Curated Culture 14.04.26
Our regular round-up of recommendations from North East stages and cultural venues
Hello and welcome to this week’s Curated Culture – your weekly round-up of handpicked arts and culture happenings from across the North East.
If you’re joining us for the first time, or it has been a while, here’s what’s to follow:
🗓️ Top Picks – a baker’s dozen selection of standout listings coming up over the next fortnight
📌 Still Showing - past highlights that are still going strong
📅 Now Booking - a nifty look ahead at what to get in the diary
🎁 Subscriber Prize Draw – this week, win a pair of tickets to the opening night of The Red Shoes at Newcastle Theatre Royal on April 28
All the details on how to enter are at the end – happy wandering.
As ever, thanks for being part of it
Sam (Wonfor) and Dave (Whetstone)
Professionally occupied with North East Culture
EVENT: Record Store Day 2026
Where: Independent record shops across the North East
When: April 18
Info: recordstoreday.co.uk
Record Store Day returns this weekend, turning up the volume on the important role of independent shops in the music ecosystem.
What began in 2007 as a small gathering of US record store owners is now a global celebration, with hundreds of shops across the UK and Ireland taking part.
Expect exclusive releases, busy shop floors and a shared love of digging through crates. More than anything, it’s a chance to support the people behind the counters and the communities they help build. So whether you’re a seasoned collector or a casual browser, get out and show your local record shop some love.
Among the North East partakers are:
Newcastle: Reflex, Nun Street ; RPM Music, Old George Yard; Vinyl Guru, Westgate Road; Beatdown Records; and Beyond Vinyl, John Marley Centre
Stockton: Regency Records, Regency West Mall
EXHIBITION: Foundation Press – Starting Lines
Where: Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
When: April 18 to August 30
Booking & Info: baltic.art
The gallery at the foot of the lifts is to host this interactive installation exploring creativity, collaboration and community.
It highlights the work of Foundation Press, who are Gateshead-based artists, designers and educators Adam Phillips and Deborah Bower.
They do all sorts of stuff – or, as they put it, “devise initiatives and resources that support people to explore creativity and storytelling”.
They set up Foundation Press in 2013 with a Risograph printer (according to one user, it looks like a photocopier but works as a screen-printer).
Starting Lines will focus on eight creative briefs that have been key to the success of Foundation Press.
During its run, Adam and Deborah will create work with schools, community groups and wider audiences to add to a changing display of drawings, prints and publications.
A studio space, featuring a Risograph printer, will enable visitors to create visual responses to the exhibition.
A series of free (but must book) Wednesday workshops will take place in the studio, from 10.30am to 12 noon, under the heading Morning Edition.
The stated aim is to “celebrate the simple act of drawing – no judgement and no experience necessary”.
COMEDY: Chris Ramsey
Where: Newcastle o2 City Hall
When: April 17-20 (matinees on 18 and 19)
Bookings and info: chrisramseycomedy.com
Riding high from a hugely successful tour so far - and a suitably impish extension announcement alongside his podcasting and life partner Rosie - comedian Chris Ramsey will surely arrive in Newcastle on top form this week.
His Here Man run at o2 City Hall Newcastle is all but sold out, with only limited tickets remaining for the final date (April 20).
The newly announced autumn leg will see him return to the North East for a stop at Sunderland Empire on September 17. Tickets are on sale on Friday (April 17) at 10am from the website.
MUSIC/CHAT: An Evening with Toyah: Songs and Stories
Where: Princess Alexandra Auditorium, Yarm and Alnwick Playhouse
When: April 15 and April 17 respectively, both 7.30pm
Booking & Info: toyahwillcox.com
She’s had quite a career, has Toyah Willcox – musician, actress, one-time punk icon, presenter, YouTuber. She has even been heard in The Archers, although as herself rather than as one of the BBC Radio 4 soap’s Ambridge locals.
In the early days, so it’s said, a drama school assessor in her native Birmingham noted that “she has a lisp and isn’t attractive”.
Imagine the face of that assessor as an omelette – notably, perhaps, when the lisping lass had a hit with a song called It’s a Mystery when fronting her band, Toyah.
In her sixties, Toyah’s still going strong, as evidenced by her current spring tour of words and music in which she promises to sing all her hits and entertain with stories from behind the scenes.
There will be plenty of those, no doubt, from one who has won a BRIT Award, starred in the film Quadrophenia, performed at the National Theatre and released 23 studio albums.
She’s performing on Wednesday (April 15) at the Princess Alexandra Auditorium, on the Yarm School site, and on Friday (April 17) at Alnwick Playhouse where tickets are selling fast.
THEATRE: To Kill A Mockingbird
Where: Newcastle Theatre Royal
When: April 21-25
Bookings and info: theatreroyal.co.uk
Aaron Sorkin’s award-winning stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird lands in Newcastle following major runs on Broadway and the West End.
The play revisits Harper Lee’s enduring story of childhood, conscience and racial injustice in the Deep South.
Set in 1930s Alabama, the drama centres on lawyer Atticus Finch, whose belief in fairness and empathy is tested as he takes on a case many would rather avoid.
FOOD: Bishop Auckland Food Festival
Where: Market Place, Bishop Auckland
When: April 18 and 19
Bookings and info: bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk
The ever-popular Bishop Auckland Food Festival returns this weekend, bringing a lively double date of food, entertainment and family-friendly activity to the town’s Market Place.
More than 150 traders will serve up a wide variety of delights from street food favourites to artisan produce from across the UK, while the Cookery Theatre will host demonstrations from familiar faces including Phil Vickery, Briony May Williams and Aaron Mountford-Myles.
Hands-on workshops with chocolatier Paul A Young and free children’s cookery sessions add to the appeal, alongside live music, street performances and creative activities running throughout the weekend.
FILM: Cinema Meet Up
Where: Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle
When: April 19
Bookings and info: starandshadow.org.uk
Marking the 20th anniversary weekend of the Star & Shadow Cinema, this day-long gathering will bring together filmmakers, programmers and community organisers for a rich programme of discussion, workshops and screenings.
Running from morning to evening, the event spans four themed sessions exploring cinema-making, community archiving, alternative learning and youth-led film practice, with shared meals woven throughout.
With invited guests, it promises a thoughtful, collaborative look at film as a socially engaged practice.
Other activities to celebrate two decades of the Star and Shadow include:
Friday, April 17
Star and Shadow 20th Birthday Throwdown featuring a ‘superlative disc jockey line up). Tickets £8 in advance.
Saturday, April 18
Mini drop-in Starcade (video game afternoon) event starting at 1pm (FREE)
Creative Writing Showcase 2-4pm
Filmed at the Star and Shadow screenings 2pm (FREE)
Now That’s What I Call Star and Shadow Staraoke Dance Party, 7pm ‘til late. Tickets £0-£10.
More details and tickets available from the website.
THEATRE: Hold The Line
Where: Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle
When: April 29-May 2
Bookings and info: alphabettitheatre.co.uk
Inspired by real-life experiences on the NHS 111 frontline, Hold the Line promises to shine a light on one of healthcare’s most overlooked roles.
Set across a single night shift, Newcastle writer and performer Sam Macgregor’s two-hander follows a call handler as a routine call escalates into crisis, exploring the pressure of making life-or-death decisions in real time.
Billed as blending sharp observational humour with high-stakes drama, the play - which enjoyed a successful debut at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe - aims to capture the emotional toll of a job where compassion and targets collide.
Hold the Line follows the success of Sam’s 2023 debut play, Truly, Madly, Baldy, which was written following his experience of alopecia.
Exhibition: The Sheer Brass Neck
Where: Newcastle Contemporary Art, 39 High Bridge
When: April 17 to May 9
Booking & Info: visitnca.com
An exhibition marking 30 years since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act and 35 years since the Northern Disability Arts Forum (NorDAF) was established.
The influential, disabled-led organisation was active across the North East in the 1990s and was established in 2004 as the charity Arcadea.
The exhibition at Newcastle Contemporary Art (formerly Baltic 39) is presented in partnership with Arcadea and North East Museums.
It reflects on the role of disabled artists and activists in shaping the struggle for equality, access and cultural representation in the UK.
What you’ll see is previously unexhibited archive material from NorDAF documenting a period when disabled artists were organising, publishing, performing and reshaping cultural spaces.
It celebrates the legacy of the late Geof Armstrong who was key in establishing NorDAF and later became director of Arcadea.
Artists from Arcadea’s Hub Studio will also present new work, including portraiture and embroidery, in response to the archive.
Newcastle City Council resident artist Lily Kroese, a disabled animator and illustrator, worked with neurodiverse young women from Hub Studio to produce this new work.
An exhibition preview is scheduled for April 16 (5-7pm).
LITERATURE: Hexham Book Festival
Where: Queen’s Hall Arts Centre
When: April 24 to May 3
Booking & Info: hexhambookfestival.co.uk
The 20th Hexham Book Festival will soon be upon us and what a good reason to celebrate.
As the team behind this popular gathering of writers and readers remind us, what began as “a wild idea and a dream” is now an established cultural highlight.
Joining the authorial hordes who have headed to Hexham over two decades come another exalted bookish bunch.
The team pick out Alexander McCall Smith, Val McDermid, Lee Child, Andrey Kurkov, Sarah Hall, Tracy Borman, Antonia Senior, Jane Hirshfield, Nicola Sturgeon, Penny Mordaunt and Chris Mullin.
Some events are sold out but many aren’t – and everyone will have their favourites.
How about Alexander McCall Smith on April 25 (11am) chatting about The Subtle Pleasures of Indiscretion and The Kind Company of Others - followed by (12.45pm) Sudi Pigott on her Consider the Anchovy?
Or, on April 26, why not catch Northumberland wildlife gardener Susie White (1.15pm) discussing new book Nature’s Almanac: A Gift for Every Day of the Year ahead of Dominic Gregory (2.30pm) talking about his RNLI memoir, Lifeboat at the End of the World?
It’s nothing if not a mixed bag.
FAMILY THEATRE: The Detective Dog
Where: Gala Theatre, Durham
When: April 18-19
Bookings and info: galadurham.co.uk
Marking 10 years since The Detective Dog was first published, this stage adaptation brings Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie’s much-loved story back on tour.
Created by Tiny and Tall Productions, the production - commissioned by ARC Stockton with Barnsley Civic - follows Nell, a story-loving dog with an extraordinary sense of smell, as she sets out to solve a mysterious disappearance.
Inventive puppetry, music and “plenty of playful surprises”, are all trailed, alongside a strong focus on accessibility for Deaf and hard of hearing audiences.
Warm, engaging and thoughtfully made, it sounds like a perfect introduction to theatre for younger audiences and their grown-ups.
MUSIC: John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett
Where: Queen’s Hall Hexham and The Witham, Barnard Castle
When: April 16 and April 18 respectively, both 7.30pm
Booking & Info: johnotway.com
Aylesbury, Bucks, might sound a steady sort of place but there must have been something in the air in the 1950s for it spawned this madcap pair.
They’ve been collaborating for donkey’s years and are still at it, as audiences will discover at the Queen’s Hall on Thursday (April 16) and The Witham on Saturday (April 18).
“Still loved for their total in-yer-face originality, the contrast between the deadpan humour of Barrett and mad onstage antics of Otway are hilarious to watch,” goes the blurb.
“John’s lyrical genius is ably complemented by Willy’s outstanding musicianship (he seems to play almost every stringed instrument known to man, plus a few hybrids of his own making including the Bagpuss!).”
Pete Townshend produced their first collaborative album but it wasn’t a world beater.
Theirs was to be a cult following, as befits one who invented an instrument called a wah-wah-wheelie-bin (Barrett) or, as a promotional stunt, offered to come to their home and perform privately for any of three album buyers who found the vocals missing from a track called Frightened and Scared (Otway).
FILM/SCORE: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in Concert
Where: The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: April 18 and 19
Booking & Info: theglasshouseicm.org
It’s 25 years since the first Harry Potter film hit the big screen, four years after young readers had been introduced to Harry and Hogwarts and the imagined magical world of wizards and muggles.
Bloomsbury’s initial print run of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone ran to just 500 copies of the novel, most sent to libraries.
They can’t have had any idea about the phenomenon they had unleashed.
This was the book countless readers would grow up loving and the film, pretty faithful to the story, will be just as special to many.
It will be screened (with subtitles) at The Glasshouse with the score by John Williams performed live by the Royal Northern Sinfonia conducted by Benjamin Pope.
Williams is a living legend in cinema circles, having scored umpteen landmark films including Jaws, Star Wars, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park and the first three Harry Potter adaptations.
There are still some tickets left for the 6pm screening on the Saturday (although The Glasshouse website warns of limited availability) but there are two screenings on the Sunday, at 1.30pm and 6pm.
STILL SHOWING
Music: Paul Carrack in Concert, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Apr 15
Dance: Triptych – Lewis Major, Dance City, Newcastle and Queen’s Hall Arts, Hexham, Apr 15 and Apr 18, respectively
Theatre: The Thrill of Love, People’s Theatre, Newcastle, April 13 to 18
Music: Idlewild, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Apr 17
Music: Seven Drunken Nights - The Story of the Dubliners, Sunderland Empire, Apr 21
Exhibition: The Graduates, National Glass Centre, Sunderland, until Jul 31
Radio: Si King on Desert Island Discs, BBC Sounds/iPlayer
Comedy: Chris Ramsey - Here Man, Newcastle 02 City April 17-19
Theatre: Sunny Afternoon, Stockton Globe, until Apr 18
Theatre: 2: 22 A Ghost Story, Newcastle Theatre Royal, until Apr 18
Event: Felicity Cloake’s Adventures in Food, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle, Apr 14
Concert: The Music of Prince by Candlelight, Durham Cathedral, Apr 15
Exhibition: Vivienne Westwood: Rebel – Storyteller – Visionary, The Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until Sept 6
Exhibition: Following the Eagle, Segedunum Roman Fort, Wallsend, until Oct 3
Art and Nature: Spring Into Action, Baltic, Gateshead, until Apr 19
Exhibition: Picture This: Someone Like Me, Great North Museum: Hancock, until Jan 2027
Theatre: Bus Stop Goths, Northern Stage, Newcastle, Apr 24
Exhibition: Portrait Award 2025, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, until Sept 5
Exhibition: Enigmas, RePUBlic Gallery, Blyth, ongoing
Exhibition: Rebel Women of Sunderland, Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, until Aug 1
Exhibition: Women Behind Bars: Life in Newcastle Prison, 1828-1925, until Apr 27. Read our preview
Exhibition: Lady Kitt – Lines of Legitimacy, Hartlepool Art Gallery, Apr 18
Exhibition: Northumberland Open Exhibition, Woodhorn Museum, until May 10. Read more.
Exhibition: Feeling Into The Unknown, Hartlepool Art Gallery, until Apr 18
Screen: Torvill and Dean - The Last Dance, streaming on ITVX
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
Music: James Morrison, Stockton Globe, May 6
Comedy: Showstopper, Darlington Hippodrome, May 7
Comedy: Simon Munnery on Tour: The Stand Newcastle, May 9
Theatre: Long Day’s Journey Into Night, various North East venues, May 12-27
Theatre: Choir of Man, Sunderland Empire, May 12-26
Theatre: The Ballad of Johnny and June, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Jun 2-6
Music: Courtney Pine, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, Jun 13
Event: Raby Castle in Bloom, Raby Castle, May 2-Aug 31
Comedy: Harriet Kemsley: Work in Progress, Gala Durham, Aug 1
Event: Miriam’s Full English Live, Sunderland Empire (Sept 20); Darlington Hippodrome (Nov 18); Stockton Globe (Dec 1)
Comedy: Trigger Happy TV Live with Dom Joly, Whitley Bay Playhouse (Oct 11); Alnwick Playhouse (Oct 16); and The Witham, Barnard Castle (Nov 28)
Music: The Strokes, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Oct 26 (Tickets on sale, Apr 17 at 10am)
Music: Kate Rusby at Christmas, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Dec 14
2027
Comedy: Omid Djalili - Namaste, Darlington HippodromeTHEATRE: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Sunderland Empire, Feb 9-13; and Newcastle Theatre Royal, Jul 19-24
Comedy: Ahir Shah - Golden, The Stand Newcastle, Mar 14
Music/Film: Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert, Sage One, The Glasshouse, May 9
Music: Nik Kershaw - Musings and Lyrics, Gala Theatre Durham, May 12
Music: Wet Wet Wet - Celebrating 40 Years of Popped In Souled Out, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Oct 24. (Tickets on sale, Apr 17 at 10am)
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 to the opening night of Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes at Newcastle Theatre Royal on April 28 - it will run at the venue until May 9.
A timeless fairytale reimagined, the double Olivier Award-winning production, inspired by the classic Powell and Pressburger film first premiered at Theatre Royal Plymouth in 2016.
It has since enjoyed acclaimed runs at Sadler's Wells and major venues across the US.
Of the show, Matthew says: “People expect a big production from us and they certainly get that with The Red Shoes. Everyone has pulled out all the stops… it’s a big, lush production - that’s what people can expect.”
The story follows dancer Victoria Page, whose pursuit of greatness becomes a consuming struggle between love and ambition. Set to a sweeping score featuring music by Bernard Herrmann, this visually rich and emotionally charged production explores obsession, artistry and the cost of perfection.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: Red Shoes? No more Blues by 5pm on Friday (April 17)
The winner, who will be selected at random, will be notified within 24 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.