Culture Digest 19.09.25
A round up of the arts and culture stories which caught our attention over the past week or so...
Take That book Circus return for Sunderland
Enduring pop-makers Take That are rolling back into Sunderland - complete with a full-scale revival of their bells and whistles Circus tour.
The nation’s favourite man-band have announced they’ll play the Stadium of Light on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.
Needless to say their North East fans are up a height at the prospect.
Review: Self Esteem at Newcastle 02 City Hall
Newcastle 02 City Hall was transformed into something close to a place of worship on Thursday night, as Rebecca Lucy Taylor - better known as Self Esteem - brought her A Complicated Woman tour to Tyneside for the second time in as many days.
After spending Wednesday on stage at The Glasshouse, she served up her captivating gospel of empowerment, humour and cathartic pop bangers to a couple of thousand disciples who’d packed the venue on the north side of the river to the rafters.
How suitcases found in an attic have moved people to tears
I confidently predict some sniffles, maybe some tears, during the first tour of Michael Heatley’s unmissable dance production, Suitcases.
Even during this week’s dress rehearsal at Dance City, it worked its magic. It’s a succession of catch-the-breath moments, a study of the human condition when things break down.
In its beauty and intimacy, expertly conveyed by a cast of six – four dancers, an actor and a singer - it will move anyone with a shred of empathy. There but for the grace of God…
The production belongs to Michael and his Hit the Ground Running Dance Theatre Company, which has a special interest in mental health, but the story of Suitcases goes back much further.
Hartlepool film studios set for £33.5m expansion
Plans to expand Hartlepool’s Northern Studios into a major production hub have been given the green light.
The £33.5m development will see derelict buildings surrounding the site brought back into use to form the new Screen Industries Production Village, offering a mix of pre and post-production facilities.
Culture chiefs hope the scheme will give a huge boost to the North East’s growing film and TV sector.
Planning agents said the project is expected to create 131 jobs and could be “operationally ready” by spring 2028. Construction is due to begin in the coming months, funded by government investment.
The expansion builds on Northern Studios’ role as the region’s only large-scale film and TV production facility, strengthening Hartlepool’s place in the UK’s screen industry.
All dolled up for the Stockton & Darlington bicentenary
An army of dolls has inspired thousands of individuals to join in the 200th anniversary celebrations of the opening of a North East railway which helped change the world.
Organisers of the Stockton & Darlington Bicentenary festival distributed 22,000 peg dolls which people could decorate or craft to represent their own most memorable rail journey.
The ploy has proved a big hit, with 15,000 dolls being returned from across the UK and abroad after being taken to other countries by North East rail enthusiasts.
The dolls and their stories will be digitised to create an archive for the future.
Billy and Bob saddle up for a new tour
There’s a moment, not long into our conversation, when Billy Mitchell leans back from his dining table and laughs, “We thought it was going to be a one-off.” Sitting beside him, Bob Fox joins in.
The two men - each a beloved veteran of North East music in his own right - have been saying this, in one form or another, for almost two decades.
Yet here they are again – taking a break from living room rehearsals to talk to me about gearing up for another run of shows together.
This autumn, they embark on From the Horse’s Mouth, a tour weaving songs and stories from across their sprawling careers. It’s a show that promises music from Billy’s long history with legendary folk rockers Lindisfarne and Jack the Lad; Bob’s early folk club and later War Horse years at the National Theatre and beyond (where he played Songman), and their joint venture as half of The Pitmen Poets.
Own a share of The Globe for £50
Music fans can now become joint owners of one of Newcastle’s most-loved grassroots venues. The Globe, already run as a cooperative, is inviting new members to buy in and help shape its future.
Shares start from £50, giving members a say in how the venue is run, as well as the chance to join volunteer teams supporting gigs, promotion, finance, bar work and more. Members can also stand for the board of directors.
Most importantly, every share supports The Globe as a community cultural asset. More details from the website.
Alan Ayckbourn classic has Sheridan - and Wearside - in mind
Sheridan Smith is heading to Sunderland next spring as she takes on the lead role in Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind.
The Olivier Award-winning actress will bring the critically acclaimed play to the Sunderland Empire from March 4-7 - one of only two venues the production will tour to following a three-month run in the West End.
Tickets go on sale at 11am today (September 18) from the Sunderland Empire website.
One of Ayckbourn’s most powerful works, Woman in Mind is a psychological comedy exploring identity, family, and mental escape.
Roll up for a 'theatrical treasure hunt'
In Blyth, according to Joe Hufton, there are stories aching to be told – and plenty of people prepared to help in the telling of them.
In the coming days, some of these stories will find an audience and perhaps help to change people’s perceptions of an aspirational town with a fascinating history.
Joe is artistic director of Alnwick-based Novo Theatre – formerly November Club – which was commissioned to create a theatre piece for Blyth Celebrates, the cultural springboard for an ambitious 10-year vision for the town.
The time between commissioning and delivery was tight, says Joe, or at least tighter than Novo Theatre was used to. But actually it came at a good time for the company.
“We’d identified Blyth as somewhere we were interested in working and where we hadn’t worked very much before, certainly not while I’ve been here.
“So the opportunity presented itself through Blyth Celebrates and we jumped at it.”
Community invited to join dance tribute as POPPY premieres on Remembrance Sunday
A new dance work will premiere in Northumberland on Remembrance Sunday - and local people are being invited to take part.
Eliot Smith Dance (ESD) will unveil POPPY at Alnwick Playhouse on November 9, 2025, exploring themes of war, conflict and remembrance through contemporary movement.
Alongside the professional performance, a special community project - Sea of Red Dancers - will see adults from across the region join together in a 15-minute piece.
Inspired by John McCrae’s poetry and the symbolism of the poppy, the project pays tribute to those who have served or are serving in the armed forces, as well as their families and communities.
Participation is free and open to all adults, with a special welcome for veterans, serving personnel and military families. No dance experience is required.
Rehearsals take place at Woodhorn Museum, Ashington, on October 19 and October 26, with the community performance scheduled for November 1 at noon.
Registration closes on October 12. Details from the website
Forged in the North: Fiona Hill on roots, resilience and success
For decades Dr Fiona Hill has advised US Presidents, the UK government, and the US National Security Council. Widely regarded as one of the world’s top experts on Russia and Vladimir Putin, she is also Chancellor of Durham University and a defence adviser to the UK’s Labour government.
Yet when asked about the real secret to success, the 59-year-old points not to Washington or Westminster, but to her own roots in the North East.
Born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, the daughter of a coal miner and a midwife, Fiona credits her upbringing for shaping her values and ambitions. This autumn she turns that insight into a podcast series, Forged in the North, which launches at Durham Book Festival in October.
Screen industry skills boost for the North
More than 6,000 people across the North of England have benefitted from Screen Alliance North’s training and events in just their second year of activity, according to new figures released by the partnership.
New book spotlights half a century of digging at Vindolanda
By the end of the month (September), the latest in a 50-year series of annual digs at a Northumberland Roman fort will finish and add to the tens of thousands of finds from the site.
The current Vindolanda database holds 40,476 objects, but that figure doesn’t include the fort’s famous writing tablets, pottery, animal bone and textiles, which have survived in the exceptional preservation conditions at the fort.
A succession of timber and stone buildings and structures were layered across the site during its 300 years of occupation, effectively sealing the remains and preventing them from vanishing through decay and disturbance.
These include around 7,000 shoes, and the leather and wood collection at Vindolanda is among the best in the Roman Empire.
The excavations at Vindolanda have revealed some of the most precious and unique artefacts in Roman history.
Rude Health Festival returns
Cambois is gearing up for the return of Rude Health Festival, a two-month celebration of radical performance, dance, film and community art. Running from October 3 to December 5, 2025 at Cambois Miners Welfare, the festival promises bold and ambitious work in the heart of south east Northumberland.
This year’s line-up includes choreographer Liz Aggiss, acclaimed playwright Alistair McDowall, Bolivian-British dance artist Yuvel Soria, and local favourite Alex Oates.
Kicking things off is AJAYU Transitorio (Oct 3), a colourful Day of the Dead-inspired performance complete with live percussion and a communal meal. Other highlights include Hexed! (Nov 15), exploring women’s experiences in the North East, and Aggiss’ fierce solo comeback Crone Alone (Nov 29).
There’s plenty for families too, with Unfolding Theatre’s Here Be Dragons (Oct 4) inviting audiences on a magical journey across the North East. Community exhibitions, local collaborations and school projects round out the programme.
“We’re proving you don’t have to go to London or Edinburgh for world-class work,” said joint artistic director, Alex Oates.
Full details and tickets from thetute.uk
Tanfield celebrates forgotten diesel pioneers
While the spotlight is on the 200th anniversary of the opening of the North East’s steam locomotive railway which changed the world, the region’s role as a leader in the early development of diesel and electric engines will also be celebrated.
The bicentenary of the Stockton and Darlington railway, opened on September 27 1825, will be the centre of attention.
But a century later Armstrong Whitworth’s Scotswood works in Newcastle was exploring the potential of diesel-electric rail vehicles.
This weekend (Sept 20 and 21) Tanfield Railway, located between Gateshead and County Durham will stage the ‘Diesel Pioneers’ event.