Curated Culture 09.12.25
Our weekly recommendations round up from North East stages and cultural venues.
Hello and welcome to this week’s Curated Culture – your weekly signpost(s) to some of the best arts and culture activity happening from across the North East.
As always, you’ll spot this week’s featured listings below, plus links to our BIG Christmas Lists for Pantomimes, Festive Family Shows and Christmas Concerts - excellent jumping-off points if you’re plotting your seasonal outings.
If you’re new here, this is how Tuesdays roll:
🗓️ Top Picks – a handful of standout happenings
📌 Still Showing – crackers still running from previous weeks
📅 Now Booking – future dates worth securing early
🎁 Subscriber Prize Draw – this week, 4 x tickets to Aladdin at Newcastle Theatre Royal on January 15, 2026.
Thanks for reading, sharing and keeping culture in the mix as December speeds along.
Sam (Wonfor) & 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
MUSIC: The Futureheads at Christmas
Where: The Fire Station, Sunderland
When: December 19 and 20
Bookings and info: thefirestation.org.uk
Sunderland favourites The Futureheads have unwrapped their first ever Christmas album – simply titled Christmas – bringing their unmistakable harmonies and spiky charm to a stack of seasonal favourites and a pair of originals.
Recorded over nine months in their hometown and released via Nul Records, the album twists classics like Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, 2000 Miles, Stop The Cavalry and Wonderful Christmastime into something joyfully, unmistakably Futureheads.
It also features two original tracks: brand-new The Coldest Winter in 100 Years and a refreshed version of Christmas Was Better in the 80s, first released in 2010.
To mark the release, the band are playing a December run of shows, including two home-turf dates at The Fire Station, Sunderland. December 20 is now sold out – last tickets remain for December 19.
EVENT: Lit & Phil Open Day
Where: Lit & Phil, 23 Westgate Road, Newcastle
When: Saturday, December 13, 9.30am to 4pm
Bookings and info: litandphil.org.uk
If you haven’t ventured beyond the front steps of this landmark Newcastle building and much-loved library and meeting place, this is the day to do it.
The Lit & Phil is reaching the end of its bicentenary year, a remarkable milestone. How many other secular buildings are still being used for their original purpose 200 years on?
A friendly welcome will be extended to all, including first-time browsers, and free tours of the building are scheduled for 10.30am, 12 noon and 2pm (book via the website).
There’s also a programme of talks and discussions.
Ghost North East, great Lit & Phil fans, will celebrate 15 years of paranormal investigation here (10am); Ian Jackson will discuss his book Defined by Stones, about the evolution of the northern landscape (11.30am); Brian Rankin, author of Pursued by Bulldozers, will talk about artist Charlie Rogers (1pm); and there will be a screening of the short film Mrs Affleck’s Affliction (3pm) followed by a discussion involving those involved in this particular bicentenary project.
A drop-in session throughout the day called Mr Turner’s Cabinet of Natural Curiosities, led by Michael Turner, is back by popular demand and suitable for all ages.
You might even fancy becoming a member, meaning you can borrow from the library’s extensive collections.
Theatre: Si King’s Propa Night Oot!
Where: Live Theatre, Newcastle
When: December 16 and 17
Bookings and info: live.org.uk
Live Theatre are offering audiences a chance to spend an evening in the company of one of the nation’s favourite food storytellers.
Hairy Biker Si King will share the tale of his Propa Pie Journey, mixing live cookery demonstrations with the kind of warm humour and offbeat anecdotes fans know him for.
Expect a relaxed night of chat, gentle chaos in the kitchen, and the chance to put a few questions to Si along the way. And yes, there’ll be a slice of his much-loved Propa Pie in the mix.
MUSIC: Beccy Owen album launch
Where: St Mary’s Heritage Centre
When: December 19
Bookings and info: eventbrite.co.uk
North East-based singer songwriter Beccy Owen invites audiences into a live performance of PORTAL (released Dec 12), her self-produced seventh album, in the atmospheric surroundings of St Mary’s Heritage Centre.
Presented in-the-round, this intimate winter gathering offers the first chance to experience PORTAL in person - a hypnotic, elemental new body of work shaped by long-form improvisation, healing cycles and Beccy’s unmistakable vocals.
Expect a relaxed, nest-like set-up (blankets and cushions welcome), chai tea and mince pies, plus a support set from acclaimed poet Tahmina Ali. CDs of the album will be on sale, alongside Beccy’s much-loved handmade ceramic spoons.
With themes of renewal and deep-listening woven throughout the record, this premiere promises a quietly powerful evening overlooking the Gateshead Quayside. Both full-price and Pay As You Feel tickets are available.
THEATRE: Impro Pantso
Where: Queen’s Hall, Hexham and Live Theatre, Newcastle
When: December 13 and 18-19, respectively
Bookings and info: queenshall.co.uk and live.org.uk
Newcastle’s improv mischief-makers The Suggestibles kick off their gloriously chaotic Impro Pantso at Queen’s Hall, Hexham, before bringing the festive mayhem to Live Theatre.
Across three unpredictable nights, absolutely nothing is scripted and everything is up for grabs, with your suggestions steering the characters, songs and wonderfully wayward plot twists.
This is panto gleefully off its leash: goodies versus baddies, hisses and kisses, singalongs, dance-alongs and plenty of grown-up nonsense.
Celebrating their 21st anniversary year, The Suggestibles revive a multiple sell-out favourite in a couple of new homes (the past few years has seen the troupe at Northern Stage). Baubles at the ready – and remember, this one’s strictly for grown ups.
SCREENING: In Fading Light
Where: Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
When: Wednesday, December 10, 2pm
Bookings and info: baltic.art
There’s a lot of excitement about the region’s burgeoning screen industry but Amber Films were pioneers in the field – or even at sea, as in this film about the fishing industry.
The Newcastle-based Amber collective released In Fading Light - a drama rooted in documentary, as has been the way with Amber’s work - in 1989 against the backdrop of a declining North Shields fishing industry.
Given that the town has been celebrating its 800th anniversary, celebrating a past wrapped up with fishing while looking to a very different future, the screening is timely.
The late Tom Hadaway, fishmonger turned successful playwright, wrote the screenplay which has a tight-knit fishing community ruffled by the unexpected arrival of a young woman.
Amber, with its legendary pursuit of authenticity, bought a fishing vessel ahead of the shoot and auditioning actors were likely to find themselves at sea, gutting fish.
This special screening will be introduced by producer and researcher Andy Robson, champion for screen heritage for the BFI (British Fim Institute) Film Audience Network.
Baltic Cinema is a Baltic innovation that put its Level 1 cinema to use showing films that rarely get a public North East screening.
EVENT: Enchanted City
Where: Northumbria University, Newcastle city campus
When: Thursday, December 11 to Sunday, December 14
Bookings and info: enchanted-city.co.uk
This is something new for 2025, a night of “cosmic wonder” featuring space-inspired projections, light installations, interactive workshops and performances.
Billed as Enchanted City: From City Streets to Cosmic Skies, it features the work of established artists from inside and outside the region.
It gives visitors a chance to see what accomplished North East-based practitioners, whose work has mostly been seen outside the region and often overseas, can do on home soil.
They include NOVAK, Studio Vertigo, artist Bethan Maddocks and performance company Unfolding Theatre, all specialists in making ostensibly mundane spaces extraordinary.
Delivered by Newcastle City Council in partnership with Northumbria University, Enchanted City has been introduced as a new annual event funded by Newcastle City Council and the North East Combined Authority.
Various time slots are available throughout the days of the event which is ticketed and part of Newcastle’s annual Winter Festival.
Focused on the campus around Sandyford Road and Northumberland Road, it promises to light up what have been some pretty grey days in the run-up to Christmas.
EVENT: Christmas Market and more
Where: The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: Saturday and Sunday (Dec 13/14), 10am to 4pm
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
The Glasshouse is well into festive mode with concerts to suit all ages and tastes.
Which to choose? Demonstrating its versatility, the resident Royal Northern Sinfonia performs in A Christmas Gaiety: A Queer Holiday Extravaganza, which sounds a bit of a drag but in a good way (Dec 10, 7.30pm), and will be back for Handel’s Messiah (Dec 14, 3pm).
Tony Hadley’s Christmas Big Band Tour is in Sage One on Friday (Dec 12, 7.30pm) coinciding with Smoove & Turrell (8pm) in Sage Two – but there was only one seat left for the former at the time of writing. Solo Hadley fans, act fast!
Paul Edis and Friends offer a Jazzy Christmas on Saturday (Sage Two gigs at 2pm and 8pm on Dec 14) while Kate Rusby puts in her traditional appearance in Sage One with her Christmas is Merry tour at 7pm on the same day.
But throughout the weekend, and free for all, is the Glasshouse Christmas Market with North East traders and makers setting up stall on the concourse and contributing to the Christmas spirit.
You can also catch Young Sinfonia performing in Sage One on Sunday at 2pm, ahead of Handel’s Messiah.
CONCERT: A Winter’s Night
Where: Trinity Church, Gosforth
When: Sunday, December 14, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: www.ticketsource.co.uk/newcastle-choral-society
Newcastle Choral Society have gathered established and rising talent for their seasonal concert which takes its name from a featured piece by Cecilia McDowall, one of Britain’s most accomplished composers.
A Winter’s Night, premiered in 2014, will be performed by the choir along with her Christus Natus Est, dating from 2007.
Relatives of the composer who live in the North East will be in the audience to hear the choir which is to be conducted by Tim Cranfield who took over as musical director in March.
McDowall’s many accolades include a British Composer Award (for Night Flight, commemorating pioneering American pilot Harriet Quimby) and an Ivor Novello Award.
She noted that a soprano soloist was optional in Christus Natus Est but the option is being taken up in Newcastle as an opportunity for Jesdina Daniel who sings with Newcastle Cathedral Choir – of which Tim Cranfield is also a member - and the Samling Academy.
Another young star you will hear at the concert is James Watson, organ scholar at Newcastle Cathedral and St Andrew’s Church, Newgate Street, who has also performed as a recitalist around the country.
Sunday’s programme will also feature versions of well-known English carols by Swiss composer Carl Rütti, known for infusing the English choral style with jazz and the blues.
Joining the choir to add some oomph as guest quintet will be Northumbrian Brass comprising Alex Lewis and Alastair Lord on trumpets, Chris Senior (horn), Ian Sankey (trombone) and Phil Rosier (tuba).
MUSIC: Cattle and Cane
Where: ARC Stockton and The Cluny, Newcastle
When: December 12 and 13
Bookings and info: cattleandcane.co.uk
Teesside’s own Cattle & Cane are marking the 10th anniversary of their debut album Home with a long-awaited first vinyl pressing and a run of special stripped-back shows.
The brother–sister duo, Joe and Helen Hammill, have built a devoted following over the past decade, cherished for their close harmonies and the intimacy of their live performances.
From early support slots with the likes of Tom Odell and The Head & The Heart to sold-out headline moments at The Glasshouse, Tyne Theatre and Middlesbrough Town Hall, the pair have steadily grown a cottage industry rooted in the North East.
These anniversary concerts offer a rare chance to hear Home reimagined in its bare, acoustic form.
STILL SHOWING
Theatre: A Town Called Christmas, ARC Stockton until Dec 13; and Gosforth Civic Theatre, Dec 19-21
Family/Comedy: The Big Family Christmas Show, The Stand Newcastle, Dec 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28
Concert: BBC Introducing, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Dec 10, 8pm
Comedy: Laffs for Kids, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Dec 14
Theatre: Beauty and the Beast, Northern Stage, Newcastle, until Jan 3
Music: Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours with the Transatlantic Ensemble, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Dec 15 and 16
Performance: Pray for Me, Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle, Dec 13, 2pm and 7.30pm
Exhibition: Timeless Together, VANE, Gateshead, until Dec 13
Music: Northern Roots Winter Showcase, PILGRIM, Newcastle, Dec 11
Music: Crocodile Shoes by Jimmy Nail, Live Theatre, Newcastle, until Dec 15 and then January 13-18, (Returns only)
Exhibition: Desire Lines, MIMA, Middlesbrough, until Apr 12, 2026
Screen: Jools Holland’s New Orleans Jukebox, BBC iPlayer
Radio: Tom and Lauren Are Going OOT!, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds
Exhibition: Tom Hume - Retrospective, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Garden, until January 18, 2026
Exhibition: Miniature Worlds - Little Landscapes from Thomas Bewick to Beatrix Potter, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, until Feb 28, 2026
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
Dance: Se Gaest/The Guest, Dance City, Newcastle (Dec 11) Read our review
Exhibition: Three Artists: Zac Weinberg, Joanna Manousis, and Anthony Amoako-Attah, National Glass Centre, Sunderland, until Jan 10, 2026
Exhibition: Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until March 2026
Big screen: Expo Sunderland Pavilion, Keel Square, Sunderland, throughout 2025
Exhibition: Three artists, National Glass Centre, Sunderland, until January 10, 2026
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, 2026
Exhibition: Pippa Hale: Pet Project, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until March 1, 2026
Theatre: Sunny Afternoon, Stockton Globe, April 14-18, 2026
NOW BOOKING
Classical: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at Christmas, Durham Cathedral, Dec 29
Event: NYE Smoove and Turrell at The Fire Station, Sunderland, Dec 31
2026
Theatre: The Woman in Black, Darlington Hippodrome, Jan 6-10
Music: Hector Gannet, The Cluny, Jan 12
Event: Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour, Newcastle Utilita Arena, Jan 27-28
Theatre: Mamma Mia!, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Feb 11-28
Theatre: Our Little Hour, Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle, Mar 5-7
Theatre: The Complete Works of Jane Austen, Abridged, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Mar 5
Comedy: Aisling Bea - Older Then Jesus, Gala Durham, Mar 7
Comedy: Bridget Christie - Jacket Potato Pizza, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Mar 14
Comedy: Matt Forde - Defying Calamity, The Fire Station, Sunderland (Mar 25); Alnwick Playhouse (Mar 26); The Witham, Barnard Castle (Mar 27)
Theatre: Hidden Biscuit, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Apr 2
Theatre: Horrible Histories - The Concert, Sunderland Empire, Apr 17-18
Music: Kate Rusby, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Apr 28
Music: The Proclaimers, The Globe Stockton and Newcastle 02 City Hall, October 24 and 25, respectively
Music: Ben Folds - Paper Airplane Request Tour, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Nov 16
2027
Theatre: Dirty Dancing, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Feb 9-13
Theatre: Back to the Future, Sunderland Empire, Apr 13-May 8
Comedy: Alan Carr - Have I Said Too Much?, Stockton Globe (Nov 12) and Newcastle 02 City Hall, Nov 13-14
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 four tickets to see Aladdin at Newcastle Theatre Royal at 7pm on January 15, 2026 - the perfect post-Christmas panto pick-me-up!
Celebrating 20 years of Danny Adams and Clive Webb bringing carefully choreographed chaos to the top of Grey Street, the story of Aladdin, his lamp and Princess ‘Jemima is being (loosely) told. Old King Cole and a Goose are in there too!
Produced by Wallsend-born theatre impresario, Michael Harrison and also starring Joe McElderry, Chris ‘there is nothing like a dame’ Hayward and Mick Potts, our reviewer (see above) had a whale of a time alongside a sell out crowd on press night.
You can read David Whetstone’s preview here.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: Accidurrrrnt! by noon, (12pm) on Sunday, December 14, 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.
