Culture Digest 20.03.26
A weekly round up of some of the arts and culture stories from across the North East, which caught our attention
More millions take Writing Centre plan to exciting new chapter
Newcastle’s new Centre for Writing and Publishing has taken another stride from wish list to reality with significant investment from Northumbria University and the prospect of similar from the North East Combined Authority.
With £2.5 million investment in the project confirmed by the university and £2 million set for approval by North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, a steadfast supporter, the total raised stands at £10.5 million.
That’s enough to buy and redevelop the favoured location, the Grade II-listed Old Post Office on St Nicholas Street, opposite the cathedral, although this is still subject to agreement.
The bulk of the money came a while ago, a £5 million from the Government’s cultural development fund building on £1 million pledged by Newcastle City Council.
The plan, forged by New Writing North with Northumbria University as a longtime partner, is for a hub in the region for the publishing industry, a place where writers, publishers, academics and the public can share a love of words under one roof.
The intention is for it to house the university’s courses in English, creative writing and publishing along with facilities including an audiobook production studio, a café, an independent bookshop and event spaces.
Boost to Rothbury Estate campaign but still work to do
Celebrations are in order as the half way stage has been reached in the campaign to secure the 3,800-hectare Rothbury Estate in Northumberland for nature - but urgency remains.
A £5 million award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) takes the total raised so far to £16 million, making the £30 million cost of purchase seem more achievable.
The award was welcomed as “a major boost” by The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust which are leading on what they hope will become one of the most ambitious nature recovery projects in the country.
Following the successful purchase of the estate in 2024, including the Simonside Hills, much loved by walkers, the fundraising has gone well, they say.
The appeal has been supported by individuals and organisations not just in the North East but across the country and overseas, with Sir David Attenborough and Northumbrian polar explorer Conrad Dickinson backing it.
But there is urgent fundraising still to be done.
Tourism tally reveals North East visitor picture
The ups and downs of visitor figures for the North East’s leading attractions are revealed in a national countdown covering 2025.
The league table of a total of 412 locations comes from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA). The total number of visits to 409 ALVA sites in 2025 was 165 million, which was a 2% increase on the previous year.
The highest placed attraction in the region at 46th in the table is Beamish Museum, with 815,075 visitors last year – down by 3% on 2024, followed by Durham Cathedral at 118th with 397,249 in 2025, a rise of 1% on the previous year.
Toby Jones cast in work premiered on Tyneside a century ago
That much loved actor Toby Jones will be heading to the North East this weekend (Saturday) for two notable performances at The Glasshouse in Gateshead.
He is to be the narrator in a production of The Soldier’s Tale, by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, directed by Live Theatre artistic director Jack McNamara in close collaboration with movement specialist Roberta Jean.
Not only is it a rare – possibly a first – partnership venture by The Glasshouse and Live Theatre, but the piece, first performed in Switzerland in 1918, was given its premiere in this country by the People’s Theatre, in Newcastle, 100 years ago.
North East tourism winners announced
More than 450 people from across the region’s tourism and hospitality sector gathered at Newcastle Civic Centre this week for the Destination North East England Tourism Awards.
Now in its 24th year, the event highlights the businesses, venues and individuals shaping the North East’s growing visitor economy. Winners were selected from hundreds of entries, with judges carrying out detailed assessments and mystery visits.
Among those celebrating were Northumberland’s Warksburn Old Church, which picked up two Gold awards, and Newcastle’s Life Science Centre, recognised for both accessibility and its scale as a visitor attraction. In Bishop Auckland, large-scale outdoor show Kynren was honoured for both its volunteer army and its popularity with audiences.
Food and drink was also in the spotlight, with Newcastle’s Blackfriars recognised for both its restaurant and cookery school offer.
Alongside business awards, the ceremony also celebrated individual contributions. Wendy Smith of The Glasshouse International Centre for Music received the Unsung Hero Award, while John Marshall was recognised for his long-standing impact on tourism in the region.
Gold winners will now go on to represent the region at the national VisitEngland Awards in June. For a full list of winners, visit the Destination North East England website.
Tish Murtha book announced ahead of Baltic show
A major new publication celebrating the work of Newcastle documentary photographer Tish Murtha has been announced ahead of a landmark summer exhibition at Baltic in Gateshead.
Vandalism on a Grand Scale, a 226-page hardback book published by British Culture Archive in collaboration with the Tish Murtha Archive, brings Murtha’s seminal Youth Unemployment series back into print in a redesigned format, with new texts by Ella Murtha and Jen Corcoran.
Tish died in 2013, aged 56, and her reputation has grown steadily since, largely due to the efforts of her daughter Ella, who has protected her archive, but also because the art world has come to recognise her importance as a naturally gifted documentary photographer.
The book is available to pre-order online now, before becoming exclusive to Baltic Shop and the publisher.
The exhibition, Tish Murtha & Kuba Ryniewicz, on Baltic’s Level 3 will run from July 4 until April 4, 2027, and feature Tish’s photographs along with a newly commissioned body of work by Newcastle-based Kuba Ryniewicz
Newcastle…. Ready!
Gladiators Live will return to the Utilita Arena later this year as part of a major UK tour.
The announcement follows a sell-out 2025 run that saw 200,000 fans come out to see the various high-octane battles on display.
Favourites from the BBC revival of the show will be present, correct and ready for all manner of challenges as they compete to take part in the Eliminator finale.
They’ll be in Newcastle on November 21 and 22. Tickets will go on sale on March 27.
Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art on move again
Welcome news came this week of a new home for the Northern Gallery of Contemporary Art (NGCA), currently housed on the lower floor of Sunderland’s National Glass Centre which is scheduled to close in July.
The gallery is to relocate across the River Wear to Culture House Sunderland, on Keel Square, a £27m facility which is due to open this year and will also accommodate the city library.
It will be on the second floor of the new building, in what the University of Sunderland, which owns the National Glass Centre, calls “a dynamic new space” within “a flexible, creative hub that will firmly embed the university at the heart of the city’s cultural life”.
Medieval artwork uncovered at Durham Castle
A hidden section of 700-year-old wall painting has been uncovered by archaeologists at one of the North East’s most prominent castles – giving clues to its illustrious past.
Revealed during renovations at Durham Castle, in Durham City, the decorative artwork is thought to date from the late 13th to early 14th centuries.
Covered by later plasterwork and then 1950s wall panelling, the painting is made up of an outlined masonry pattern with a central flower and stem motif.
Experts from Durham University’s Departments of Archaeology and History and the flagship Heritage 360 programme worked on the find.
They say such decoration confirms that this part of the castle, known since the 19th century as the Senate Suite, was a high-status area in the medieval period.
The team will now carry out further research to see what the painting could tell about the history of Durham Castle, which was once the seat of the powerful Prince Bishops of Durham.
Short film showcase
A new quarterly film night celebrating North East filmmaking is launching at Tyneside Cinema next week (March 24).
4×4 at The Tyneside will showcase four short films, four times a year, spotlighting emerging and established regional talent across drama, documentary, animation and experimental work.
Each screening will be followed by a discussion with industry professionals, offering audiences insight into the creative process while supporting filmmakers to connect and develop.
The inaugural programme features Jammy by Lainya Craig, Temperance by Paul Anderson, Giants by Andy Berriman and Tusky by Steven Boyle.
Together, the films explore themes ranging from justice and identity to memory and delusion, highlighting the depth and diversity of storytelling emerging from the region’s screen sector.
Tickets are £5 and available from the website.
Assembly Rooms partner with production company for new cultural programme
A new cultural venue set to open inside Newcastle’s historic Assembly Rooms has been announced as part of wider plans marking the site’s 250th anniversary.
The Dickens Suite, launching in autumn 2026, will host a programme of theatre, film, talks and comedy, alongside new rehearsal spaces aimed at supporting creative activity in the city.
The plans are being delivered through a new partnership between the Assembly Rooms team and production company Niltoni, led by executive producer and artistic director Craig Wilde, aimed at bringing together the venue’s events heritage with an expanded cultural offer.
More details via the website.
Exhibition amplifies youth voices on knife crime
Artwork created by young people from across the Tees Valley is on display at ARC, Stockton as part of a project aimed at tackling knife crime.
On The Edge brings together drawings and illustrations developed through workshops in areas identified as violent hotspots, encouraging participants to explore the real-life impact of knife crime on communities.
Funded by Thirteen Group and the Cleveland Unit for the Reduction of Violence (CURV), the project centres youth voices and promotes safer choices.
Matt Storey, Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner said: “Projects like On The Edge show how powerful creativity can be in helping young people understand the dangers of knife crime.” The exhibition runs until March 27.
Still time to vote for Sycamore Gap artwork
You’ve still got a week to cast your vote to help select the artist who will create a new public artwork from the wood saved after the illegal felling of the Sycamore Gap tree in 2023.
The choice will be made from six shortlisted proposals - one of which is from the North East - each offering a different vision for how the tree’s story, symbolism and memory can live on for future generations.
It follows Trees of Hope, where communities around the UK were invited to apply for one of the 49 saplings grown from seeds rescued from the original tree (and which have now been planted across the UK).
The winning proposal will form a major nationwide commission to honour what the Sycamore Gap tree meant to so many, while inspiring deeper connections between people and nature.