Culture Digest 14.08.26
Our round up of the arts and culture stories which caught our attention this week
Tales, talks and a Pet Shop Boy on Book Fest agenda
Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys is one of the headline names at this year’s Durham Book Festival, along with Christopher Eccleston, Susanna Clarke, James Marriott, Lucy Foley, Hollie McNish and Louise Doughty.
Tickets are on sale for the festival taking place over the weekend of October 9 to 11 with most events at Gala Durham.
Founded in 1990, the event is produced by New Writing North for Durham County Council – with additional support from Durham University and Arts Council England - and brings some of the country’s leading writers, thinkers, performers and broadcasters to the city.
And, of course, musicians… although Tyneside-born Neil Tennant had a successful career in publishing and journalism before Pet Shops Boys took off in the mid-1980s.
He will join Fiona Hill, chancellor of Durham University and former US presidential adviser, in an exclusive talk as part of the series Forged in the North, exploring in this case how a North East upbringing helped to shape one of Britain’s most influential songwriters. Read more
Mighty mural signals exciting times ahead
“I challenge anyone to walk by that and not feel inspired,” declares Deni Chambers.
The ‘that’ to which she alludes is the towering gable end mural just created in a corner of Newcastle which might be off the beaten track for many but is soon to be seen daily by thousands of students.
Some of these (mostly) young people will be making their way to and from Newcastle College a little further up the hill; others will in the area for their sessions at nearby LMA Newcastle, of which Deni, appointed in March, is the Newcastle principal.
This new creative university is LMA number three. The first opened in Liverpool 17 years ago (the initials stand for Liverpool Media Academy), London acquired the second seven years ago and Newcastle will throw open its doors in September.
Finishing touches are still being applied inside the brick building on St James’ Boulevard which was formerly PureGym, although the signage is already in place (Deni delightedly points out how the brand colours are echoed in the massive artwork nearby).
Here, next month, the very first student cohort – 75-strong, maybe a little larger since a few places are still available – will be arriving to embark on six degree courses which sound both physically and mentally taxing.
Southpaw seeks Sunderland residents for Culture House spectacular
Sunderland dance and performance company Southpaw is looking for 80 people to help celebrate the opening of Culture House with an ambitious new immersive production.
HOME will see participants perform alongside Southpaw’s professional dancers, appearing live on the building, in its windows and within digital scenes combining performance, visuals and storytelling about Sunderland.
No previous performance experience is necessary, with participants aged 16 and over from Sunderland and the surrounding area invited to get involved.
Southpaw artistic director Robby Graham said: “Participants don’t have to be professional performers, they simply need curiosity, commitment and a willingness to be part of something very special. It will tell a story of who we are, where we’ve come from and what we might become.”
The Sheepfolds Stables-based company has previously involved hundreds of North East residents in large-scale performances combining dance, projections, aerial work and digital technology.
HOME will form part of Culture House Sunderland’s opening celebrations in September. More information and sign up details here.
Middlesbrough City of Culture hopes move a step closer
Middlesbrough has submitted its bid to become UK City of Culture 2029 as the competition moves towards its next stage.
The town is one of nine places longlisted for the title, alongside Blackpool, Inverness-Highland, Ipswich, Milton Keynes, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Swindon and Wrexham.
Judges will now select three finalists before a winner is announced later this year.
Middlesbrough’s bid highlights its creative and cultural life, community diversity and growing digital sector. The town is also preparing to host the Turner Prize later this year.
For the first time, the UK City of Culture winner will receive £10m towards its year-long cultural programme.
Gina McKee to narrate balletLORENT’s new Hansel & Gretel
BAFTA-winning North East actor Gina McKee is lending her voice to balletLORENT’s latest fairytale production, which premieres in Newcastle this autumn.
The Peterlee-born actor will narrate Hansel & Gretel and the Witch, a playful reimagining featuring a new ending by Carol Ann Duffy, music by Doctor Who composer Murray Gold and costumes by Nasir Mazhar.
Its Northern Stage premiere from October 29 comes in a month when another production with a strong McKee connection arrives in the city.
A new stage adaptation of Our Friends in the North – the landmark BBC drama which made her a household name and earned her a BAFTA – is at Newcastle Theatre Royal from October 15-24.
McKee follows Joanna Lumley, Sarah Parish and Lindsay Duncan among the well-known voices to narrate balletLORENT’s fairytale productions.
Edinburgh Festival premiere for North East-made thriller short
A short film from North East writer/director, Mark Chapman will receive its world premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival this month.
Produced by Carley Armstrong of True Moon Pictures, A Woman of Good Abilities has been selected for the festival’s Competition Shorts programme.
The 15-minute contemporary thriller stars Vinette Robinson (Boiling Point) as Rachel, a nightshift worker whose fragile life begins to unravel after she is suspected of stealing from a delivery driver.
BAFTA-nominated James Nelson-Joyce (This City Is Ours, A Thousand Blows) also stars, with Censor director Prano Bailey-Bond among the film’s executive producers.
New comedy podcast mines the unknown for laughs
North East comics Jason Cook and Carl Hutchinson have dropped a teaser episode of a new podcast which will see them attempt to get their heads around some of the world’s more bizarre and mind-bending facts.
Things We Didn’t Know brings together Hebburn creator, award-winning writer and Comedy Club boss, Jason and stand-up favourite Carl for what promises to involve plenty of laughs, arguments and possibly even some learning (although the admit the latter seems unlikely).
Recorded live on stage the longtime pals are presented with questions ranging from how particle accelerators work to why pirates wore eye patches. Something for everyone. Teaser episode is available from favourite podcast purveyors.
North East actor scores a role in Ted Lasso
Teesside-born actor Faye Marsay has joined the squad of Ted Lasso for its fourth season.
The Loftus-born star plays foul-mouthed centre-back Lizzie as the hit Apple TV comedy switches its attention to a second-division women’s team at AFC Richmond.
It’s a fitting role for the 39-year-old, who played football for a girls’ team in Middlesbrough.
Her previous credits include Game of Thrones, Andor, Pride and Netflix hit Adolescence. The latest series of Ted Lasso is streaming now on Apple TV.
Live Theatre develops Frederick Douglass story at National Theatre
A creative team from Newcastle’s Live Theatre has spent the week at the National Theatre developing a new play about abolitionist Frederick Douglass and his connections to the city.
We Need the Storm, by actor and writer Kemi-Bo Jacobs, has been workshopped by a team including Jack McNamara, Omar Austin, Wambui Hardcastle, Anna Bolton, Lauren Waine and Micky Cochrane at the National Theatre’s New Work Department.
The development comes shortly after a blue plaque commemorating Douglass was unveiled in North Tyneside, recognising the influential American abolitionist’s connections with the area.
A new season and new faces at Dance City
Dance City has announced its autumn/winter season and also the appointment of a new senior member of its team.
Andrew Gardiner takes up the role of senior artist support and development manager this month, ahead of the arrival of newly appointed chief executive and creative director Jennifer Curry in September.
Andrew’s stated remit is to create more opportunities for independent dance artists in the North East, thereby helping to shape the future of dance across the region.
Known for his work as artistic director of Newcastle-based dance company Society of Strays, Andrew’s career spans dance, theatre, opera, film and large-scale public events.
A graduate of the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, he has built long-standing creative relationships with leading dance and theatre makers across the UK. Read more
Half a century on the right track
Fifty years ago saw the realisation of the dream of Frank Atkinson, founder of what is now the North East’s biggest visitor attraction.
In 1976, Rowley Station became the first relocated building to be opened at Beamish Museum by Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman, who also wrote a poem to commemorate the occasion.
Now Beamish is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the rebirth of Rowley Station, which stands near the museum’s 1900s Town, and is presented as a North Eastern Railway station during the Edwardian period.
Former Supreme Court president to launch Newcastle lifelong learning season
Baroness Hale, the first female President of the UK Supreme Court, will launch a new season of adult learning in Newcastle with a free public lecture.
Lady Hale will discuss her legal career and latest book, With the Law on Our Side: How the Law Works and How We Can Make it Work Better for Everyone, at Brunswick Methodist Church on September 22.
The event launches the 2026/27 programme from Explore Lifelong Learning, run by the Joseph Cowen Lifelong Learning Centre. Its three 10-week seasons offer adult education across the arts, humanities and sciences, with courses, lectures, study groups, walks and practical classes led by experienced tutors and experts.
Lady Hale said: “As a child of the North East (the real Richmond in North Yorkshire) I am delighted to be returning to Newcastle to celebrate Lifelong Learning – a cause which gets ever closer to my heart the older I get.”
The free lecture can also be watched via Zoom. Details here.
£30,000 boost for new Billingham festival production
Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance has received £30,000 from Arts Council England to create a new theatrical production exploring migration, heritage and the pursuit of a better life.
The Tapestry of Voices will combine international dance theatre, live music and storytelling, with performances at Ushaw: Historic House, Chapels & Gardens on November 28 and ARC Stockton on February 6.
The production will take audiences on a journey through defining moments in North East history, including the Stockton and Darlington Railway, Durham Miners’ Gala and Jarrow March, alongside stories of Windrush and Irish migration and celebrations including Diwali and Chinese New Year.
An accompanying Let’s Create programme will also bring visual art, storytelling and theatre workshops to Billingham, Durham, Middlesbrough and Stockton.
Ospreys soar to Kielder milestone
The 150th osprey youngster has fledged at Kielder, marking another milestone in the birds’ remarkable return to Northumberland.
Ospreys bred at Kielder in 2009 for the first time in more than 200 years, producing three chicks. Seventeen years later, the colony has now clocked up its 150th fledgling.
The landmark comes as Kielder Forest celebrates the centenary of its first plantings and follows more good news for the species, with a pair of ospreys breeding at Campfield Moss nature reserve in Cumbria for the first time since Victorian times and producing three youngsters.
Alex MacLennan, recreation and public affairs manager at Forestry England, said: “It’s a great achievement to reach 150 successfully fledged chicks since 2009.
“Their return each year to breed in Northumberland is a real calendar highlight. Even after so much success each year brings its own challenges in weather, predators and more so this is a very special milestone.”
A crowdfunder has been launched to support the Kielder colony, funding improvements to cameras and livestreaming equipment as well as new nesting platforms.