Curated Culture 07.05.25
Our weekly recommendations round up from North East stages and cultural venues
Hello there – we hope the long bank holiday weekend left you feeling rested, recharged, and maybe still slightly unsure what day it is - we’re right there with you, as the lateness of this newsletter demonstrates.
Truth be told, it wasn’t confusion which caused the delay - it was incredibly poor time management on my part. Apologies for that… but you can trust me when I say that you wouldn’t have wanted what I could have produced at 11.45pm on Tuesday night. After a 14-hour day.
But enough of my shortcomings.
A day later than normal, we’re back with a cherry-picked roundup of the best gigs, shows, exhibitions, festivals and events happening on stages, and in venues and attractions across the North East – consider us your culturally-charged PA (you can take that to mean Personal Assistant or Public Address system, depending on what you’d value more).
For all our new subscribers - we’re cock-a-hoop to have you here by the way - here’s what you can expect each week from your Curated newsletter (which will usually drop on a Tuesday night):
🗓️ A fresh batch of featured listings for the fortnight ahead
📌 A STILL SHOWING section for events we’ve spotlighted before but that you haven’t missed yet
📅 A NOW BOOKING round up to help you stay impressively organised (including a link to tickets for the recently announced MERCURY MUSIC PRIZE 2025, which is coming to Newcastle in October - lovely news)
🎁 And every week, the chance to win something excellent in our prize draw
This week, it’s a pair of tickets to see Cat Power Sings Dylan ‘66 at Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead on June 4, at 7.30pm. Full details and info on how to enter at the end of the newsletter.
So settle in, have a scroll, and enjoy the week’s cultural compass.
And as always – thanks for reading, sharing, and sending your thumbs up emojis.
Sam (Wonfor) and Dave (Whetstone)*
*Like Chas and Dave but with less hair and better accents
PS: If you haven’t liked/followed/high fived us on our socials, you can rectify that on Facebook, Instagram and Blue Sky
THEATRE: Boys From The Blackstuff
Where: Newcastle Theatre Royal
When: May 20–24
Bookings and info: theatreroyal.co.uk
James Graham’s gripping stage adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s BAFTA winning Boys From The Blackstuff comes to Tyneside direct from the National Theatre and West End.
Set in 1980s Liverpool, this powerful production follows five unemployed men - Chrissie, Loggo, George, Dixie and ‘Gizza job’ Yosser - navigating life, survival and dignity in a broken system.
Raw, darkly funny and deeply human, it’s a searing portrait of working-class Britain that sadly still hits hard today.
Look out for out full preview in the coming days.
MUSIC: Across the Evening Sky: Josienne Clarke sings the songs of Sandy Denny
Where: Gosforth Civic Theatre
When: May 16
Bookings and info: gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk
Acclaimed singer-songwriter Josienne Clarke will bring a full-band tribute to folk legend Sandy Denny to Gosforth Civic Theatre later this month.
Often compared to the Fairport Convention legend for her haunting vocals and poetic songwriting, Josienne will breathe new life into classics like Who Knows Where the Time Goes, Fotheringay and Solo, introducing the much-missed singer’s timeless music to a new generation.
Read our interview with Josienne here.
EVENT: VE Day 80th Anniversary programme
Where: Beamish, The Living Museum of the North, County Durham
When: May 8–11
Bookings and info: beamish.org.uk
Beamish Museum marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day with four days of commemorations and activities across its sprawling site.
Visitors can enjoy 1940s music, re-enactor displays, original wartime broadcasts, and special performances from the Beamish Volunteer Choir.
Highlights include talks, themed crafts, singalongs, and a mini street party at the 1940s Farm on the weekend. A moving two minutes’ silence will be observed at noon on Thursday.
MUSIC: RANT
Where: The Maltings, Berwick
When: Saturday, May 10, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: maltingsberwick.co.uk
The fiddle quartet have garnered some lovely reviews since forming just over a decade ago and are playing their first gig at The Maltings as a final English stopover on their current tour before heading back north of the border.
“Chamber-folk of the highest order,” opined The Scotsman while Folk Radio UK called their sound “invigorating, bewitching and beautiful”.
RANT comprises Bethany Reid (Shetland), Anna Massie and Lauren MacColl (Black Isle peninsula) and relative newcomer Gillian Frame (Arran) and on this tour they’ve been promoting their latest album, Spin.
They call it a homage to the music and influences that shaped their early careers. It’s “an affectionate ‘covers’ project” featuring fiddle music from across the globe. It earned them a German Critics’ Award, hinting at their universal appeal.
CHORAL: Hexham Orpheus Choir
Where: Hexham Abbey
When: Saturday, May 17, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: hexham-orpheus-choir.org.uk
The choir, directed by Mark Edwards, will be performing Mass in D by Dame Ethel Smyth and Brahms’ Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) in one of its major concerts for 2025.
It promises something that will be new to most North East concert-goers for Dame Ethel’s work has never had the attention it deserved.
Completed in 1891 and premiered at the Royal Albert Hall two years later, it was treated rather sniffily by some reviewers who couldn’t bring themselves to praise a female composer.
But Dame Ethel, a suffragette who didn’t allow herself to be thwarted by men who stood in her way, made a lasting impact with this piece which will be performed by the choir along with soloists Rachael Heater (soprano), Valerie Reid (alto) and Austin Gunn (tenor).
THEATRE: Mother Courage and her Children
Where: Horden Methodist Church, County Durham
When: May 14 to 24
Bookings and info: ensemble84.com
Tickets are selling fast for the eagerly awaited debut production from Ensemble 84, the new theatre company based in Horden comprising local people and with a team headed by artistic director Mark Dornford-May.
Lee Hall, of Billy Elliot fame, has adapted his version of the timeless Bertolt Brecht classic for the Ensemble 84 performers who will be joined on stage by members of the Isango Ensemble, Mark’s award-winning South African theatre company.
Brecht wrote the play in 1939, with help from collaborator and sometime lover Margarete Steffin, and although it’s set during the Thirty Years’ War of the 17th Century it was one of several that reflected his bitter opposition to the rise of Nazisim.
Mother Courage, who sells provisions from her cart to soldiers, is a survivor of war although she loses her nearest and dearest in tragic circumstances. The play in which she features is considered one of the greatest pieces of anti-war theatre.
Sadly, the rare performances of it are always timely – none more so than today. Tickets are selling fast. This, in County Durham, is a great example of the power of the arts to bring communities together.
MUSIC: Bryan Adams - Roll With the Punches 2025
Where: Utilita Arena, Newcastle
When: May 8
Bookings and info: utilitaarena.co.uk
Bryan Adams returns to Newcastle for a night of classic anthems, new material and, we’re predicting, very lovely tuneful times.
With a career spanning over four decades and 17 studio albums – including the most recent Grammy-nominated So Happy It Hurts – the Canadian remains a major figure in rock. It’s fair to expect a mix of his biggest hits like Summer of ‘69, Can’t Stop This Thing We Started, Run To You and - of course - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You alongside tracks from more recent projects like Pretty Women - The Musical.
EVENT: The Late Shows
Where: Newcastle/Gateshead
When: May 16 to 17, from 6pm
Bookings and info: thelateshows.org.uk
It’s time for the annual after-hours culture crawl, now in its 17th year. Organised yet again by the now rebranded North East Museums, it’s sponsored by Stagecoach whose electric buses will provide free transport around 70-plus attractions.
Friday, May 16 (until 10.30pm) is confined to the Ouseburn area where venues including Biscuit Tin Studios, NewBridge Project, Biscuit Factory (new exhibition by Jim Moir, aka Vic Reeves), Seven Stories and 36 Lime Street will welcome visitors.
That’s a warm-up for Saturday when venues in Gateshead (6pm to 10pm) and Newcastle (6pm to 10.30pm) will be open to culture crawlers until 30 minutes before closing.
In Gateshead there’s a ‘Revamp and Recycle’ evening at the Central Library with textile artist Donna Cheshire, a crafting and creativity night at the Shipley and a performance at VANE gallery by Berlin-based Jorn Ebner who samples bee sounds and wears an outfit inspired by wild bees and Chinese opera.
Also check out The Soundroom, at Old Redheugh Library on Cuthbert Street, where they’ll be celebrating four decades of local music making.
Newcastle rows in with a large-scale drawing project at Newcastle Arts Centre, medieval chant singing at the Cathedral Church of St Mary, a ‘Hypnic Picnic’ at Alphabetti, a Secret Shebeen at Tyneside Irish Centre and new artist commissions hosted by venues within the Creative Central NCL footprint.
But there’s so, so much to see and do.
THEATRE: Unearthed Festival
Where: Live Theatre, Newcastle
When: May 20-31
Bookings and info: live.org.uk
An 11-day celebration of “fresh voices and creative risk-taking” is on the blocks as Live Theatre prepares to launch its new Unearthed Festival.
Dedicated to new writing and artist development, the festival will bring together high-profile names and rising talent from the North East and beyond.
Among the highlights is a live online Q&A with Moonlight screenwriter and Oscar-winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, and a masterclass with acclaimed playwright Alistair McDowall (Pomona, X).
The Royal Court at Live – a collaboration led by David Byrne and Middlesbrough-born writer Ishy Din – promises to further cement the festival’s national scope.
Other standout events include play readings, scratch performances, and the ever-popular Fail Friday, hosted by theatre-maker Luca Rutherford. Most tickets will be available at Live Theatre’s £6 freelance rate, with additional events including a mid-career artist gathering and parent-friendly creative socials.
EVENT: Terry Deary – A History of Britain in Ten Enemies
Where: Queen’s Hall, Hexham
When: May 11, 4:30pm
Bookings and info: hexhambookfestival.co.uk
County Durham’s bestselling Horrible Histories creator Terry Deary will undoubtedly bring his trademark wit to this talk based on his latest book, A History of Britain in Ten Enemies as part of the Hexham Book Festival, which launched at the weekend.
From Boudica and the Romans to Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada, and Churchill’s clashes with the Nazis, the award-winning author explores how Britain’s most dangerous foes helped forge its greatest figures. Expect sharp anecdotes, dark humour and a fresh, grown-up take on the characters who shaped our national story. Chaired by Gerry Foley.
There’s still loads still to come across the Festival programme - get amongst it all via the website.
THEATRE: Talking About the Fire
Where: ARC, Stockton
When: May 15 and 16
Bookings and info: arconline.co.uk
From Chris Thorpe, writer of acclaimed plays Status and Confirmation, comes Talking About the Fire - a powerful and thought-provoking solo show about nuclear weapons, global treaties, and the power of ordinary people to confront extraordinary threats.
Developed with Tony Award-winning Rachel Chavkin and co-created with Claire O’Reilly, it blends storytelling and conversation to explore why we don’t talk about the weapons that could end us, and why we must. Honest, urgent and disarmingly human, this promises to be political theatre at its most personal.
There is a post show Q&A on May 15.
STILL SHOWING
Theatre: Blackbird in the Snow, Laurels Theatre, Whitley Bay, until May 17. Read our preview
Theatre: Dogs on the Metro, Live Theatre, Newcastle, until May 17
Music: Patrick Wolf, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, May 10
Theatre: Farm Boy, The Fire Station, Sunderland and Queen’s Hall, Hexham, May 11-12 and May 13, respectively
Theatre: Handbagged, Northern Stage, Newcastle, May 13 to 17
Theatre: Kinky Boots the Musical, Newcastle Theatre Royal, until May 10
Festival: Hexham Book Festival, Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, until May 11
Theatre: Sides, People’s Theatre, Newcastle, until May 10
Exhibition: With These Hands, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, May 17 to September 27
Comedy: Unexpected Item in the Bagging Area, ARC Stockton and Live Theatre, Newcastle, May 21-23; and May 29-30, respectively
Theatre: RUM, Live Theatre, Jun 6-7
Exhibition: Shakespeare Recovered, Palace Green Library, Durham, until Nov 2
Audio-Visual: The Mother Goose Series, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, until July
Exhibition: Richard Hobson retrospective, South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, until Nov 2
Music: Songs of the North East, various venues across the North East until May 23: The Customs House, South Shields (May 8); The Exchange, North Shields (May 9); Arts Centre Washington (May 21); and Ponteland Methodist Church (May 23). Another date in September at Redhills in Durham is TBC. Read our review.
Exhibition: Sheila Fell – Cumberland on Canvas, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, until Jun 28
Exhibition: Ali Cherri/Laura and Lancaster, BALTIC, until Oct 12
Exhibition: Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until March 2026
Exhibition: Unravelling, Samantha Cary, Granary Gallery, Berwick, until May 18
Exhibition: Northumberland Open Exhibition, Woodhorn Museum, until June 1. Read David Whetstone’s full preview of the exhibition.
Exhibition: Sustainable Clay, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle, until May 3. Read our review.
Exhibition: Ted Holloway - A Bevin Boy Remembered, Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland, until June 8, 2025
Exhibition: Magna Carta and the North, Durham Cathedral Museum, Jul 11 until Nov 2
Music: Nick Cope – I’ve Lost My Bobble Hat, The Glasshouse, Gateshead at 11am on Oct 29
Theatre: Mary Poppins, Sunderland Empire, Oct 1-25
Music: The Young’uns Big Boro Bash, Middlesbrough Town Hall, Nov 15
Big screen: Expo Sunderland Pavilion, Keel Square, Sunderland, throughout 2025
NOW BOOKING
Music: The Fizz (as in Bucks), The Fire Station, Sunderland, May 25
Comedy: Metroland Comedy, Live Theatre, Newcastle, May 27
Event: Gala Night… Our Story So Far, The Maltings, Berwick, May 30 and 31
Comedy: Katherine Ryan - Battleaxe, Middlesbrough Town Hall, Jun 13; Sunderland Empire, Jun 14
Theatre: Havisham, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle, Jun 12
Music: Kid Creole and the Coconuts, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Jun 27
Dance: Matthew Bourne’s The Midnight Bell, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Jul 8-12
Music: Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Darlington Hippodrome, July 15
Music: Me Lost Me Album launch, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Jul 18
Comedy: Bill Bailey - Thoughtifier, Stockton Globe, Aug 26
Theatre: Inside No.9 Stage/Fright, Sunderland Empire, Sept 16-20
Music: Breabach 20th Anniversary Tour, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Oct 2
Comedy: Rhod Gilbert and the Giant Grapefruit, Middlesbrough Town Hall, Oct 11
Event: Mercury Music Prize 2025, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Oct 16
Music: Adam Ant, Sage One The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Oct 29
Film: TVIFF - Gala Premiere of Three Peaks, Three Pots, ARC Stockton, Nov 6
Music: Ashley Campbell and her Band, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Nov 23
2026
Theatre: Inspector Morse - House of Ghosts, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Feb 3-7
Music: James Arthur - The Pisces Tour, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Feb 6
Theatre: Mamma Mia!, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Feb 11-18
Event: Sunday For Sammy, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Feb 15
Comedy: Chris Ramsey, Newcastle 02 City Hall, April 17-19
Theatre: Lord of the Dance - 30th anniversary, Sunderland Empire, Sept 9-12
COMPETITION TIME
Welcome to our latest newsletter prizedraw, offering our subscribers an exclusive opportunity to win tickets to see or do something great.
This week, we’ve got a pair of tickets to see Cat Power Sings Dylan ‘66 at Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead on June 4, at 7.30pm.
Chan Marshall, known as Cat Power is bringing her acclaimed tribute to Bob Dylan’s 1966 ‘Royal Albert Hall’ concert to Tyneside, promising a powerful and evocative night of music.
The original show - actually held at Manchester’s Free Trade Hall (blame a mislabeled bootleg for the confusion) - marked Dylan’s dramatic shift from acoustic folk to electric rock, a moment that stunned fans and reshaped music history.
Cat Power has long been celebrated for her soulful interpretations, and this song-for-song recreation is no exception. First captured on her live album Cat Power Sings Dylan, the performance has been praised for its emotional depth and respectful reinvention of a truly iconic set.
With her personal connection to Dylan’s music - she’s spoken of his songs inspiring her since childhood - this concert promises to be more than just a tribute. It offers a heartfelt homage from one singular artist to another, and a chance to relive a pivotal moment in music.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: Plug me in by noon, (12pm) on Sunday, May 11, 2025.
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.