Curated Culture 30.06.26
From gigs and galleries to festival streets and fields - your weekly pick of North East culture
Hello, and welcome to this week’s Curated Culture.
Below awaits another carefully assembled collection of cultural doings from across the North East for the coming fortnight - spanning gigs, events, exhibitions, theatre, comedy and more.
This week also sees the introduction of a quick-look Festival Watch round-up, as the region’s summer festival season gets into full swing. Apologies if we’ve missed your favourite… but this is going to be an ongoing feature in the coming weeks, do drop us a line if you want to bring an event to our attention.
We’ve also gathered together things we’ve previously recommended which are still available to get in front of, alongside a few dates you may want to get into the diary sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile details of this week’s subscriber prize draw - a pair of tickets to see The Last Laugh at Darlington Hippodrome on August 18 - can be found at the end of the newsletter.
Happy scrolling.
Sam (Wonfor) and Dave (Whetstone)
Professionally pre-occupied with North East culture
EXHIBITION: Journey to the Great Below
Where: Baltic, Gateshead
When: From Saturday, July 4
Bookings and info: baltic.art
It’s changeover weekend at Baltic, coinciding with the Summer Block Party being co-hosted with The Glasshouse next door.
While there will be great local interest in the new Level 3 exhibition featuring the photography of Tish Murtha and Kuba Ryniewicz, Level 4 also promises visual delights.
This is where you’ll see the first major UK solo exhibition by Chitra Ganesh, born in Brooklyn in 1975 to parents from India.
Her Journey to the Great Below takes its name from her new large-scale animation getting its premiere showing here.
Inspired by an ancient myth from Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), it tells of Inanna, ‘Queen of Heaven’, and her perilous journey to face her sister, Ereshkigal, ‘Queen of the Underworld’.
The exhibition will also feature newly commissioned sculptural works and a site-specific wall drawing, along with recent paintings, prints and mixed media works.
Ganesh’s practice, rooted in drawing and painting, has been informed by literature, semiotics (the study of signs and symbols) and contemporary social theory.
But her visual vocabulary also draws from surrealism, science fiction, anime and South Asian visual culture.
FESTIVAL: Summer Streets
Where: Cliffe Park, Sunderland
When: July 4-5
Bookings and info: summerstreetsfestival.com
If you like your festivals with less fencing and more community spirit, Summer Streets may be your kind of weekend.
The brainchild and ongoing passion project of Ross Millard from The Futureheads, the free Sunderland weekender returns to Roker’s Cliffe Park this July with its trademark mix of live music, outdoor arts and grassroots creativity.
This year’s bill spans everyone from Martin McAloon of Prefab Sprout and The Lindisfarne Story band to Royal Northern Sinfonia, Houghton Brass and up-and-comers Swindled.
There’s also a performance of Dear Sunderland - Unfolding Theatre’s community response to the riots of 2024 and a showcase from the Young Musician’s Project - all against a pretty unbeatable seaside backdrop.
THEATRE: Fawlty Towers - The Play
Where: Newcastle Theatre Royal
When: Until July 4
Bookings and info:
Check in for chaos, calamity and a cascade of familiar punchlines as the stage incarnation of Fawlty Towers arrives back in the North East for a second stay.
Adapted by co-creator John Cleese from three classic episodes of the beloved BBC sitcom, the play serves up two hours of vintage farce, slapstick and mounting panic at Britain’s most dysfunctional hotel. Read our review from its run at Sunderland Empire
THEATRE: Derren Brown - Only Human
Where: Stockton Globe
When: July 7-11
Bookings and info: stocktonglobe.co.uk
Trying to explain a Derren Brown show rather misses the point - and, thankfully, audiences tend to be very good at keeping the details to themselves.
Only Human is his latest live production, blending illusion, psychology and theatrical sleight of hand in ways designed to surprise, unsettle and delight in equal measure.
If his track record is anything to go by, an evening that leaves plenty to think about long after you’ve left the venue.
FESTIVAL: Mouth of the Tyne Festival
Where: Tynemouth
When: July 9-12
Bookings and info: mouthofthetynefestival.com
Four nights of open air music at Tynemouth Castle & Priory provide this year’s headline acts at the 21st Mouth of the Tyne Festival.
The Friday and Sunday concerts (Ministry of Sound Classical and James, respectively) are sold out but there are tickets still available at the time of writing for Thursday (headlined by Merseyside indie rock band The K’s) and Saturday (when Self Esteem is the main attraction).
The action isn’t all within the castle and priory walls, however. On Saturday and Sunday it spills all over the village.
The festival parade is scheduled to begin at 11.15am on the Saturday with the theme this year being Folk. School and community groups, having worked with Salto Arts, will take to the streets in fabulous costumes to live music from the likes of Storytellers, Spanish City Rollers and Drumdin.
Various bands will perform on the Front Street Community Stage on Saturday which on Sunday becomes the Sunday for Sammy Stage. There will also be a Silent Disco on Front Street on both afternoons.
The Jazz Stage will see a full programme of music on both days and there will be street entertainers vying for your attention at various locations across the weekend.
TALK: Enchanted Wood
Where: Lit & Phil, Newcastle
When: Tuesday, July 7, 6pm
Booking & Info: litandphil.org.uk
Three years ago, American professor Kristin Bluemel’s research into Thomas Bewick, British wood engraving and children’s book illustration brought her to Newcastle.
That research found expression in her book Enchanted Wood: Engraving a Place for Women Artists in Rural Britain which was published last year.
Now Prof Bluemel, who teaches at Monmouth University in New Jersey, is back to talk about her book and her area of very special interest.
She will focus on the work of four women artists - Gwen Raverat (1885 - 1957), Agnes Miller Parker (1895 - 1980), Clare Leighton (1898 - 1989) and Joan Hassall (1906-88).
Weaving together accounts of their lives, and aided by images of their work, she will tell “a compelling and little-known story about a modern art that changed the way we see the visual and literary landscapes of modern Britain”.
She will argue that women artists used wood engraving to redraw professional and personal boundaries for themselves and for other women – and she will show how they were influenced by Thomas Bewick, carrying his legacy into the 20th Century.
THEATRE: Unearthed Festival
Where: Live Theatre, Newcastle
When: June 30 to July 11
Bookings and info: live.org.uk
Live Theatre’s annual celebration of new writing is back, offering a chance to catch brand new work at every stage of development - from first readings to fully formed performances.
This year’s programme has a strong feminist thread, spotlighting female, non-binary and trans voices across a schedule of theatre, comedy, cabaret and scratch performances.
Expect bold ideas, fresh perspectives and the occasional rough edge - exactly as it should be. Read our full preview here.
CARNIVAL: South Tyneside Summer Parade
Where: South Shields
When: Saturday, July 11, 1-5pm
Booking & Info: visitsouthtyneside.co.uk
A weekend of entertainment begins with the popular parade when more than 1,000 people in colourful costumes or uniforms will make their way from South Shields Market Place to Bents Park via King Street and Ocean Road.
Even more people will line the streets to see how groups across the borough have responded to this year’s theme, Wild and Wonderful – Colours of Our Community.
We can report that a fabulous highland cow and an elephant will join this year’s parade, along with other creations made from recycled materials.
The parade, delivered by South Tyneside Council and The Cultural Spring, with funding from Arts Council England, will be followed by an afternoon of family entertainment in Bents Park.
On Sunday, July 12 (12 noon to 3pm) there will be summer activities along Sandhaven Prom under the heading Entertainment by the Sea while Proms in the Park (3-5.30pm) will see classical and contemporary music performed in Bents Park by the South Tyneside Orchestra and guest singers.
Gates open at 2pm and admission is free. Deckchairs can be hired but you can bring your own.
SCREEN: 4x4 at Tyneside Cinema
Where: Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle
When: July 3
Bookings and info: tynesidecinema.co.uk
Short films take centre stage - or more accurately, screen - as 4×4 returns for its second quarterly showcase celebrating North East filmmaking.
The concept is pleasingly simple: four times a year, four standout short films from across the region get the big-screen treatment, shining a light on both emerging voices and established talent.
This edition features Funeral Car, Gilda, Hide and The Dianne Richardson Tapes, offering a varied mix of styles and storytelling.
Each screening will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers, giving audiences the chance to hear more about the craft behind the work.
MUSIC: The Water of Tyne - Reimagined
Where: The Glasshouse, Gateshead
When: From Saturday, July 11
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
This most poignant of North East folk songs must have been performed many times and in many different styles since this venue opened in 2004.
Now hear it performed differently again – woven into this ‘part treasure hunt/part listening lounge’ which is one of the free attractions on offer at The Glasshouse Family Fun Day on July 11.
BISHI, London-born but of Bengali heritage, is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer.
For this she has created three ‘sound worlds’ inspired by traditional folk songs and the sounds of The Glasshouse itself.
The first she has described as “a pure, layered vocal performance”, the second as “a textured landscape of industrial field recordings” and the third as a synthesis of voices and mechanical sounds.
To hear each one, you must spot a QR code, scan it with your phone and press play before “following your curiosity” to uncover the next.
BISHI has recorded work with a host of different artists and is known for her eclectic approach to music, having studied the sitar but also embraced technology.
🎉 FESTIVAL WATCH 🎉
Festival of Thrift, Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, July 4-5
Ouseburn Festival, various venues around Newcastle’s Ouseburn, July 4-5
In the Park Festival, Exhibition Park, Newcastle, July 8-12
Mouth of Tyne Festival, Tynemouth Priory and Castle, July 9-12
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
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
STILL SHOWING
Music: Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton - Radio Soul!: The Early Songs of Elvis Costello, Newcastle o2 City Hall, Jul 6
Event: Summer Block Party, Gateshead Quays, Jul 4
Music: The Spooky Men’s Chorale, Sage Two, The Glasshouse, Jul 4
Music: Across the Universe - A Celebration of The Beatles, Whitley Bay Playhouse, Jul 3
Exhibition: Norman Cornish – A Life in Sketchbooks, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Jun 27-Jan 3. Read our full report
Exhibition: Mourning Tea Tyne & Lost Frequencies, Globe Gallery, North Shields, ongoing
Music: Pitmen Poets, various North East venues until Jul 12. Read our preview
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
Screen: WHAM! 10 Days in China, Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle, Jul 28
Music: Penetration, The Grove, Newcastle, Jul 31
Family: Summery Tales Family Festival, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Aug 1
Theatre: Annie, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Aug 4-8
Theatre: Burlesque The Musical, Sunderland Empire, Aug 6-22
Screen/Event: Off the Rails screening + Q&A will Sally Phillips and Jules Williamson, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Aug 14
Dance: Adam Garcia’s Emerald Storm, Darlington Hippodrome, Sept 10
Comedy: Nina Gilligan - Lemoncake, The Stand Newcastle, Sept 13
Comedy: Tom Davis - Spudgun, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Sept 19
Screen: South with live score by Northern Silents, Forum Cinema, Hexham, Sept 27
Music: We Are Scientists, Boiler Shop Newcastle, Oct 6
Event: The Blindboy Podcast LIVE, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Oct 29
Theatre: A Mini Series of Groundbreaking American Play Readings, Live Theatre, Newcastle, Nov 11-14
Music: Squeeze with special guest, Billy Bragg, Newcastle o2 City Hall (Nov 16) and Stockton Globe (Nov 17)
2027
Comedy: Nicola Mantalios presents Zoe Explains It All, The Stand Newcastle, Jan 31
Theatre: The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Feb 3-6
Theatre: Jersey Boys, Sunderland Empire, May 25 to Jun 5
Music: Fisherman’s Friends, Sage One, The Glasshouse, Nov 6
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 The Last Laugh at Darlington Hippodrome on August 18.
It’s a simple but irresistible premise: what might happen if Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse found themselves sharing a dressing room?
The Last Laugh imagines the conversations that might unfold as three giants of British comedy reflect on life, death and the peculiar business of making people laugh.
Written and directed by Paul Hendy, the acclaimed stage hit blends humour with something a little more reflective, offering plenty for comedy fans to enjoy.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: Just Like That by 5pm on Sunday (July 5)
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.