Curated Culture 16.12.25
Our weekly recommendations round up from North East stages and cultural venues
Hello and welcome to this week’s Curated Culture – your weekly casserole of some of the performances, events and what not, which we think are brightening up the North East and deserves a slice of the spotlight.
With just over a week until Christmas, you’ll find this week’s featured listings below, along with handy links to our BIG festive lists for Pantomimes, Family Shows and Christmas Concerts.
If you’re new here, this is how Tuesdays usually play out:
🗓️ Top Picks – a handful of standout listings we think are getting in front of over the next fortnight
📌 Still Showing - crackers still running from previous weeks
📅 Now Booking – future dates worth locking down
🎁 Subscriber Prize Draw – this week, a pair of evening performance tickets for the 25th anniversary Sunday for Sammy fundraiser at the Utilita Arena Newcastle on February 15. Details at the bottom… but make sure you start at the top and work your way down!
Thanks for reading, sharing and keeping culture on your Christmas list.
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: Trevor Horn
Where: Newcastle 02 City Hall
When: December 18
Bookings and info: academymusicgroup.com
Legendary music producer - and chart-topping artist in his own right - Trevor Horn heads home this week for Video Killed the Radio Star, a new live show at O2 City Hall Newcastle that dips into the highlights of his extraordinary career - from The Buggles and Frankie Goes to Hollywood to Grace Jones, ABC, Band Aid and Pet Shop Boys.
Adding a lovely North East thread, brass-led Hetton band The Welfare Collective will join Trevor on stage, with members of their ensemble performing alongside Ash Soan, Lol Creme, Jamie Squire and others.
During his time back on home turf, Trevor will also be spending time with students from Gateshead College’s Performing Arts and Media courses to share insights on building a career in the industry.
CONCERT: Candlelit Carols
Where: Newcastle Cathedral
When: Wednesday, Dec 17 and Monday, Dec 22, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: newcastlecathedral.org.uk
There are few more beautiful places in the run-up to Christmas than a cathedral, especially when candle-lit.
There are two chances to enjoy this popular festive celebration at Newcastle Cathedral, the only one in the UK dedicated to St Nicholas, patron saint of children (and inspiration for Santa Claus).
The choir, featuring children, young people and professional singers from a variety of backgrounds, will perform music from their new album, O Nata Lux: Music for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany.
The concert will feature carols such as Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and seasonal numbers such as Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, alongside lesser-known but exquisite choral works.
Then there’s Balulalow, an original composition by Kris Thomsett, the cathedral’s assistant director of music.
The choir will perform free at various services in the coming days, including, on Christmas Eve, the family-friendly Crib Service at 11am and the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at 6pm.
Candlelit Midnight Mass will take place at 11.30pm, followed by the Festal Eucharist at 10am on Christmas Day.
Tickets for the Candlelit Carols concerts can also be bought by phoning TicketSource on 03336 663 366.
EXHIBITION: Going Back Brockens
Where: Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
When: Until Saturday, January 31 (10am to 5pm)
Bookings and info: sunderlandculture.org.uk
This marvellous exhibition was due to close early in the New Year but it has been extended until the end of January due to popular demand.
Narbi Price was the recent winner of the visual artist of the year category at the North East Culture Awards – the second time he had won – and it was for his major contribution to this exhibition.
More than 40 of his detailed and atmospheric paintings record the sites of the North East mines that were still operational at the time of the national miners’ strike of 1984-5.
You will see them and you will also hear recordings made in the early 1990s of miners reflecting on an industry that has now become part of North East history.
The recordings – never previously aired in public – were made in and around Horden by author Mark Hudson who wrote the book Coming Back Brockens: A Year in a Mining Village (published by Vintage in 1995).
The title of the exhibition, which toured various locations in County Durham before winding up at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, is a play on the book’s title.
EVENT: Carols and Cocoa/Cocktails
Where: The Newgate Social, Newcastle
When: December 22, 4.30pm and 7.30pm
Bookings and info: newgatesocial.co.uk
Newcastle’s festive season gets a playful shake-up a few days before the big day as The Newgate Social hosts a double bill of communal singing and Christmas mischief.
Theatre-maker and Newcastle Fringe director Ali Pritchard presents two back-to-back events: the family-friendly Carols & Cocoa in the afternoon, and grown-ups-only Carols & Cocktails later on.
Rather than a traditional carol concert, expect bandioke, live music and a full-throttle “sing-along spectacular”, backed by pianist Jenni Winter, trumpeter Abigail Brierley and comedian-videographer Jamie Howzat, whose visuals will guide (and tease) the crowd.
Ali calls the trio “the perfect mix of talent, community spirit, and mischief” - aiming for an atmosphere of “joy, chaos, and a lot of collective heartbeats thumping in time”.
TALK & DEMO: Christmas Friction – Santa Sleighs Science
Where: Lit & Phil, 23 Westgate Road, Newcastle
When: Saturday, December 20, 10-11.30am
Bookings and info: litandphil.org.uk
Neil and Di Downie will host this session aimed at parents and kids aged seven and upwards.
There will be a talk and demonstrations involving friction (generally to be avoided at Christmas but maybe not today) and you’re likely to see model sleighs propelled in various ways.
Neil, as a professional inventor, will be in his element. He’s also an engineer and physicist and author of a series of Saturday Science books (find details on saturdayscience.org).
At primary school he distinguished himself by making a steam-powered fairground from thousands of Meccano parts and went on to invent mini hot air balloons for teddies, a vacuum bazooka, an armour-piercing carrot cannon and an oxygen firework system.
Looking forward to Saturday, he says: “We’ll be looking at the science of friction: why it’s important to avoid friction sometimes, but also sometimes to have friction.
“And how you may need to modify friction, reducing it with oil or ball bearings, or increasing it with rubber or rosin. And how Santa can dodge problems with global warming, and maybe also give his faithful reindeer some time off from hauling his sleigh around the world at supersonic speed.”
MUSIC: Voices of Virtue - Teesside Festive Party
Where: ARC, Stockton
When: December 17
Bookings and info: arconline.co.uk
The Teesside Festive Party welcomes the acclaimed Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir for a seasonal celebration rooted in joy, harmony and community spirit.
Known across the North East for their rich sound and uplifting performances, the choir brings together vocalists from diverse backgrounds to create tight harmonies, powerful solos and an unmistakable sense of unity.
Expect festive favourites alongside contemporary gospel and soulful reworkings, all delivered with the warmth and energy that have made the group a sought-after presence at events across the region.
SCREEN: Torvill and Dean - The Last Dance
Where: ITV and ITVX
When: December 28 and then streaming
More info: itv.com
FilmNova’s new one-off documentary Torvill & Dean: The Last Dance gets a primetime Christmas slot at 8.30pm on December 28.
The North East production company follows Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean through their final year on the ice, blending candid reflections with behind-the-scenes moments from their 2025 UK and Australia tour.
From rehearsals in Scotland to their last Dancing on Ice performance and a gruelling four-month tour, the film captures the emotion, risk and resilience behind their farewell.
Look out for our interview with the documentary’s director, Alan Ryan in the coming days.
CONCERT: Ryan Corbett and Djordje Gajic
Where: Alnwick Playhouse
When: Monday, December 22, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: alnwickplayhouse.co.uk
The accordion is not an instrument we get to hear too often on stage in the North East – not away from an ensemble as an attraction in its own right.
In any case, you may not have heard it played the way Ryan Cobett plays it. He’s a virtuoso player, the first accordionist to be selected for BBC Radio 3’s ‘New Generation Artist’ scheme and a Classic FM ‘Rising Star’.
Composer Sir James MacMillan called him “one of the most astonishing and surprising newcomers in Scottish music”.
And members of Alnwick Music Society who heard him perform in the Playhouse studio in 2023 vowed to get him back for a full-length concert.
This is it; and Ryan – born in Glasgow in 1999 and self-taught until he was 14 – will be accompanied on stage by Djordje Gajic, his tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
This is a world class pairing, Gajic having started his studies in his native Serbia at the age of six and subsequently performed and given masterclasses around the world.
At Monday’s concert, part of Alnwick Music Society’s current season, the pair will play their own arrangements of Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Rachmaninov’s Symphonic dances, along with pieces by Mozart and Václav Trojan.
MUSIC: Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast
Where: The Fire Station, Sunderland
When: December 22
Bookings and info: thefirestation.org.uk
Badly Drawn Boy returns to The Fire Station after a previous sell-out show, this time marking 25 years of his Mercury Prize-winning debut The Hour of the Bewilderbeast with a full-band celebration.
Released in 2000, the album’s eclectic blend of folk, rock and electronica - paired with Damon Gough’s unmistakable songwriting - quickly made him a defining voice of British music.
Since then, he has released nine albums, from the acclaimed About a Boy soundtrack to 2020’s Banana Skin Shoes. This anniversary gig offers a rare chance to revisit a landmark record live, in the hands of the artist who shaped it.
You can make a night of it by stopping into the Fire Station’s winter hideaway FireSide, before the show. A gig ticket includes free entry, with live DJs, winter cocktails, festive and classic pizza and more on offer.
EVENT: Great Dinosaur Christmas Show
Where: Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle
When: December 20 to 31 (Saturday to Wednesday)
Bookings and info: northeastmuseums.org.uk
Elves, reindeer, snowmen… all are firmly enmeshed in the Christmas tradition. But dinosaurs? Mmm… not so sure about that.
But, hey, who doesn’t love a dino?
If you’re a fan, then North East Museums’ invitation to step into a prehistoric winter wonderland should be hard to resist.
“Meet dinosaurs and enjoy interactive performances,” they say. Aimed at families and dino-lovers of all ages (especially those aged four to 10), “this magical event blends science, storytelling, and seasonal sparkle”.
The Great Dinosaur Christmas Show can be found in the Clore Suite (that’s ‘Clore’, not ‘claw’) on the ground floor at the back of the museum but entry is through the main doors.
Advance booking is required for the various time slots throughout each day. Some are sold out already and others are selling fast so best act pronto. Or should that be bronto…?
COMEDY: Kai Humphries - Kaibosh
Where: The Stand, Newcastle
When: December 20, 4pm
Bookings and info: thestand.co.uk
Blyth stand up comic Kai Humphries brings an hour of stories, mishaps and self-mockery to Newcastle city centre, tracing how one childhood incident managed to spark a surprisingly positive chain of events.
With the evening performance already sold out, the remaining slot makes for a welcome breather after any last-minute Christmas shopping - a chance to sit down, switch off take a shower in nostalgia and laugh like a drain that’s been thoroughly tickled.
STILL SHOWING
Music: The Futureheads at Christmas, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Dec 19 and 20
Theatre: The Suggestibles’ Impro Pantso, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Dec 18-19
Music: Beccy Owen album PORTAL launch, St Mary’s Heritage Centre, Gateshead, Dec 19
Theatre: Si King’s Propa Night Oot! Live Theatre, Newcastle, Dec 17. Read our interview with Si
Theatre: A Town Called Christmas, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Dec 19-21
Family/Comedy: The Big Family Christmas Show, The Stand Newcastle, Dec 20, 21, 27 and 28
Theatre: Beauty and the Beast, Northern Stage, Newcastle, until Jan 3. Read our review
Music: Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours with the Transatlantic Ensemble, The Fire Station, Sunderland, Dec 16m
Music: Crocodile Shoes by Jimmy Nail, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Jan 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. Read our report.
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
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
2026
Theatre: The Woman in Black, Darlington Hippodrome, Jan 6-10
Comedy: The Eternal Shame of Sue Perkins, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Feb 4
Music: Lindisfarne, The Exchange 1856, North Shields, Feb 14 and 15
Music: Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra - 15 Year Anniversary Show, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Mar 28
Theatre: RSC - Hamlet, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Mar 31-Apr 6
Theatre: Hidden Biscuit, Queen’s Hall Hexham (Mar 20) and Live Theatre, Newcastle, Apr 2
Music: Richard Ashcroft, Newcastle Utilita Arena, Apr 6
Comedy: Gary Delaney - Gary On Laughing, Empire Theatre Consett (May 7); Whitley Bay Playhouse (May 21); ARC Stocton (Jun 25); Darlington Hippodrome (Sept 17);
Theatre: Astell & Woolf, Live Theatre, Newcastle, May 14-Jun 6
Festival: Road to Nashville, Times Square, Newcastle, May 24
Music: Emmylou Harris, The Fire Station, Sunderland, May 18
Music: Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox - The Future Is Vintage Tour, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Jun 4
Theatre: Moulin Rouge The Musical, Sunderland Empire, Jun 5-27
Event: Enter The Castle with Jon Ronson, Gala Theatre Durham, Sept 17
Comedy: Sam Campbell - Kid Giblet, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Oct 15
Music: Squeeze, Newcastle 02 City Hall (Nov 16) and Stockton Globe (Nov 17)
2027
Theatre: Mean Girls, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Jan 18-20 (also at Sunderland Empire Apr 6-11, 2026)
Music: MILOŠ, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, Gateshead, Mar 20
Theatre: Back to the Future the Musical, Sunderland Empire, Apr 13-May 8
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’re looking a bit further ahead and have got a pair of tickets for the evening performance of the Sunday For Sammy fundraising concert at the Utilita Arena Newcastle on February 15.
The event marks 25 years since Auf Wiedersehen, Pet colleagues, Tim Healy and Jimmy Nail assembled a group of talented pals together to raise money in the name of their dear friend and fellow actor Ronnie ‘Sammy’ Johnson who had tragically died suddenly at just 49.
A memorial gig at Newcastle City Hall in 2000 grew into a biennial North East institution raising substantial funds to support young people in the region’s performing arts.
Over the years, the concerts have featured Mark Knopfler, Brian Johnson, Jill and Chelsea Halfpenny, Kevin Whately, Brendan Healy, Denise Welch, John Miles, Charlie Hardwick, Chris and Rosie Ramsey, Kathryn Tickell, Joe McElderry, and many more – with guest appearances from Timothy Spall, Christopher Fairbank, Brenda Blethyn and Johnny Vegas.
Taking place at the Arena - where it last graced the stage in 2020 - a couple of weeks ago, the charity’s new patron, Tim’s son and frontman of international superstars, The 1975 Matty Healy broke with the usual protocol and revealed he would be performing at the event, which offers both matinee and evening performances.
Ray Laidlaw, producer of Sunday for Sammy, said: “We’re all absolutely delighted that Matty will be performing at the show - it’s been in the planning for a while, so it’s great that everything has come together.
“He gets everything the charity is about and understands what we’re trying to do - of course he has been around it since he was a young kid. Having Matty as patron and now taking to the stage too is a great way for Sunday for Sammy to be brought to the attention of the younger generation because after all, that’s who we want to support.
“We’re looking forward to seeing him up there - and I’m sure he’ll be bringing some friends with him.”
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: That’s Livin’ Alright by noon, (12pm) on Sunday, December 21, 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.