Curated Culture 03.03.26
Our weekly round up of recommendations from stages and cultural venues across the North East
Welcome to Curated Culture… your weekly wander through the North East’s theatres, galleries, gig rooms and other cultural points of interest.
A gentle scroll from here will lead you to:
🗓️ Top Picks – a newly assembled crowd of featured listings for the next couple of weeks
📌 Still Showing – earlier recommendations which remain available for enjoying
📅 Now Booking – further-ahead dates that merit a spot in the diary
🎁 Subscriber Prize Draw – your chance to bag a pair of tickets to see Alex James’ Britpop Classical at Newcastle o2 City Hall on March 18. Find out how to enter at the end of the newsletter.
Ooh, and you’ll also notice a selection of extra International Women’s Day events highlighted throughout ahead of the weekend.
As ever, thanks for reading, sharing and backing what we do.
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
CINEMA: Tyne Valley Film Festival
Where: Hexham and elsewhere
When: March 13 to 27
Bookings and info: tynevalleyfilmfestival.com
Hexham’s Forum Cinema presents the festival’s sixth edition, bringing together rural film clubs, cultural venues and community organisations for a screen wallow.
Imaginative programming ensures many gems are to be found among 39 screenings across 22 venues.
It begins on March 13 with a 30th anniversary screening of Brassed Off at the Forum (7pm) with Hexham Brass Band in attendance.
Next day (same venue, 12 noon) you can see Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves with a starring role for the famous sycamore.
A ticket for that also gets you into Hinter: An Apocalypse, Matthew Burdis’s new film shot using primarily infra-red and thermal cameras and recording a walk along part of Hadrian’s Wall just before the tree was felled in 2023.
Renowned South Shields animator Sheila Graber will be in discussion after a screening of some of her films, including Larn Yersel’ Geordie and My River Tyne, on March 22 (Forum Cinema, 5pm).
And how about Arsenic and Old Lace in St Andrew’s Cemetery chapel (March 23), Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet in Hexham Abbey (March 25) or Strangers on a Train at Haltwhistle Railway Station (March 26)?
📽️ A special screening of Run Kalyani at Tyneside Cinema on March 6, followed by a Q&A with writer and director Geetha J.
COMEDY: Jessica Fostekew - Iconic Breath
Where: The Stand Newcastle
When: March 10
Bookings and info: thestand.co.uk
Trying to be a better person is hard enough without the world fraying at the edges. In her latest show, Jessica Fostekew wonders whether she’s capable of the calm, ultra-evolved tolerance modern life seems to demand - or whether she’s destined to remain an emotional wildebeest.
Digging into instinct, anger and the fantasy of becoming a mythical new ‘coper’, the Edinburgh Best Show Award nominee and familiar face from Live at the Apollo, veers from cancellation to a dolphin-based epiphany. Sign us up!
🧺 All Women and Girls Market, Lime Street, Ouseburn, March 7-8, 10am-4pm
THEATRE: Glitch – The True Story of the Post Office Scandal
Where: Northern Stage, Newcastle
When: March 10 (7.30pm) and 11 (2.30pm, 7.30pm)
Bookings and info: northernstage.co.uk
The scandal rumbles on – some victims are still waiting to be properly compensated – but at least now everyone is alert to what happened, thanks partly to an ITV drama series but also to this stage production.
Writer Zannah Kearns based her play, billed as “an inspirational true story”, on the experiences of sub-postmistress Pam Stubbs and her colleagues, and worked on it with legal experts.
Pam, loved and respected within her community, suddenly found discrepancies in her accounts which she couldn’t explain. It’s a common story now but for a long time Pam felt alone.
The play commissioned by the University of Reading from Rabble Theatre, based in the town, is directed by Gareth Taylor and Gemma Colclough and has moved and angered many who have seen it.
“Your production was amazing,” said Seema Misra, a sub-postmistress who was wrongly imprisoned. “Thankyou so much for keeping the story alive.”
Toby Davies, co-founder of Rabble Theatre, said: “Pam refused to be intimidated and her story is one of immense courage, determination and inspiration that we are privileged to amplify.”
POETRY: Dr John Cooper Clarke with special guests
Where: ARC, Stockton
When: March 14
Bookings and info: arconline.co.uk
There aren’t many poets who can claim both cult-hero status and wedding playlist ubiquity, but John Cooper Clarke manages it.
Long dubbed the ‘Godfather of Punk Poetry’, his deadpan delivery and needle-sharp observations have travelled easily between literature, music and fashion, across five decades.
I Wanna Be Yours found a new generation via Arctic Monkeys, while his 2024 collection WHAT added more cement to his reputation.
He will be back in the region on November 4 at Playhouse Whitley Bay.
👒 Beamish Museum marks International Women’s Day (March 7-8, 2026) with a weekend of activity including a Suffragette rally, a “Peace Pilgrimage” march and performances from the Beamish Volunteer Choir
THEATRE: Our Little Hour
Where: Alnwick Playhouse
When: Wednesday, March 4, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: alnwickplayhouse.co.uk
The musical drama by Dougie Blaxland tells the story of Walter Tull who became the first black footballer to play at the highest level in this country.
He was born in Folkestone in 1888 to Daniel Tull, a carpenter from Barbados, and Alice (nee Palmer) from Kent, but was orphaned at an early age.
His paternal grandfather had been a slave.
Despite facing racial discrimination, he played for clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town.
During the First World War he became the first Northampton Town player to enlist and went on to become one of the first mixed-heritage infantry officers in a regular British Army regiment.
He fought on the Somme and was killed in action in March 1918, in the closing months of the war, during the First Battle of Bapaume. His body was never recovered.
Our Little Hour, commissioned by Show Racism The Red Card and produced in association with Live Wire Theatre, features 16 original songs.
It first toured to acclaim in 2024 and is now back on the road.
After the Alnwick performance, you can catch it at Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle, from Thursday, March 5 to Saturday, 7 (7.30pm each day with a 2.30pm matinee on the 7th).
COMEDY: Russell Howard - Don’t Tell The Algorithm
Where: Sunderland Empire
When: March 14
Bookings and info: atgtickets.com
After years of viral clips and arena-filling world tours, Russell Howard is back in theatres with a simple proposition: put the phones away and see what happens.
Audiences can expect the usual mix of sharp political skewering, wide-eyed incredulity and that undercutting warmth which has long set him apart and fuelled any number of side TV, digital and podcast projects.
It’s a reminder that however big the online numbers get, stand-up still works best in a room, together, laughing at the same thing
Russell will be back in the region for two shows at Newcastle o2 City Hall on March 28 (matinee and evening performances).
🎥 Iron Ladies film screening at Newcastle City Library, March 5, 5pm
CLASSICAL: John Wilson and Sinfonia of London
Where: The Glasshouse
When: Friday, March 13, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
The Gateshead-born conductor returns to his home patch with the orchestra he is taking to new heights.
As an Artistic Partner of the international centre for music, he is assured of a warm welcome but an attractive programme should raise the temperature still further.
The programme opens with Don Juan by Richard Strauss (premiered in 1889 when the composer was just 25) and will be followed by Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3.
Soloist in the latter will be the young French pianist Alexandre Kantorow whom Gramophone described as a “fire-breathing virtuoso with a poetic charm”. Who could resist?
But the evening builds to one of the most popular pieces of classical music ever composed on these shores – Elgar’s Enigma Variations.
The composer dedicated it to “my friends pictured within” so it’s full of musical clues as to their identity. The piece, with its famous Nimrod at its heart, has been loved by listeners since its premiere in London in 1899.
EVENT: Discovery Nights: Wonder Women
Where: Discovery Museum, Newcastle
When: March 6, 6pm to 9pm
Bookings and info: ticketsource.co.uk
Inspired by International Women’s Day, the latest edition of Discovery Nights: Wonder Women throws open the doors of Discovery Museum for an after-hours celebration of North East trailblazers.
Visitors can be among the first to see the newly acquired costume worn by Brenda Blethyn as TV’s Vera, with Ann Cleeves joining for a reading and Q&A.
There will also be bite-size talks on pioneering engineer Rachel Parsons and Dr Irene Ighodaro, live music from Kirsty Hall, proggy mat making, archive handling and a rousing set from the Bangshees.
📍 Votes for Women: The Power of Protest Walking Tour, Grey’s Monument, Newcastle, March 7, 11am
CELEBRATION: Holi Festival of Colours
Where: Baltic, Gateshead
When: Saturday, March 14, 12-4pm
Bookings and info: gemarts.org
GemArts presents (once again in partnership with Baltic) a colourful and action-packed afternoon to mark the Holi Festival of Colours, the Hindu celebration of spring, love and new life to which all are welcome whether of any faith or none.
It’s a Baltic takeover with a programme featuring music, dance, creative workshops and Indian food – and including (at 3pm) the traditional and spectacular colour throw (although throwing tickets are sold out and visitors are asked not to bring their own pigments).
A new attraction this year is to be the Holi on the Tyne stage on Baltic Square, putting world class South Asian performances at the heart of the festival.
Sandeep & Gaurav, from Spice FM, will set the tone along with DJ Shai Guy, followed throughout the afternoon by Dhol Buzz & Lezim Rhythm, Mi Marathi Dhol Tasha, the Madhura Godbole Bollywood Dance Group, the Bombay Baja Brass Band and Juggy D.
And to get in the mood, you can catch two of India’s most celebrated musicians – sitar virtuoso Ustad Shahid Parvez and bamboo flute maestro Shashank Subramanyam – in concert at The Glasshouse the evening before (Friday, March 13, 8pm).
📣 Rebel Women of Sunderland Talks, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, March 7, 1-3pm
EXHIBITION: Women Behind Bars: Life in Newcastle Prison, 1828-1925
Where: Newcastle Cathedral
When: March 4 (Launch event)
Bookings and info: newcastlecathedral.org.uk
Ahead of International Women’s Day, Newcastle Cathedral hosts the launch of a new exhibition uncovering the hidden histories of women in Newcastle Prison. Drawing on Newcastle Prison: A History 1828-1925 (Tyne Bridge Publishing, 2025), it brings into focus young girls, women shaped by poverty and addiction, and suffragettes who resisted the limits placed upon them.
The launch will feature short talks from the book’s four authors, poetry and folk music, and reflection on the touring ‘Story Chair’ created with women who have lived experience of the justice system. Ticketed on a Give As You Feel basis (suggested £5), with refreshments from the Oswin Project.
The exhibition will run from March 5 to April 27 and is free to enter. Read more about it here.
STILL SHOWING
Film: Blyth Festival of Film, Various venues across the town, until March 21
Theatre: Noughts and Crosses, Northern Stage, Newcastle, until Mar 7
Exhibition: Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until March
Art: Bright Lights Youth Arts Exhibition, Arts Centre Washington, until Mar 14
Exhibition: Voices for Truth Exhibition, City Library, Newcastle, until Apr 2
Theatre: TINA – The Tina Turner Musical, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Mar 4-18
Theatre: Woman in Mind, Sunderland Empire, Mar 4-7
Theatre: The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle, Mar 5
Classical: Prokofiev and Mendelssohn, Darlington Hippodrome, Mar 5
Event: Blyth Celebrates Festival of Energy, Blyth town centre, Mar 5-8
Classical: Samling in Masterclass, Marchmont House, Duns TD10 6YL, Mar 7, 2pm
Comedy: Tyne to Stand Up 4 - Keep Standing Up!, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Mar 8
Exhibition: Lady Kitt – Lines of Legitimacy, Hartlepool Art Gallery, Apr 18
Exhibition: Northumberland Open Exhibition, Woodhorn Museum, until May 10
Comedy: Sara Pascoe - I Am A Strange Gloop, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Gala Theatre Durham on Mar 27
Exhibition: Feeling Into The Unknown, Hartlepool Art Gallery, until Apr 18
Theatre: Celebrating 100 Years of Laurel and Hardy - The Centenary Tour, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Mar 10
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,
Theatre: I, Daniel Blake, Northern Stage, Newcastle, Mar 20 to April 4
Theatre: Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Apr 6-11
Exhibition: Desire Lines, MIMA, Middlesbrough, until Apr 12
Theatre: Sunny Afternoon, Stockton Globe, April 14-18
Comedy: Chris Ramsey - Here Man, Newcastle 02 City April 17-19
Screen: Jools Holland’s New Orleans Jukebox, BBC iPlayer
Radio: Tom and Lauren Are Going OOT!, BBC Sounds
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: Out of the Darkness, Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland, until December
NOW BOOKING
Exhibition: The Great Dinosaur Escape, Life Science Centre, Newcastle, Mar 28 to Sept 27. Included in admission.
Theatre: Hamlet (Royal Shakespeare Company), Newcastle Theatre Royal, Mar 31 to Apr 4
Music: Yungblud, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Apr 21
Theatre: Bus Stop Goths, Northern Stage, Newcastle, Apr 24
Theatre: The Choir of Man, Sunderland Empire, May 12-16
Theatre: Smack Family Robinson (reading), Live Theatre, Newcastle, Jun 19
Theatre: The Importance of Being Oscar, Darlington Hippodrome, Jul 14-16
Music: Frankie Archer, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, Sept 27
Comedy: Maisie Adam - Whatserface, Tyne Theatre, Newcastle, Sept 27; and Middlesbrough Town Hall, Oct 8
Music: African Soul Rebels feat. Les Amazones d’Afrique, Gasper Nali and support, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Oct 9
Music: The Undertones, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Oct 22
2027
Comedy: Jack Whitehall - Bad Influence, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Jan 7
Music: The Wizard of Oz in Concert, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Jan 31
Theatre: The Mousetrap, Sunderland Empire, Mar 22-27
Theatre: Paranormal Activity, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Apr 13-17
Theatre: The Most Famous Tree In The World, Live Theatre, Newcastle, May 6-29
COMPETITION TIME
Welcome to our latest newsletter prize draw - offering our subscribers an exclusive opportunity to win tickets to see or do something great.
This week, we’ve got a pair of tickets for Alex James’ Britpop Classical at O2 City Hall, Newcastle on March 18 at 7.30pm.
When Blur’s bass player and cheese farmer suddenly lost a headliner for his summer shindig Feastival he went in search of the next big thing.
Ministry of Sound Classical stepped in and it was a lightbulb moment. Alex James’s Britpop Classical was born and the 90s throwback lands at Newcastle’s O2 City Hall as part of a huge nationwide headline run.
Joining Alex and a live orchestra on stage are Simon Fowler (Ocean Colour Scene), Saffron (Republica) and Gary Stringer (Reef). Expect a raft of Britpop anthems reimagined and reborn.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: BLUR BLUR BLUR by noon, (5pm) on Sunday (March 8, 20260.
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.