Curated Culture 03.02.26
Our weekly round-up of recommendations from North East stages and cultural venues
Hello and welcome to this week’s Curated Culture – our regular and considered round-up of imminent and upcoming arts and culture performances, events and what have you from across the North East.
As ever, the following awaits as you scroll:
🗓️ Top Picks – featured listings coming up over the next fortnight
📌 Still Showing – highlights we’ve already flagged that you can still catch
📅 Now Booking – dates further ahead that are worth a diary nudge
🎁 Subscriber Prize Draw – this week, a pair of tickets to the evening show of Sunday for Sammy at the Utilita Arena Newcastle on February 15.
You’ll find details on how to enter at the end of the newsletter, but you’ve got until Sunday to get your hat in the ring… so make sure you soak up the rest of what’s on offer on your way.
We also wanted to add a quick thank you for the really lovely response to the first Cultured. On Sunday, which debuted at the weekend. Your messages, shares and encouragement genuinely mean a lot.
Sam (Wonfor) & Dave (Whetstone)
Professionally preoccupied with North East culture
You can like/follow/high five us on our socials, on Facebook, Instagram and Blue Sky
COMEDY: Zoe Explains it All (Work in progress)
Where: The Cumberland Arms, Byker
When: February 15
Bookings and info: tickettailor.com
Fresh(ish, it was October) from winning the Funny Women Stage Award Newcastle comedian Nicola Mantalios brings her much-loved alter ego Zoe back to familiar ground with a Work in Progress show at her Cumberland stomping ground.
A favourite on the North East circuit (anyone who has been to one of her quiz nights will testify) it was excellent to see Zoe - and her iconic husky fleece - getting a big slice of national recognition.
And it’s even more exciting to hear that her next show is in the works.
FILM: Blyth Festival of Film
Where: Various venues across the town
When: February 6 to March 21
Bookings and info: greatnorthumberland.co.uk
Over the next six weeks, the wonder of film is going to be popping up in cinemas and community venues across Blyth, thanks to the town’s Festival of Film.
The programme mixes classics and new releases, from short films and cult favourites to marathon screenings, musical films and themed nights.
Alongside ticketed events, there are free screenings and an affordable £1 & 1p half-term film club.
Highlights from the screening schedule include Becoming Victoria Wood (Feb 6-8); Lord of the Rings Marathon Day (Feb 8); Sideways (and wine tasting) on Feb 13; and a Valentine’s Day programme featuring Casablanca, Wuthering Heights, Brief Encounter and Romeo and Juliet.
As well as screenings, Market Pavilion - which is producing the festival - will also host exhibitions and creative activities.
MUSIC: Lynne Jackaman
Where: The Cluny, Newcastle
When: February 12, from 7.30pm
Bookings and info: thecluny.com
It’s more than five years since rock and soul queen Lynne Jackaman returned from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, armed with career-defining album One Shot.
And if 2026 is all about the future as far as the award-winning Londoner is concerned then this is a rare opportunity for fans to revisit that landmark solo release.
One of only four UK headline dates in February, this intimate show looks set to be remembered for all the right reasons. North East singer songwriter Dean Parker has just been added to the bill in the special guest slot!
CONCERT: Sitkovetsky Trio
Where: The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: Saturday, February 7, 7pm
Booking & Info: theglasshouseicm.org
Next on the Sage Two stage as part of the Newcastle International Chamber Music Series is a trio which has delighted audiences and critics around the world.
Its founder members, violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky and pianist Wu Qian, met at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey (the specialist music school founded by the celebrated violinist in 1963).
He was born in Moscow, she in Shanghai.
They are now united by marriage as well as music and are British citizens. Completing the trio is cellist Isang Enders (born in Frankfurt into a German-Koren family of musicians) who joined in 2019.
Their Gateshead concert will feature a selection of the Eight Pieces composed in 1909 by Max Bruch with his 25-year-old son, Max Felix Bruch, and described as “beautiful miniatures… filled with delicate harmonies and intimate significance”.
Also on the programme are the Piano Trio No. 2 in A minor by French composer Cécile Chaminade and Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 2 in C major.
Three more concerts remain in the 2025-26 chamber music series: by the Pixels Ensemble (March 7); the Eusebius Quartet (April 18); and the Marmen Quartet (May 23).
THEATRE: Bill and Teddy’s Amazing Adventure
Where: Live Theatre, Newcastle
When: February 13-14
Bookings and info: live.org.uk
Created by The Lawnmowers Independent Theatre Company - currently celebrating 40 years of making bold, inclusive theatre with artists with learning disabilities - this is a funny, feel-good story about backing yourself when the world says no.
Billy and Teddy are smashing their performance class, but a knock-back from a local arts college sends them on an unexpected mission through history. With the help of a mysterious time traveller, they meet remarkable figures and prove that talent comes in many forms.
Warm, playful and full of heart, expect a piece of joyful theatre with something to say.
FILM: Fantaisie
Where: Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
When: Friday, February 13, 6.45pm
Booking & Info: baltic.art
For adventurous film buffs who fancy a wander off the beaten track, the Baltic Cinema screenings in the centre’s Level 1 cinema are worth exploring.
The programme has five strands, including new films from around the world, films chosen by artists and partners, a monthly screening for families, and films rooted in the North East.
This first feature by French film-maker Isabel Pagliai had its UK premiere in November at the Institute of Contemporary Arts but this is believed to be the first screening outside London. It doesn’t yet have a UK distribution deal.
Fantaisie (certificate 18 and in French with English subtitles) focuses on a young woman called Louise, played by Louise Morel, although maybe ‘focus’ is the wrong word.
A review in The Guardian called it “reminiscent of a dark fairytale” and Louise as “a mirage of a character” whose “everyday existence unfurls over deceptively mundane episodes”.
Furthermore, its “melancholy mood” contrasts with its “thrillingly eclectic” visual style.
In an interview, while receiving an award for her film, the director said she had deployed fictional and documentary styles to “achieve a form of accuracy” in telling Louise’s story.
DANCE: Poppy – Eliot Smith Dance
Where: Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham (and touring)
When: Thursday, February 12, 7.30pm
Booking & Info: eliotsmithdance.com
Eliot Smith’s dance piece reflecting on war, conflict and sacrifice premiered in 2018 at The Glasshouse to mark 100 years since the Armistice brought the First World War to an end.
Last year he revisited the piece, giving it a Second World War context in time for a performance at Alnwick Playhouse on Remembrance Sunday.
The piece, he said, was “a reminder that actually we don’t seem to have learnt anything because war is still happening”.
That’s as true now as it was when Eliot’s thoughts first turned to a revival.
With a cast of five dancers, music by Adam Johnson and lighting design by Andy Hunt, Poppy is one of the pieces with which Eliot Smith Dance is celebrating its 15th birthday.
It follows Pitmen, another of the company’s successes which was similarly revived to renewed acclaim.
After the performance in Hexham, Poppy can be seen at Warkworth Memorial Hall (Feb 14), Newbiggin Maritime Centre (Feb 18), Gosforth Civic Theatre (Feb 19), Spennymoor Settlement Theatre (Feb 28) and – for any fans down south – Tunbridge Wells Trinity Theatre (March 7).
THEATRE: Matilda the Musical
Where: Sunderland Empire
When: February 11-28
Bookings and info: atgtickets.com
Small girl. Big brain. Excellent songs. Matilda The Musical arrives on Wearside next week as part of a UK tour marking 15 years since its debut on stage in Stratford upon Avon.
Based on Roald Dahl’s classic tale, the production is packed tight with Tim Minchin’s brilliant songs, Dennis Kelly’s razor-sharp book and Matthew Warchus’s inventive direction.
After its Royal Shakespeare Company premiere, the show has gone on to deservedly grace and own stages in 100 countries and spawn a hit film adaptation.
A high-energy celebration of imagination, mischief and standing up to grown-ups who really should know better, it’s a total joy.
EXHIBITION: Northumberland Open
Where: Woodhorn Museum
When: February 14 to May 10
Booking & Info: northeastmuseums.org.uk
Woodhorn’s popular annual open exhibition has broken records again, attracting 687 submissions from some 280 professional and amateur artists from across the region.
The largest North East exhibition of its kind, it makes for a brilliant trip out and a chance to view and buy art.
Among those chosen to review the submissions this year were Wendy Scott, cultural development manager at Northumberland County Council, award-winning artist Narbi Price, and Liz Ritson, programme and engagement manager for North East Museums.
Wendy said the exhibition “allows local talent to reach thousands of visitors and gain wider recognition for their creativity”.
Narbi, a panel regular, added: “It’s wonderful to see the Open grow year on year, and the record number of submissions reflects the skill and diversity of artists working across the North East.
“The standard is extremely high and makes the selection process a real challenge.”
Visitors can vote for their favourite artwork in the People’s Choice Award, the winner to be announced at the end of the exhibition.
North East Museums director Keith Merrin called the exhibition “a staple of Northumberland’s cultural calendar.”
COMEDY: Jason Cook
Where: Newcastle o2 City Hall
When: February 13
Bookings and info: academymusicgroup.com
When he’s not writing and developing shows for the telly from his desk at Schnoobert Productions in Newcastle, Jason Cook can usually be found at the helm of his monthly comedy club over at The Customs House, South Shields - or taking charge of the fantastic charity gala Laffs for Kids every December.
But this month, having finished helping his best pal Chris Ramsey put together his new tour show, Jason is about to enjoy a solo stand up date of his own at the City Hall.
Known for his sharp wit, unashamed silliness and hilarious storytelling, audiences can expect to have a very lovely and laughter-filled evening.
EXHIBITION: William Heard - Landscapes and Lullabies
Where: rePUBlic Gallery, Blyth
When: February 14 to March 21
Booking & Info: republicgallery.co.uk
Next up at Blyth’s pub (The King’s Head) turned café and art gallery is an exhibition by William Heard, an artist who grew up in and around Ellington on the Northumberland coast (his dad was a blacksmith at the colliery) and now lives in Whitley Bay.
We’ll let him introduce it…
“The work in this exhibition comes from a selection of old family photos, alongside paintings of landscapes, places close to my heart.
“Landscapes are a way we locate ourselves in places we have connections and attachments to. I often return to places that fascinate me, places I feel I have an affinity with.
“Lullabies are a way of creating and communicating about memories. We make our memories and our stories as much as our stories make us.
“It’s a constant process of remembering, telling and retelling, writing and rewriting, painting and creating images.”
There’s a preview on Friday, February 13 (6-8pm).
In the meantime, the current exhibition by Gillian Lee Smith can still be seen until February 7.
THEATRE: Mary Shelley
Where: People’s Theatre, Newcastle
When: February 10 to 14, 7.30pm
Booking & Info: peoplestheatre.co.uk
Of all the achievements in English literature, one that invariably draws a gasp is that Frankenstein (Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, to give the novel its full title) was written by a teenager.
Mary was actually 20 by the time it was published in 1818, although her name didn’t appear on the novel until the second edition in 1821.
It has spawned umpteen adaptations, not least the 2025 film version by Guillermo del Toro.
But Helen Edmundson’s play, premiered in 2012, deals not with the creation but with the creator – which is to say not Dr Frankenstein but Mary Shelley.
Born into an intellectual family – although her mother, feminist philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft, died shortly after giving birth to her, leaving her to be brought up by her philosopher father William Godwin – Mary eloped with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley at the age of 16.
This play, say the People’s, “pulls the celebrated novelist out of the shadows of her creation and into the spotlight where she belongs”.
Holly Stamp plays Mary in a production co-directed by Matthew Hope and Tracey Lucas.
STILL SHOWING
Talk/Screenings: Kendal Mountain Tour 2026, various North East venues, Feb 5-7
Theatre: Celebrating 100 Years of Laurel and Hardy - The Centenary Tour, Bishop Auckland Town Hall (Feb 7) and The Fire Station, Sunderland (Mar 10)
Music and Light: Litany for the Border, Berwick (various locations), Feb 7 to 22
Comedy: Sara Pascoe - I Am A Strange Gloop, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Feb 5 and Gala Theatre Durham on Mar 27
Ballet: Little Red Riding Hood, Northern Stage, Newcastle, Feb 7
Music: James Arthur - The Pisces World Tour, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Feb 6
Talk: Jenny Uglow – A Year with Gilbert White, Lit & Phil, Newcastle, Feb 4
Theatre: Fawlty Towers - The Play, Sunderland Empire, until Feb 7
Exhibition: Feeling Into The Unknown, Hartlepool Art Gallery, until Apr 18
Theatre: Inspector Morse: The House of Ghosts, Newcastle Theatre Royal, until Feb 7
Festival: Brundibár Arts Festival, Newcastle, various venues, until Feb 8
Screen: Doppelganger, BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, Feb 1, 9pm and then streaming
Screen: R.E.M. x Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr, Tyneside Cinema, Feb 5
Exhibition: Between Work and Play, Globe Gallery, 97 Howard Street, North Shields, until Feb 14
Exhibition Tours: The Light of Days Past, Granary Gallery, Berwick, Feb 7
Comedy: Sara Pascoe - I Am A Strange Gloop, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle; Gala Theatre Durham, Feb 5 and Mar 27, respectively
Event: Uncanny - Fear of the Dark, Darlington Hippodrome, Feb 8
Theatre: Matilda The Musical, Sunderland Empire, Feb 11-28
Music: The Friday Night Club With The Unthanks, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, Feb 13
Event: Sunday for Sammy, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Feb 15
Comedy: Chris Ramsey - Here Man, Stockton Globe and Newcastle 02 City Hall, Feb 26-27 and April 17-19, respectively
Theatre: The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle, Mar 5
Theatre: Hidden Biscuit, Queen’s Hall Hexham and Live Theatre, Newcastle, Mar 20 and Apr 2, respectively
Screen: Torvill and Dean - The Last Dance, streaming on ITVX,
Exhibition: Going Back Brockens, Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, until Jan 31 (10am to 5pm)
Exhibition: Desire Lines, MIMA, Middlesbrough, until Apr 12
Theatre: I, Daniel Blake, Northern Stage, Newcastle, Mar 20 to April 4
Theatre: Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Apr 6-11
Theatre: Sunny Afternoon, Stockton Globe, April 14-18
Screen: Jools Holland’s New Orleans Jukebox, BBC iPlayer
Radio: Tom and Lauren Are Going OOT!, BBC Sounds
Exhibition: Miniature Worlds - Little Landscapes from Thomas Bewick to Beatrix Potter, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, until Feb 28, 2026. Read our report.
Exhibition: For All At Last Return and first major UK exhibition by filmmaker and artist Saodat Ismailova, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, until Jun 7, 2026
Exhibition: The Light of Days Past, Granary Gallery, Berwick, until Feb 22, 2026
Exhibition: Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until March
Comedy: Cally Beaton - Namaste Mother F*ckers, Northern Stage (Feb 7); Alnwick Playhouse (Feb 17); Queen’s Hall, Hexham (Feb 19)
Exhibition: Works by Nathan Coley, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until Mar 1
Exhibition: Pippa Hale: Pet Project, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until Mar 1
NOW BOOKING
Theatre: Silence, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Feb 21
Theatre: Tom Gates, The Fire Station, Feb 24 (2 shows)
Music/Comedy/Theatre/Dance: Highlights Rural Touring Scheme, rural venues, across the North of England, Mar 6 to May 24
Festival: Tyne Valley Film Festival, across 22 community venues, Mar 13-27
Comedy: Matt Forde - Defying Gravity, Gala Theatre Durham, Mar 20
Comedy: Vittorio Angelone - You Can’t Say Nothing Anymore, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Mar 28
Music: Suzi Quatro, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Apr 8
Theatre: To Kill and Mockingbird, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Apr 21-25
Dance: Abundance, Queen’s Hall Arts, Hexham, Apr 22
Music: The Charlatans, Newcastle o2 City Hall, May 3
Theatre: Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, Darlington Hippodrome, May 7
Music: The Puppini Sisters, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, May 15
Music: Lily Allen, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Jun 16
Music: Nik Kershaw, Boiler Shop, Newcastle, Jul 10
Festival: Self Esteem headlining Mouth of the Tyne Festival, July 11. Tickets on sale on Feb 6 at 10am.
Music: The Proclaimers, Stockton Globe, Oct 24
2027
Theatre: Mean Girls, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Jan 18-30 (Also at Sunderland Empire Apr 6-11, 2026)
Theatre: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Sunderland Empire, Feb 9-13. Tickets go on sale February 6 (this Friday)
Comedy: John Bishop - Let’s Go Round Again, Utilita Arena Newcastle, May 6
COMPETITION TIME
Welcome to our latest newsletter prize draw - offering our subscribers an exclusive opportunity to win tickets to see or do something great.
Such was the response to our Sunday for Sammy prizedraw towards the end of last year - we asked organisers if they could find another pair of excellent tickets down the back of the sofa… and they’ve come up trumps.
So, this week, we’ve got another pair of tickets to the evening performance of the fundraising concert at the Utilita Arena Newcastle on February 15 at 7pm.
The event marks 25 years since Auf Wiedersehen, Pet colleagues, Tim Healy and Jimmy Nail assembled a group of talented pals together to raise money in the name of their dear friend and fellow actor Ronnie ‘Sammy’ Johnson who had tragically died suddenly at just 49.
A memorial gig at Newcastle City Hall in 2000 grew into a biennial North East institution raising substantial funds to support young people in the region’s performing arts.
Over the years, the concerts have featured Mark Knopfler, Brian Johnson, Jill and Chelsea Halfpenny, Kevin Whately, Brendan Healy, Denise Welch, John Miles, Charlie Hardwick, Chris and Rosie Ramsey, Kathryn Tickell, Joe McElderry, and many more – with guest appearances from Timothy Spall, Christopher Fairbank, Brenda Blethyn and Johnny Vegas.
Taking place at the Arena - where it last graced the stage in 2020 - the charity’s new patron, Tim’s son and frontman of international superstars, The 1975 Matty Healy broke with the usual protocol before Christmas, and revealed he would be performing at the event, which offers both matinee and evening performances.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: Sunday for Sammy for ME! by noon, (12pm) on Sunday, February 8, 2026.
The winner, who will be selected at random, will be notified within 48 hours of the entry deadline.
Terms and conditions: Only subscribers to the Cultured. North East newsletter are eligible to enter the Newsletter Prize Draw competition. Prizes are as stated - subject to availability - and non-transferable. No cash alternatives will be offered. You must be over 18 years of age to enter. The Editor’s decision is final.
Brilliant curation work here. The way thisbreaks down events by timeframe (Top Picks vs Still Showing vs Now Booking) is super practical for planning. I've been to a few smaller venues in the region and honestly the biggest barrrier is just knowing what's happening when. Structuring it like a navigable calendar rather than one long list makes such a difference.