Curated Culture 14.07.26: Proms, Pride and Planets
Your weekly guide to what's on in the North East: gigs, theatre, comedy, festivals, exhibitions and more
Hello, and thanks for joining us for this week’s Curated Culture.
We’ve gathered together another handpicked selection of things to see, hear and experience across the North East over the coming fortnight, with everything from theatre and exhibitions to comedy, gigs and plenty of reasons to make the most of these long summer evenings.
You’ll also find a round-up of things we’ve pointed to in previous newsletters which are still available to enjoy, alongside a few suggestions which may benefit from a bit of early diary action. And Festival Watch is still ticking along too.
Details of this week’s subscriber prize draw - a family ticket to Beamish Museum, where a whole Summer of Fun awaits - can be found at the end of the newsletter.
Happy browsing.
Sam (Wonfor) and Dave (Whetstone)
Professionally pre-occupied with North East culture
MUSIC: BBC Proms
Where: The Glasshouse, The Fire Station, Sunderland and Middlesbrough Town Hal
When: July 23-25
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
The BBC Proms returns to the North East next week, spreading itself across Gateshead, Sunderland and Middlesbrough with another ambitious regional residency.
Among the highlights are South Tyneside's own Nadine Shah making her Proms debut with Royal Northern Sinfonia at The Glasshouse, Maria Włoszczowska directing the orchestra at The Fire Station and The Unthanks bringing their distinctive take on folk music to Middlesbrough Town Hall.
BBC Introducing will programme the Sage Two stage on July 23 with performances from artists including corto.alto, Maddie Ashman and ATFK.
Read Simon Rushworth’s interview with Nadine Shah
SCREEN: Screen on the Green
Where: Old Eldon Square, Newcastle
When: July 20-August 31
Bookings and info: getintonewcastle.co.uk
Picnic blankets, popcorn and plenty of choice are on the menu once more in Newcastle city centre as Screen on the Green returns for the summer holidays.
More than 100 free films are on the schedule.
This year's programme includes everything from family favourites such as Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, Mufasa: The Lion King and The Bad Guys 2 to nostalgia-fuelled screenings of Flubber, Chicken Run and Casper. Tyneside Cinema's popular evening takeovers return with films including Robot Dreams and Oscar-winning animation Flow, while Blockbuster Thursdays promise big-screen outings for Jurassic World Rebirth and Avatar: Fire and Ash
Whether you're settling into a deckchair for a lunchtime escape, introducing younger viewers to an old favourite or revisiting a film you've not seen for years, there's every chance you'll find something worth stopping for on your way through the city centre.
FESTIVAL: Newcastle Pride 2026
Where: Times Square and various venues
When: July 25 and 26
Bookings and info: newcastlepride.co.uk
Curious Arts, the long-established LGBTQIA+ charity, has taken on the running of Newcastle Pride with chief executive Phil Douglas not blind to the challenges that entailed, “politically, socially and financially”.
“But most importantly,” he says in the programme, “we knew how much this event meant to our LGBTQIA+ communities, city and region.
“Newcastle needs its Pride and we were determined to make it happen.”
He promises a weekend of “hope, joy and visibility” in keeping with the theme City of Hope. Streets of Joy.
An opening march from Newcastle Civic Centre (Saturday, 12 noon) will proceed along Northumberland Street to Grey’s Monument for speeches.
There, and at nearby Old Eldon Square, you’ll find the Market Square with more than 50 stalls.
Northern Stage will host the Trans+ Zone on Saturday afternoon and throughout Sunday the Theatre Royal will host the Family & Youth Zone with a range of activities.
The Pride Arena, in Times Square, will feature a packed programme of entertainment on both days - Girls Aloud star Nadine Coyle and dance floor queen Katy B are among those leading the charge - from afternoon until late, and the event will conclude on Sunday with a candlelit vigil at 9pm.
DANCE: Walker Youth Dance Festival
Where: Walker Park Amphitheatre, Newcastle NE6 4HA
When: Saturday, July 18, 3-4.30pm
Bookings and info: companyofothers.org.uk
Comedian Nicola Mantalios will host the fifth Walker Youth Dance Festival, an uplifting free event in support of local young people.
The Walker Youth Dance Project was established by Company of Others, the dance company founded and led by artistic director and choreographer Nadia Iftkhar.
The festival is an opportunity for young people to perform the work they have created during the year alongside performances by other invited dance groups from across Newcastle.
“Walker Youth Dance Festival is one of the highlights of our year,” says Nadia.
“It is a chance for our community to come together and celebrate the creativity, courage and talent of our young people.
“Too often, young people are spoken about rather than listened to or celebrated. This festival creates a space where they can be seen for who they are – creative, committed, generous and full of excellence.
“There is something really powerful about seeing Walker Park transformed by dance, laughter and families gathering together.
“We want young people to feel proud of where they come from and know that these public spaces belong to them too.”
EVENT: Silent Disco on the Beach
Where: Cullercoats
When: July 25
Bookings and info: awesomesilentdiscos.co.uk
When it comes to scenic dancefloors in the North East, Cullercoats Bay at sunset sounds pretty special… although you won’t hear a thing.
Returning for another summer, the Silent Disco on the Beach invites revellers to don their headphones, choose between competing DJs and dance on the sand as daylight fades over the water.
Sister event to the hugely popular Tynemouth gathering, it has built a loyal following of its own over the past four years - so you can expect to be amongst hundreds of people partying in near silence - and unadulterated disco delight.
EVENT: Happy Rooms
Where: Middlesbrough Town Hall
When: July 27-August 30
Bookings and info: stellarcreates.co.uk
After attracting more than 15,000 visitors on its debut outing in 2024, Happy Rooms returns this summer with a new home at Middlesbrough Town Hall.
Created by Teesside's Stellar Creates - the team behind Nightfall - the immersive experience invites visitors to wander through 12 artist-designed spaces celebrating colour, creativity, play and the simple things that make us happy.
A blend of popular activities from past events and new creations are all designed to encourage interaction, curiosity and a willingness to embrace the unexpected.
Running Tuesday to Sunday throughout the summer holidays, Happy Rooms is designed as a relaxed 60 to 90-minute experience, with timed entry slots every 15 minutes. Daily quiet and relaxed sessions are available at 9.30am and 9.45am
DEMONSTRATION: Bird ringing
Where: Cherryburn, Mickley, Northumberland
When: Saturday, July 18, 10am
Booking & Info: nationaltrust.org.uk
No, not bell ringing… bird ringing.
The demonstration by naturalist David Leat begins a summer programme for bird lovers at the National Trust-run birthplace of wood engraver Thomas Bewick. It’s called The Nest.
The event is aimed at adults and places are limited to 20. Those attending will learn the purpose of bird ringing and how to identify common garden birds, while also gaining insight into their behaviour.
After the hour-long session, visitors will have exclusive access to the garden at Cherryburn.
Further sessions are: How to Garden for Wildlife and Birds with John Grundy of Wilderness Tamed (August 22); Bird Sketching with artist Johnnie Foker (September 26); and The Shorebirds of Long Nanny with Northumberland coast ranger James Porteus (October 17).
Jordan Thornborrow, senior gardener at Cherryburn, said: “Cherryburn is a haven for a wide variety of birds and Bewick’s birthplace is the perfect setting to engage with them and the natural world that surrounds them.
“Whether you’re a beginner birdwatcher or a seasoned pro, we hope that The Nest will provide the space and time to connect with your interest in a relaxed way.”
THEATRE: The Bodyguard
Where: Newcastle Theatre Royal
When: July 27-August 1
Bookings and info: theatreroyal.co.uk
More than 30 years after it first arrived on cinema screens, The Bodyguard continues to pull audiences in with its blend of romance, suspense and blockbuster songs.
This latest touring production - presented by Wallsend’s very own Michael Harrison - stars Sidonie Smith as superstar Rachel Marron - made iconic by Whitney Houston’s big screen portrayal - and Adam Garcia as bodyguard Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner in the movie), whose professional relationship becomes, shall we say complicated, as a mysterious stalker closes in.
Alongside the drama, audiences can expect a cavalcade of Whitney Houston back catalogue classic including I Wanna Dance With Somebody, Greatest Love Of All, One Moment in Time, I Have Nothing, Run To You and I Will Always Love You all featuring in the score.
EXHIBITION: Discovering Dark Skies
Where: Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham
When: Saturday, July 18 until September 19
Bookings and info: queenshall.co.uk
Northumberland is famous for its dark skies, bringing thousands of people to the county every year to gaze heavenwards.
This free exhibition, ranging over the two galleries at the Queen’s Hall, offers visitors the chance to appreciate what’s up there without getting cricks in their necks.
The Queen’s Hall team have worked with partners including the Kielder Observatory, Kielder Partnership and Northumberland National Park Authority to mount the exhibition.
While celebrating “the rich cultural and natural heritage of the night”, there’s also a serious side… that this is “a heritage we are at risk of losing in an increasingly over-illuminated world”.
A programme of special events and activities is due to accompany the exhibition and anyone interested is advised to keep an eye on the website for updates.
THEATRE: Flop! The Best Songs from the Worst Musicals
Where: Hipp @ The Hullabaloo, Darlington
When: Saturday, July 25
Bookings and info: darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk
Australian entertainer Arthur Hull’s show does pretty much what is says on the tin. It’s “a love letter to Broadway and the West End’s biggest musical theatre misfires!”
Shows generally flop for a reason but Hull’s argument is that some gems are consequently lost to us. They’re the babies thrown out with the bathwater or the treasure that goes down with the ship.
It was in Adelaide that Hull premiered his homage to the showstoppers few people know because the shows they featured in were stopped, having flopped.
He brought it to the Edinburgh Fringe last year and enough critics declared it not a flop that he’s heading back this year with an updated version – but not before a preliminary tour that brings him to Darlington.
It’s a 65-minute show with no interval.
That might be enough for a succession of flops but Arthur Hull, well known ‘down under’ for his 2022 performances on The Voice Australia and as the country’s 2024 national busking champion, has – they say – a winning blend of talent and charisma.
🎉 FESTIVAL WATCH 🎉
Durham Brass Festival, various venues, July 12-19
Newcastle Pride, Newcastle City Centre, July 25-26
Durham Fringe Festival, various venues, July 29-August 2
Kendal Calling, Lowther Deer Park, July 30-August 2
GCT Beer Festival, Gosforth Civic Theatre, July 31-August 2
NOVUM, Newcastle city centre, August 7-9
Saltburn Folk Festival, various venues, August 7-9
Cosmic Frequencies Festival, Forum Cinema, Hexham, August 8-9
New Horizons, The Grove, Newcastle, August 14-16
Berwick Food and Beer Festival, August 14-16
Derwent Fest, near Consett, August 14-15
Coast Fest, North Shields, Aug 28-30
Noughty 90s Festival, Leazes Park, Newcastle, August 29
Newcastle Mela, August 29-31, Grey’s Monument and Exhibition Park
Northern and Modern Soul All Dayer, The Glasshouse, August 30
Lindisfarne Festival, Beal Farm, Northumberland, September 3-5
Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage, Tees Valley, various locations, September 11-13
Hexham Abbey Festival of Music and Arts, Hexham, Northumberland, September 23-26
Beyond the Moor, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Oct 10
Can’t see your festival here? Send us the details
CONCERT: Mohan brothers, Pt. Sanju Sahai & Jadeep Singh
Where: The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: Friday, July 17
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
This evening of Indian classical music comes courtesy of GemArts’ 10th anniversary Masala Festival of South Asian arts and culture.
The Mohan brothers – Lakshay, the sitar player, and Aayush who plays sarod (another type of Indian stringed instrument) – are global stars, well known across India and the United States.
While they claim not to have come from a particularly musical family, their father played the sitar and as children they would travel widely across India to attend concerts and have lessons.
At university, Lakshay studied physical sciences in Delhi while Aayush came to London to study maths and economics. But Indian classical music was to be their calling.
GemArts, excited about their first North East appearance, tells of their “electrifying performances and astonishing musical chemistry”.
They take the stage with Pt. Sanju Sahai, a sixth generation tabla master, and Jasdeep Singh, described as a rising talent and champion of the jorī, a percussion instrument comprising two drums which some call the predecessor of the modern tabla.
DRAMA: Hide, Watson!
Where: The Lit & Phil, Newcastle
When: Friday, July 17, 7pm
Bookings and info: litandphil.org.uk
Robert Lloyd Parry is back at the Lit & Phil with a treat for Sherlock Holmes fans… and perhaps to convert a few of those new to the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Parry, a specialist in performative storytelling, has been a fan of Sherlock Holmes and the ghost stories of MR James since childhood.
At the atmospheric Lit & Phil he will entertain with a brace of adventures by Conan Doyle.
In The Adventure of the Dying Detective, Holmes’ trusty sidekick, Dr Watson, does what he can to help the great sleuth confront his own mortality.
In The Adventure of the Creeping Man the pair get a glimpse of the dark side of medical science and save a respectable household from certain ruin.
In both of these adventures, argues Parry, Watson demonstrates the pluck, sincerity and humility that make him a paragon of friendship.
The Times Literary Supplement described Parry as “one of the country’s most idiosyncratic and underrated performers”. See for yourself as he entertains with his adaptations a master storyteller’s work.
STILL SHOWING
Screen: Ashington AFC: Saving Our Club, available to stream on BBC iPlayer
Event: Beyond Van Gogh, Utilita Arena, Newcastle, until Aug 9. Read our preview
Festival: Durham BRASS, venues across County Durham, until Jul 19
Festival: Masala Festival, various Tyneside venues, until Jul 19
Theatre: The Girl on the Train, People’s Theatre, Newcastle, Jul 14-18
Theatre: The Karate Kid The Musical, Sunderland Empire, Jul 14-28
Festival: Music at Paxton, Paxton House, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Jul 17 (and throughout July)
Event: Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, from Jul 18 until Sept 12
Exhibition: Norman Cornish – A Life in Sketchbooks, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until Jan 3. Read our full report
Exhibition: Mourning Tea Tyne & Lost Frequencies, Globe Gallery, North Shields, ongoing
Exhibition: Joan Eardley, Granary Gallery, Berwick-upon-Tweed, until Oct 11
Screen: The Fortune, Channel 5, from Jun 2, 9pm
Screen: Smoggie Queens, BBC Three and BBC iPlayer, available now
Screen: This Is Not A Murder Mystery, UTV and streaming on Channel Four, available now.
Exhibition: Foundation Press – Starting Lines, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead, until Aug 30.
Exhibition: The Graduates, National Glass Centre, Sunderland, until Jul 31.
Radio: Si King on Desert Island Discs, BBC Sounds/iPlayer
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
Exhibition: Picture This: Someone Like Me, Great North Museum: Hancock, until Jan 2027
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
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: Out of the Darkness, Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland, until December
NOW BOOKING
Pantomime: Dennis’ Wicked Adventure in Oz, The Customs House, South Shields, Aug 6-8
Theatre: The Silence of the Lambs, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Aug 18-22
Music: Arrested Development, The Cluny, Ouseburn, Sept 3
Theatre: John Cleese and The Holy Grail, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Sept 9
Comedy: Catherine Bohart - Borrowing Trouble, The Stand Newcastle, Oct 8
Festival: Beyond The Moor, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Oct 10
Comedy: Frankie Monroe - DEAD AND ALIVE!, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Oct 15
Music: Jack Savoretti, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Oct 24-25
Music: Paul Heaton with special guests The Lightning Seeds, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Oct 29
Dance: balletlorent’s Hansel and Gretel and the Witch, Northern Stage, Newcastle, Oct 29-Nov 1
Events: Christmas at Life Science Centre, Newcastle, Nov 7-Jan 3
Music: China Crisis - Warped 2026, The Witham, Barnard Castle, Nov. 13
Event: AGLOW at Auckland Palace and Gardens, Bishop Auckland, Nov 20-Jan 3
Music: Ocean Colour Scene, Newcastle o2 City Hall, Nov 30
2027
Music: The Wizard of Oz in Concert, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Jan 31
Theatre: The Picture of Dorian Gray - A New Musical, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Jan 31
Comedy: Romesh Ranganathan Will Change Your Life, Stockton Globe (Feb 3); Newcastle o2 City Hall (Feb 4-6)
Theatre: Singin’ In The Rain, Sunderland Empire, Mar 2-6
Poetry: Hollie McNish - The Paperback Tour, Northern Stage, Newcastle, Apr 2
Comedy: John Bishop - Let’s Go Round Again, Utilita Arena Newcastle, May 6
Theatre: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Darlington Hippodrome, May 25-29
Classical: Royal Northern Sinfonia - Piazzolla’s Four Seasons, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Jun 27
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 family ticket to Beamish Museum, where the award-winning attraction’s Summer of Fun programme is inviting visitors to step into stories from the North East’s past.
From helping solve mysteries in the 1900s Town and exploring life as an evacuee on the 1940s Farm to games in the Pit Village and adventures in the 1950s Town, there are six themed experiences to discover across the museum from July 18 to August 31.
Alongside the trails and activities - which are all included with admission - visitors can enjoy all the usual Beamish favourites - from trams and pit ponies to sweet shops, steam engines and fish and chips. You can read more about it here
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: SUMMER TIME TRAVELLING by 5pm on Sunday (July 19)
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.