Curated Culture 28.10.25
Our weekly recommendations round up from North East stages and cultural venues
Hello and welcome to this week’s Curated Culture – your Tuesday delivery rounding up some of the theatre, music, film, exhibitions and cultural goings-on across the North East which we think deserve your attention.
Every week we sift through the listings to bring you a carefully chosen mix of what’s new, what’s great, and what’s coming down the tracks - sort of like a personal assistant whose sole job is to make sure you don’t miss excellent stuff.
If you’re new around here, here’s how things play out:
🗓️ Top Picks – standout highlights from the next couple of weeks
📌 Still Showing – crackers from earlier editions still available to soak up
📅 Now Booking – upcoming treats worth nabbing early
🎁 Subscriber Prize Draw – this week, a pair of tickets to Big Ange at Live Theatre, Newcastle on November 8. Details at the end.
Thanks for reading, sharing and supporting - it really keeps us going.
Sam (Wonfor) & Dave (Whetstone)
Like Chas and Dave, but with less hair and better accents
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EXHIBITION: Shipyard Faces and Intriguing Spaces
Where: Old Low Light Heritage Centre, North Shields
When: Until December 1
Bookings and info: oldlowlight.co.uk
From the Swan Hunter shipyard to the White House, artist Peter Burns has spent more than 50 years capturing everyday life with warmth, humour and remarkable detail.
Once a plater at the Wallsend yard, he found inspiration among his fellow workers - including Tommy, nicknamed “The Duke of Wellington”, and his cat Tiger, immortalised in one of the artist’s favourite portraits.
Now based in Low Fell, the 81-year-old painter and illustrator presents around 70 works in this new exhibition at the Old Low Light heritage centre in North Shields, which brings together shipyard scenes, community portraits and rarely shown landscapes and urban sketches.
CLASSICAL: Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
Where: The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: Sunday, November 2, 3pm
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
The French composer Maurice Ravel was born 150 years ago, near Biarritz, into a music-loving family. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire but didn’t blossom there, despite winning a prize.
Instead he made his own way, experimenting with musical form in a painstaking fashion. His Boléro, commissioned by the Russian dancer Iva Rubinstein and premiered in 1928, signalled his desire to be different.
That famous piece doesn’t figure in Sunday’s programme but Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, in championing his fellow countryman’s legacy (Ravel died in 1937), is to perform 13 pieces by the composer – a baker’s dozen of keyboard brilliance.
Bavouzet, who also studied at the Paris Conservatoire, has been travelling the world to mark the anniversary of the composer’s birth.
His recording of Ravel’s Complete Works for Solo Piano (Chandos label) was shortlisted for this year’s prestigious Gramophone Awards, the magazine’s reviewer having praised his “seasoned mastery, stylish perception and caring commitment to this repertoire”.
If Ravel’s your passion, Sage One at The Glasshouse is the place to be on Sunday.
THEATRE: Mr Blackpool’s Seaside Spectacular
Where: Northern Stage, Newcastle
When: November 6, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: northernstage.co.uk
‘Extraordinary’ is a word reviewers often use when describing the work of Harry Clayton-Wright, Blackpool-based performance artist and theatre maker.
This show he describes as “a tongue-in-cheek theatrical extravaganza” and “an end of the pier show at the end of the world”.
Its aim: to explore “the iconic resort town’s history of variety and entertainment through a contemporary lens”.
Aiding him in this enterprise are Oliver Gregory (aka drag showgirl Miss Titty Kaka) and married dancing duo Aysh De Belle and Sam De Belle, all dedicated to delivering “pure escapism with flavours of cabaret, variety, drag, dance, music and sideshow”.
Conceived before Covid and commissioned by Marlborough Productions (“catalyst for queer culture and community”) and the Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, both Brighton-based, the show has had a long time to take shape in Harry’s head.
With the “pilot tour” now on the starting blocks, he issued a Facebook rallying cry: “From next week we’re gonna pull out all the stops and give people a damn good time.”
OPERA: La bohème, Opera North
Where: Theatre Royal, Newcastle
When: November 5, 6 and 8
Bookings and info: theatreroyal.co.uk
Yes, Opera North are back in Newcastle next week with five performances, of which three are of Puccini’s famous tale of love and death.
Premiered in Turin in 1896, it has rarely – if ever – been off stage somewhere in the world ever since.
This is Phyllida Lloyd’s acclaimed production for Opera North which first delighted audiences in 1993. It returns refreshed under revival director James Hurley and a company – singers and live orchestra - primed to do justice to the famous score.
Set in Paris, the protagonists are young people – artists, bohemians – struggling to make ends meet. When his flatmates head for the pub, cash-strapped poet Rodolfo stays behind and so is able to respond when Mimi knocks on the door requesting a candle.
And so it begins, an emotional roller-coaster with smiles and tears guaranteed.
Opera North will also give a single performance of Handel’s Susanna on November 7 (Friday) and a matinee performance of The Big Opera Mystery, a one-hour show suitable for children aged five to 12, on November 8 (Saturday).
MUSIC: Adam Ant
Where: The Glasshouse and Stockton Globe
When: October 29 and 30 respectively
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org and stocktonglobe.co.uk
Eighties icon, Adam Ant has booked a double date with the North East this week offering fans (hello!) the chance to catch his new Antmusic tour at The Glasshouse and/or Stockton Globe.
It also offers me (Sam) and my sister the chance to recreate my first ‘without the parents’ gig when I was about seven and she was 14. I can still remember the thrill of seeing Prince Charming’s silhouette behind the curtain before it dropped to reveal my first pop hero in the flesh. And a pair of silver pedal pushers.
Given the title of the tour, it’s fair to assume the crowd will be treated to classic hits including Stand and Deliver, Kings of the Wild Frontier, Prince Charming and Antmusic.
They will also be treated to the beat-keeping of Gateshead’s, David ‘Greenie’ Green who is one of two drummers on the AntMusic tour.
VISUAL ART: Baltic preview
Where: Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead
When: Friday, November 7, 6-8pm
Bookings and info: baltic.art
It’s change around time at Baltic again with two new exhibitions replacing those previously on the spacious levels three and four.
If you want to be among the first to see the group exhibition For All At Last Return and a first major UK exhibition by filmmaker and artist Saodat Ismailova, you can get tickets for the preview evening (free but donations welcome).
There will be a welcome by director Sarah Munro and a drinks reception before the galleries are opened to the public.
The theme of the group exhibition is marine ecosystems and it features new and recent work by British and international artists concerned about the health of our oceans.
A newly commissioned work by Nadia Huggins is to be displayed in the Lightbox on Baltic’s ground floor.
In her work, Saodat Ismailova, who grew up in post-Soviet Uzbekistan, interweaves rituals, myths and dreams while investigating the complex culture of Central Asia.
Central to her Baltic exhibition is Swan Lake, a new film that seeks to capture the upheaval which accompanied the collapse of the Soviet Union, an event characterised by hope and struggle.
THEATRE: GRIMM
Where: Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle
When: October 29 and 30
Bookings and info: alphabettitheatre.co.uk
Described as raw, raucous and deeply moving, GRIMM is an immersive piece of gig theatre that throws audiences into the heart of Grimsby’s fishing past.
Set on a single “Landing Day” in the 1960s, between the triple trawler tragedy and the decline of the fishing industry, audiences will be told the story of the men who risked everything at sea and the women who held life together onshore.
Written and performed by Evangeline Henderson, inspired by her own family’s stories, it promises to give an authentic and defiant voice to a community too often left unheard.
Expect pounding live music, gritty storytelling and moments of aching tenderness in a show that celebrates resilience, humour and working-class pride.
COMEDY: Nick Helm - Nobody Gets Out Alive
Where: The Stand, Newcastle
When: November 4
Bookings and info: thestand.co.uk
Back on tour with another hour of chaotic, shouty, oddly moving comedy, Nick’s latest show is billed as part stand-up, part emotional exorcism, and part rock gig - all delivered at full volume by a man who seems genuinely unsure whether he’s here to save you or destroy you.
There will be jokes. There will be songs. There might be tears. And you’ll almost definitely leave the room feeling slightly different to how you went in.
If you’ve seen Helm before, you know the deal. If you haven’t - he’s loud, he’s intense, and somehow, underneath all that, a little bit profound. Over 16s only.
DANCE: Suitcases
Where: Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham
When: November 6, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: queenshall.co.uk
This is to be the last performance on this tour of Suitcases, Michael Heatley’s wonderful dance homage to the patients of New York State’s Willard Asylum.
It closed in the mid-1990s when the suitcases came to light, stored in an attic and each containing the treasured and often quite humble possessions of people who had lived at Willard most of their lives.
Most of them were now buried in the grounds in graves marked only by a number.
Massachusetts-based photographer Jon Crispin recorded every suitcase and it was his respectful images that caught the imagination of Heatley and his Newcastle-based Hit the Ground Running Dance Theatre Company.
Four dancers, a singer and an actor recall this place and its largely forgotten inhabitants in a performance that may well move you to tears. Tickets are selling quickly and not much wonder.
SCREEN: Desert Island Flicks with Stewart Lee
Where: Tyneside Cinema
When: November 5, 5.45pm
Bookings and info: tynesidecinema.co.uk
Fresh from performing his new show Stewart Lee vs The Man Wulf at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House , the legendary stand up joins fellow comic and award-winning actor, Dave Johns (I, Daniel Blake) for a special Desert Island Flicks event at Tyneside Cinema.
Together they’ll delve into the films that have shaped Stewart’s life, career and worldview — offering an embarrassment of opportunities for life stories, anecdotes, insights and - of course - hand-picked clips to enjoy alongside them.
STILL SHOWING
Theatre: ROBBED, Laurels Theatre, Whitley Bay, Nov 4-8
Music: Kathryn Williams, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, Oct 30
Exhibition: The Light of Days Past, Granary Gallery, Berwick, until Feb 22, 2006
Event: GHOSTNorthEast Paranormal Investigation, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Oct 30 (9.15pm to 1am)
Theatre: Private Lives, Northern Stage, Newcastle, Nov 4-8
Music and Poetry: Beneath This Ground, Jesmond Library, Newcastle, Nov 1
Comedy: Cally Beaton - Namaste Mother F*ckers, The Witham, Barnard Castle, Oct 29; and Northern Stage (Feb 7); Alnwick Playhouse (Feb 17); Queen’s Hall, Hexham (Feb 19)
Music: Billy Mitchell and Bob Fox - From the Horses Mouth, various venues across the North East until Nov 1
Theatre: Mother Courage and Her Children, Live Theatre, Newcastle, until Nov 1
Theatre: Ordinary Decent Criminal, ARC, Stockton, Oct 29
Exhibition: What the Others Built, VANE, Gateshead NE8 2AP, until Nov 1
Visual Art: Gaia, Hexham Abbey, until Nov 16
Theatre: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde + The Body Snatcher, various venues, touring until Nov 1
Theatre: Shore Lines from the Border Readers, various venues all over the North East until Dec 4
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
Screen: I Fought The Law, on ITVX, available to stream now. Read our report from the screening at the Gala Theatre with Sheridan Smith and Ann Ming.
Exhibition: Miners’ Weekend School (1984), The Burr of Berwick Film Library, Saturdays, 12-4pm until October 31
Festival: Northern Festival of Illustration 2025, various venues in Hartlepool, until Nov 1
Screen: Transaction, ITV X, Full series available to stream.
Exhibition: Richard Hobson retrospective, South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, until Nov 2
Exhibition: Joséphine: A Woman of Taste and Fashion, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until March 2026
Music: Nick Cope – I’ve Lost My Bobble Hat, The Glasshouse, Gateshead at 11am on Oct 29
Exhibition: Shakespeare Recovered, Palace Green Library, Durham, until Nov 2
Exhibition: Magna Carta and the North, Durham Cathedral, until Nov 2
Exhibition: The Words That Bind Us, Durham Cathedral, until Nov 2
Music: The Young’uns Big Boro Bash, Middlesbrough Town Hall, Nov 15
Family: Disney on Ice - Find Your Hero, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Nov 19-23
Exhibition: Guiding Entities, MIMA, Middlesbrough, until Nov 23
Exhibition: The Art of Conservation, South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, Ocean Road, until Dec 6
Big screen: Expo Sunderland Pavilion, Keel Square, Sunderland, throughout 2025
Exhibition: Three artists, National Glass Centre, Sunderland, until January 10, 2026
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
NOW BOOKING
Theatre: Dear England, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Nov 11-15
Theatre: Top Hat, Sunderland Empire, Nov 18-22
Talk: David Olusoga - A Gun Through Time, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Nov 20
Screen: Orlando, Star and Shadow Cinema, Newcastle, Nov 20
Theatre: Debbie Ticker Green readings, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Nov 22-27
Comedy: Andrew White - Rhinestone Comedian, Laurels Theatre, Whitley Bay, Nov 26
Music: The Wassail with Eliza Carthy & Jon Boden, Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, Nov 27
Event: Nightfall, Stewart Park, Middlesbrough, Nov 28-30
Music: Martin McAloon - Two Wheels Good, Cluny 2, Ouseburn, Newcastle, Dec 5-6
Music: Stereophonics, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Dec 6
Music: Music Against Child Poverty 2, Fire Station, Sunderland, Dec 7
Theatre: A Christmas Carol, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Newcastle, Dec 8
Event: Enchanted City, Northumbria University Campus, city centre, Dec 11-14
Music: Salty Dog, Alnwick Playhouse, Dec 13
Music: Jez Lowe’s Winter Wanderings, Bishop Auckland Town Hall, Dec 15
2026
Comedy: Mike Wosniak, The Stand Newcastle, Jan 19
Theatre: Mamma Mia! Newcastle Theatre Royal, Feb 11-28
Music: Ron Sexsmith, Fire Station, Sunderland, Feb 25
Theatre: Noughts + Crosses, Northern Stage, Feb 27 to Mar 7
Comedy: Harry Enfield and No Chums, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Mar 10
Comedy: Stevie Martin, Gala Theatre Durham, Mar 20
Music: Richard Ashcroft, Utilita Arena Newcastle, Apr 6
Theatre: Waitress, Sunderland Empire, May 4-9
Music: Kraftwerk, Stockton Globe, May 27
Music: Across the Universe, Darlington Hippodrome, June 30
Theatre: Derren Brown - Only Human Live, Stockton Globe, Jul 7-11
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 see, Big Ange at Live Theatre (Nov 6-22), Newcastle on November 8.
Set in a forgotten town held together by broken bus shelters and fading murals, the play - written and directed by Jamie Eastlake - follows a teenage football squad fighting to find meaning in a world of collapsing housing estates, Instagram hearts and glowing graffiti.
At its centre is Big Ange - a whistle-blowing dinner lady armed with blue jeans, a Neil Diamond playlist and the determination to make a difference.
The cast: Joann Condon, Gavin Webster, Curtis Appleby, Erin Mullen, Lucy Eve Mann and Ashen Hazel are promising to bring the story to life in a ‘surreal and spirited’ production that blends football, politics and community.
Jamie, whose previous work Gerry and Sewell sold out at Laurel’s, Live Theatre and Newcastle Theatre Royal, says he is excited and delighted with the cast who will serve up what promises to be a sharp, funny and urgent piece about growing up in a fractured political landscape.
Look out for David Whetstone’s full preview in the coming days.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: Sausages, Chips, Beans and tickets, please by noon, (12pm) on Friday, October 31, 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.