, gathering feedback as part of a wider period of transition for the venue.
After nearly 15 years as a hub for fringe performance, the theatre is looking to reimagine its role, with artistic director Edward Cole leading plans for change.
The drop-in session will invite audiences to share memories, ideas and opinions on what should evolve or remain, with interactive activities across the space.
Meanwhile there are still a whole host of shows to book in for between now and the beginning of June.
New CEO appointed at The Glasshouse
The Glasshouse International Centre for Music has appointed Fraser Anderson as chief executive with immediate effect, after six months in the interim role following Abigail Pogson’s departure to London’s Barbican Centre.
Fraser, who has worked at the organisation for more than six years, has played a key role in shaping its strategy and expanding its reach across the region.
Chair Andy Haldane said: “Fraser has demonstrated exceptional leadership during his time as Interim CEO. He combines a deep understanding of The Glasshouse with a clear vision for its future, and the panel was unanimous in its decision to appoint him permanently.”
Responding to the appointment, Fraser said: “It’s a privilege to be appointed Chief Executive of The Glasshouse. This is an organisation with a rare sense of shared purpose – artists, audiences and our brilliant team have created a place for music that combines creative excellence with a strong sense of community and belonging.
“The North East of England is a place of creativity, resilience and generosity.”
One million and counting at The Sill
A gateway to Northumberland National Park welcomes its one millionth visitor as it celebrates the 70th anniversary of its landscape designation.
Since opening in 2017, The Sill National Landscape Discovery Centre has transformed how people connect with the landscapes, nature, and cultural heritage of Northumberland and beyond, says the park authority.
Conceived through a pioneering partnership between Northumberland National Park Authority and YHA (England and Wales), The Sill was made possible via a £7.8 million Heritage Lottery Fund grant and the generosity of many donors.
Since opening, 51,000 people have participated in 1,500 events; 69,000 students have taken part in over 1,000 learning and schools programme events; over 112,000 people have had overnight stays in the 90-bed Youth Hostel, and the centre café has sold 295,000 hot drinks, 55,000 scones and 39,000 ice creams.
Raby Castle prepares to bloom with new display
A new large-scale floral installation will transform Raby Castle this spring as Castle in Bloom opens for the May Bank Holiday weekend. Running from May 2 to the end of August, the display will fill the historic interiors with nature-inspired designs, including work by florist Anna Potter.
Highlights will include a suspended ‘moon’ orb of grasses in the Entrance Hall and a five-foot floral ‘sun portal’ in the Baron’s Hall. Organisers say the installation will bring the outdoors inside, offering visitors “a sense of connection and awe for the natural world.”
Booking is open now from the website.