Hello and welcome to Cultured. On Sunday.
We’ve got a busy weekend edition this week, starting with news of an international film festival premiere for North East production company Candle & Bell.
David Whetstone looks ahead to a very special performance at The Glasshouse, where more than 300 amateur musicians and singers will join Royal Northern Sinfonia for Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius.
There’s new music from Maxïmo Park frontman Paul Smith, and news of Woodhill, a powerful theatre production coming to ARC Stockton which draws on the experiences of families who have lost loved ones to suicide in prison.
Tony Henderson has been finding out why researchers at Durham University think we should reconsider our attitudes towards eating insects.
Elsewhere, Collected Books has a suitably spooky recommendation for your autumn bookshelf, while Sunday Plate has news of chef David Coulson bringing his gourmet pies to North Shields’ new independent indoor market.
And in Get Stuck In, we’re heading to Jesmond Library, where an artist is showing how nature can be used to create beautiful plaster casts.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
North East production company celebrates international film premiere
Gateshead-based production company Candle & Bell is preparing for an international premiere after its latest film, The Date, was selected for the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
It will receive its world premiere on November 7 as part of Taming Time, a new festival strand showcasing unconventional approaches to the moving image.
Starring Jazmín Falak, the film follows Jazmín, a Spanish single mother living in London, as she prepares nervously for her first date in years.
What begins with anticipation gradually gives way to disappointment in a near-silent exploration of loneliness, heartbreak and the need for human connection.
The film was directed by London-based filmmaker Alex Barrett, who co-wrote the screenplay with Áine O’Neill-Mason, and produced by Candle & Bell’s Maria Caruana Galizia alongside Oscar-winning producer Julie Foy.
North East talents unite on Paul Smith's new single
Maxïmo Park frontman Paul Smith has shared some new solo music this weekend, releasing a single called Lay Your Head Down.
Described by Paul as “a pleading lullaby, for anyone who needs some peace of mind”, the track features backing vocals from Newcastle-based singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams and was co-produced by Paul and Field Music’s David Brewis.
Perfect Sunday listening.
Elgar choral masterpiece to unite amateurs and pros
Ever wondered what it must be like to perform on the big stage at The Glasshouse alongside professional musicians of great renown?
Many will be finding out in a few days’ time when they join Royal Northern Sinfonia and opera stars Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Roderick Williams (baritone) and Benjamin Hulett (tenor) for a special performance of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius.
This is the third Share the Stage performance and will be the biggest musical gathering in Sage One since it reopened in September after a nearly £4 million upgrade.
Prison crisis brought to the stage at ARC Stockton
The stories of three families who lost loved ones to suicide in prison will be told on stage at ARC Stockton this week as part of a national theatre tour calling for urgent reform of Britain’s prison system.
Woodhill, which comes to the venue on November 3 and 4, combines first-hand testimony with dance and physical theatre to examine the circumstances surrounding deaths at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes.
Written and directed by Matt Woodhead for campaign-led theatre company LUNG, the 80-minute production features actors voicing the words of bereaved relatives and others with experience of the prison system, accompanied by choreography from Alexzandra Sarmiento.
A bug in the food chain
New North East research highlights how insects have been part of human diets for thousands of years – and could be an important food source in the future.
The study by Professor Lisa-Marie Shillito from Durham University’s Department of Archaeology explores how evidence of insect consumption in the past could help change the way we think about food and sustainable diets today.
As the world looks for more sustainable ways to produce food, the research suggests that archaeology can offer valuable insights into the long history of eating insects and their potential role as an alternative source of protein.
Founded by Emma Hamlett, Collected Books is an independent bookshop in Durham, with two floors of books to browse as well as coffee, wine, and cake to enjoy. They specialise in writing by women but stock all genres of fiction and non-fiction as well as books for kids, YA titles, poetry, and classics.
Our recommendation is suitably spooky this week. A Ghostly Little Book is a collection of short stories from the prolific voices of Olga Ravn, Roddy Doyle, Eliza Clark, Tom Crewe and Helen Oyeyemi. These five writers all bring something different to this beautifully curated collection, each exploring haunting subjects in completely individual ways.
I don’t consider myself a horror reader, but I am a fan of Olga Ravn, so I had to give this collection a go!
These short stories are truly exceptional – within the pages of this little book there is something for every horror, spooky or spooky-adjacent reader. If you have enjoyed any of these authors’ works or are wanting to expand your horizons, this is the perfect short and satisfying read.
Whether it’s Olga Ravn with her horrifying precision, Eliza Clark’s visceral reckoning, Roddy Doyle’s moving, ghostly encounter, Tom Crewe’s twisted tale or Helen Oyeyemi’s devastating fable, there is a story for everyone, but equally, each story urges you onto the next until you have devoured them all.
Olga Ravn was always going to be a highlight of this collection for me (I am aware of my bias!) and I was not disappointed. The Brorfelde Massacre is a horrifying, pacy and ruminating story which follows a woman tasked with interviewing the survivor of a terrifying and deadly mass murder. A chilling, bloodthirsty read. I hope Ravn returns to short-story writing in the future – her vignette style perfectly lends itself to the format.
Shop (and regional) favourite Eliza Clark also features, with her knockout contribution The Featherweight. A young man makes contact with a deceased friend for an increasingly gory price – a body horror saturated with grief and mysticism, written with deep consideration and artistry.
If you are after some stories to scare and spook this Halloween weekend, look no further than A Ghostly Little Book to scratch that horror itch!
Peace of Pie comes to North Shields
Chef David Coulson is bringing his gourmet pies to a new indoor market at the Beacon Centre
From fine dining to hand-filled pies, chef David Coulson has found plenty of ways to put his stamp on British food.
Now the former MasterChef: The Professionals finalist is bringing Peace of Pie to North Shields, where it will become part of the new Common Ground indoor market.
The business dates back to the Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020 when David served gourmet hand-filled pies from the back door of his Newcastle restaurant, Peace and Loaf.
But pies were hardly unfamiliar territory. His chicken pie was among the dishes that impressed judges when he reached the final of MasterChef in 2010.
Peace of Pie takes that experience and applies it to one of Britain’s favourite comfort foods, combining traditional flavours with quality ingredients and the attention to detail associated with his restaurant cooking.
The new outlet will be found in Common Ground, an independent indoor market taking shape in the former Wilko premises at North Shields’ Beacon Centre.
The development will bring together food businesses, independent retailers, vintage traders, artists and makers, with its first phase scheduled to open in November.
Culture isn’t just something to watch from the sidelines. Get Stuck In is our new way of highlighting opportunities to get involved – from workshops and courses to clubs, classes and one-off events where you can learn something, make something or simply have a go.
This week: A lasting impression of nature
Discover how flowers and leaves can be transformed into works of art at two free demonstrations in Newcastle.
Newcastle artist Paula Smart is bringing a little bit of the natural world indoors this November via a duo of demonstrations at Jesmond Library showing how flowers and plants can be transformed into detailed plaster casts.
Working under the name Wild at Heart Art, Paula uses botanical casting to preserve the intricate shapes and textures of petals, stems and leaves. Much of her inspiration comes from her own garden and plants ethically gathered from places including Jesmond Dene.
The demonstrations are part of VAA OpenSpaces 2026, a Global Art Trail organised by the Visual Artist Association, which is turning everyday spaces including libraries, cafés and shops into places to encounter art throughout November.
Paula said: “Whether I am exhibiting at a gallery or at a craft fair, the questions I am most often asked are to do with my process, and so I thought I’d share the process as part of this Global Art Trail, which is all about getting art out into the community”.
Visitors can also explore an exhibition of her botanical casts at the library from November 3 to 28, with a chance to win one of the demonstration pieces in return for a small donation to the library.
The free demonstrations take place at Jesmond Library, St George’s Terrace, on Saturday, November 7 at 1.45pm and Tuesday, November 17 at 2.15pm. No booking required – just turn up, watch and get inspired!
Got something for Get Stuck In?
We’re looking for more ways our readers can get involved in culture across the North East. If you run workshops, courses, classes, clubs or one-off activities – or you’ve signed up for something you think other people should know about – we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch and tell us what we should be getting stuck into.
