Imagine sitting in a comfortable rural venue, lights turned low and a bar…and listening to stories being read to you by a wonderful and talented group of professional actors… That is what’s on offer this week in beautiful Northumberland…Humshaugh and Felton to be precise. Haunted is a delicious collection of ghost story readings for Halloween […]
North East Bylines had the pleasure of attending the premiere of series three of BBC’s ‘Angels of the North’ in Newcastle last night. This programme follows the lives of the staff at Sammy-Jo Pearson’s salon ‘Longlox’ in Gateshead. The series has now branched out to also follow staff at Pure Ink, a Newcastle tattoo parlour […]
Pentland Primary School in Billingham hosted the two final performances of Balbir Singh Dance Company’s enchanting ‘The Two Fridas’ this month. Nearly two hundred of the school’s students aged between seven and eleven had the privilege of seeing a gem of performance art they will always remember. ‘The Two Fridas’ dance-theatre Billingham International Folklore […]
Kitchen Zoo heads back into the deep, dark woods this autumn with The Three Bears, for under fives and their grown ups at Northern Stage. The show runs from 25 October – 13 November 2021. The Three Bears was created by Kitchen Zoo in 2018 in association with Northern Stage. It is directed by Capapie’s […]
After years of the Oddsocks Christmas Panto, The Queen’s Hall in Hexham, recently bucked the trend by commissioning their own offering with a seasonal play A Viking Christmas – neatly tied into the Hexham’s Festival of Flame in 2019. The product was a beautiful Geordie story – weaving in Northumbrian myths and legends to our […]
Award-winning British comedian Sarah Millican is currently in Middlesbrough for her Bobby Dazzler tour, gracing Middlesbrough Town Hall with plenty of laughter. Sarah made the audience feel welcome on her first night in Middlesbrough, bringing everyone in to share their lockdown experiences and having a laugh alongside herself. For a night of relatable pandemic anecdotes […]
“To you, Baldrick, the Renaissance was just something that happened to other people, wasn’t it?” If there’s one thing we need right now, it’s a good laugh. So the People’s Theatre in Heaton tell us that they are delighted to oblige by bringing you the BBC comedy classic Blackadder II. As Blackadder strives to use […]
Live Theatre, Newcastle reopened on Thursday 2 September and returning audiences are benefiting from a capital investment programme which has delivered significant improvements to the quayside venue’s ventilation and heating system. The works, part of Live Theatre Fit for 50 initiative to decarbonise the theatre, were supported using public funding by Arts Council England and […]
Independent today announces Waves, Sunderland’s all new multi-venue music festival. Waves will see artists from across the region perform on Saturday 6 November across five different venues in the city, including The Peacock, Independent, The Ship Isis, The Bunker and Live Lounge. Ben Richardson says: “We’re super excited to finally be launching Sunderland’s very own […]
This autumn Durham singer-songwriter Sam Slatcher will be taking fans on special gigs around the landscapes that inspires his music. From nature reserves to ancient ruins, and from hidden architecture to the impressive Durham Cathedral, the folk songwriter will be performing his songs on a series of ‘wandering gigs’ in and around Durham. The idea was inspired […]
On the 35th anniversary of Jim Cartwright’s joyous and anarchic masterpiece, the residents of Road are relocated to the North East in the first show Artistic Director Natalie Ibu will direct for Northern Stage. Natalie said: “I’m excited to be working with a brilliant cast and creative team to explore the intersectionality between race, class […]
Disney’s prequel to the classic 101 Dalmatians, Cruella tells the story of how one of the most evil Disney villains came to power. The movie takes us to the fashion scene in 1960’s London, where Estella is making her debut as a designer. Orphaned and with a unique style, Estella catches the eye of the […]
Things were looking fairly encouraging for entertainer, Roy Chubby Brown, last week. After his show at Sheffield City Hall was cancelled by the City Council over concerns that his humour did not coincide with their values, a petition was set up to protest the ban. By the time it was reported in Gazette, on 7 […]
BBC Introducing and Radio X featured artist Michael Gallagher, from Hartlepool, will be embarking upon a 700 mile round trip to play two UK festivals at opposite ends of the country less than 24 hours apart. This is the first festival season Michael is involved with and was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity […]
This Saturday thousands of musicians and artists gathered outside The Royal Albert Hall on The Last Night of The Proms to show solidarity and raise awareness to the plight of our touring arts industries, many of whom are now facing ruin since leaving the European Union. David Martin, Chief Executive Officer of Featured Artists Coalition […]
The People’s Theatre will be welcoming audiences back this month with Charlotte Keatley’s highly-acclaimed My mother said I never should, a warm and poignant exploration of womanhood set against the huge social changes of the twentieth century. My mother said I never should Years pass in emotional rather than chronological order as four generations of […]
There are two Tom Browns, I could never meet, one fictitious and the other an unsung WW2 North Shields boy-hero, whose actions helped break the Enigma code and help shorten the war. In ‘Tom Brown’s Schooldays’ published in 1857, set in Rugby school, Thomas Hughes the author describes the unwritten rules that create a brutal […]
Local dance teacher, Lauren Rafferty, and her group of dancers recently recorded a video at Saltwell Park. Their dance is a fusion of modern ‘Western’, with Kizomba. Kizomba is an African dance, originating from Angola and is normally danced with a partner. Lauren explains: “Unfortunately due to the pandemic, when we started rehearsals we were […]
North East theatre fans have a real treat in store as the theatres are starting to open up. And Alphabetti is no exception. Shows start from today. All tickets are ‘pay what you feel’ but you must book, and tickets will go fast. Pod by Arabella Arnott Performances start with Pod by Arabella Arnott, directed […]
Review of ‘Free School Meals’ at Northern Stage Newcastle-based ‘Unfolding Theatre’ is one of the region’s most precious cultural assets, making eclectic big-hearted performance work rooted in community participation and co-production. Their latest offering ‘Free School Meals’ is set in a restaurant called ‘The Future’ where children are in charge and grown-ups are the apprentices. […]
When will it dawn on you we are anything but friends? Still, 75p says you’ll stick with me until the bitter end. Were you hoping that my gloss would grub off on your sleeve? You’re as foreign to me as the refugee I spit on as they leave. Just because our target’s placed on someone […]
Tonight, Independent, in Holmeside, will host Club Six Twenty, a one-off art club night aimed at people who enjoy festivals, going to gigs and cabaret nights, which have been hit hard by Covid-19 restrictions. Club Six Twenty is being produced and delivered by theatre company The Six Twenty as part of Sunderland Culture’s Unlocking the […]
Local Indie-Pop artist and producer, Sam French is releasing a second single Fade on 24 September. This is an exciting new step in his solo evolution and career. I asked Sam to tell us a bit about himself and his music. Sam is from Sunderland, although he admits to being a Newcastle United fan! He says that […]
Live Theatre announces the line-up of plays for Your Voice Live Theatre has announced the seven short plays selected for Your Voice: North East. The writers and artists commissioned have not previously had work performed professionally at Live Theatre so it is a great opportunity for audiences to experience work by new voices and the […]
Lottie Willis is an immensely talented songwriter ready to explode out of the Sunderland music scene. At just 17 years old she has already gained an anticipative audience across the North East with radio support from BBC Introducing as well as performing shows for the likes of Summer Streets Festival (run by The Futureheads’ Ross […]
Inspired by Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end child food poverty, Unfolding Theatre’s Free School Meals puts kids in charge in a new show about power, inequality and hope for change. Rehearsals are now well underway and the show opens tomorrow. It runs from 25 – 28 August. Inadequate food parcels During the pandemic, kids were given food […]
Molly Moselle (that was her stage name; her real name as Mary Burslem) was a dancer but, like most people in theatre then and now, she couldn’t always find get a performing job and was forced to take on other work, so in January 1949 she was an ASM (Assistant Stage Manager) on a touring […]
Queen’s Hall Arts Centre in Hexham has announced it will reopen this month with an exciting programme featuring live music, some of the biggest names on the UK comedy circuit, theatre and family shows. Queen’s Hall Artistic Director Katy Taylor said: “The staff team, trustees and volunteers are pleased to be able to welcome back […]
Disney Pixar’s Onward hit the streaming platform Disney+ in early 2020. The film is centred around brothers Ian and Barley as they attempt to cast a spell to bring back their late father for 24 hours. The spell fails, and they have to set off to find the components they need to try the spell […]
