Culture Digest: 13.09.24
Culture Digest: 13.09.24
Our weekly round up of the arts and culture stories from across the North East which we think should be on your radar.
Northern Stage announces cast for A Christmas Carol
Michael Hodgson (Pitmen Painters, Get Carter, Romeo & Juliet @ RSC) will lead the cast for a new production of Dickens’ classic seasonal tale at Northern Stage this Christmas.
Directed by Natalie Ibu and adapted by Karen Louise Hebden, the festive show promises ‘festive magic, music, and merriment, with an international cast promising circus, illusion, spectacular ghosts for children and their grown-ups’
Michael will be joined by West End actor Gigi Noel-King; Taku Mutero (Drama Studio London); and Germany’s Malik Ibheis (Inside No. 9/BBC).
Natalie said: “I’ve been inspired by the most incredible team of collaborators from the North East and beyond to create some real magic on our epic festive stage. You can expect circus, illusion, spectacular ghosts, and a heartwarming tale as Scrooge discovers the true spirit of Christmas.”
Running from November 30 to January 4, 2025, tickets are now on sale from the Northern Stage website.
On the CNE website: Picking over packed programme for Newcastle park’s growing Festival
‘Shipyards’ lyrics-themed artwork set to be unveiled
The lyrics to The Lake Poets captivating song, Shipyards have been immortalised in a new steel artwork which will be installed in Roker Park, Sunderland this week.
Written by singer songwriter, Marty Longstaff as a tribute to his late grandad who worked in the yards all his life, the song became best known as the theme tune to Netflix series, Sunderland ‘til I Die.
The artwork was commissioned by Sunderland City Council and will serve as a backdrop for a new amphitheatre-style seating set up around the bandstand, which itself is part of the £1.6m transformation of Roker Park.
On the CNE website: Preview - Durham Book Festival
Dance company call out
Eliot Smith Dance are looking for women over 40 (no prior dance experience needed, although dancers are also welcome) to take part in the creation of the company’s new community dance work, Haway The Lasses.
Part of the re-staging of ESD’s work, PITMAN, Haway The Lasses will commemorate the involvement of women in the Miners’ Strike of 1984-5.
Deadline for applications is October 11. More information from the website.
WAVES Festival tickets on sale
Wearside singer Tom A. Smith, Miles Kane (Last Shadow Puppets) and Red Rum Club have been announced as the headliners for this year’s WAVES Festival, which will return to Sunderland city centre on November 16.
The all-day, multi-venue event will see local, national and international acts take to eight stages.
The Fire Station, Pop Recs and Independent are among the venues taking part.
More information here.
On the CNE website: Finding love, life and laughs in the Geordie apocalypse
Kick off for Gerry and Sewell rehearsals
The cast and creative team who will bring Gerry and Sewell to the stage at Newcastle Theatre Royal moved into the venue this week and got rehearsals started.
Bill Ward, Michelle Heaton and Erin Mullen have joined original cast members Dean Logan, Jack Robertson and Becky Clayburn to bring Jamie Eastlake’s adaptation of Jonathan Tulloch’s book, The Season Ticket to its biggest stage yet.
Tickets (the show tuns from October 2-5) from the Theatre Royal website.
Read David Whetstone’s feature here.
On the CNE website: Review - Love It If We Beat Them at Live Theatre
Kay Greyson album launch
An new album from North East Hip Hop artist, Kay Greyson will be launched at a special gig at Newcastle’s Hoochie Coochie on September 20.
Chekhov’s Gun will be celebrated with a live performance and DJ set from Ebenezer Good. Tickets from the website.
Comedy of the Week selection for North East company
A new BBC Radio 4 comedy written by and starring North East comics Lauren Pattison and Tom Machell - with guest appearances from Julian Clary and comedian Louise Young - is available to stream on BBC Sounds.
Produced by Candle and Bell, Tom and Lauren Are Going OOT was selected as the station’s Comedy of the Week. It follows the millennial misadventures of a Newcastle couple who are on a constant mission to leave the house on time.
Listen to all episodes here.
On the CNE website: Review - &Juliet at Sunderland Empire
Tyneside cinema date for best-selling author
Kate Atkinson will be discussing the latest novel in her Jackson Brodie series at Newcastle’s Tyneside Cinema on September 19 at 7pm.
The author will be in conversation with Simon Savidge about Death at the Sign of the Rook. Tickets from Waterstones events.
Exhibitions in County Durham challenge preconceptions
A duo of thought-provoking exhibitions have opened at Bishop Auckland Town Hall.
Art Cares is on show in the Main Gallery and consists of 29 artworks created by young people living in care.
Created by 23-year-old Hope Caitlin Simpson, Invisible Visible offers an ‘unflinching foray’ into the individual and collective experiences of those with disabilities in the workplace.
Both exhibitions will be open to the public until November 30. More info from the website.
On the CNE website: Saint Maud set to unsettle at Live Theatre
‘Scout Abouts’ set to showcase North East’s filmic charms
North East Screen are organising the next set of ‘Scout Abouts’ to introduce film and television location managers to the region.
Earlier in the year location scouts with credits including House of the Dragon, Bridgerton and No Time To Die toured iconic spots like Bamburgh Castle, the industrial landscapes of the Tees Valley and the Northumberland coast.
The next trips are scheduled for October and November and will hopefully see more decision makers selecting the North East to serve as the backdrop for upcoming big productions.
Award-winning sitar star North East-bound
Sitar virtuoso Jandeep Singh Degun has announced a UK tour which includes two dates in the North East.
He will perform at The Glasshouse, Gateshead, on October 4 in a co-presentation with GemArts and at Hartlepool Folk Festival on October 6.
Read more on the CNE website here.
Bunker crowdfunder
Community Interest Company, The Bunker in Sunderland has launched a crowdfunder to fix its roof and secure its future.
Established more than four decades ago, The Bunker regularly welcomes thousands of musicians of all abilities and ambitions through its doors.
More information on the website.
Glittering invitation from Raby Castle
After dark live music, dance and puppetry will be on the autumn menu at Raby Castle in County Durham from October as the attraction launches The Glittering North.
The region’s Norse and Viking heritage will be celebrated and illuminated via iconic figures from the past including Gullinburstin, a boar with bristles made from gold that light up the sky, and Sleipnir, a giant illuminated horse with eight legs.
The remodelled 18th century Walled Garden will be home to the ‘trail of the north’ full of illuminated photo opportunities, a glittering space dripping with gold, a giant illuminated fish in a new watery world and a recreation of the northern lights.
Tickets for dates throughout October and November are now on sale from the website.
Landscapes at The Laing
A wide-ranging survey of northern landscape painting is to be the next ticketed exhibition at Newcastle’s Laing Art Gallery.
That it’s not to be a chocolate boxy wallow is clear from the title, Romance to Realities: The Northern Landscapes and Shifting Identities.
Curated in partnership with The Fleming Collection of Scottish art, the exhibition will include works by pioneers of British landscape art such as John Knox, Alexander Nasmyth and John Martin along with more modern creations by Anne Redpath, LS Lowry and Joan Eardley.
Read more on the CNE website.