Cathedrals and castles are among the stunning settings preparing to host some late spring and early summer treats guaranteed to suit those looking for something a bit different to the usual.
Tickets are on sale now for a range of special events and shows in the North East which include a one-off talk in a Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland which will bring its own history to life and a stunning moving light show inside Durham Cathedral. Other locations - every bit as special as the events they host - include The Keep in Newcastle and Gateshead's world-class music centre.
Among the events on offer are Proms concerts, film screenings and tours which will certainly make a change from the usual outing or a routine trip to the pub. With the weather finally improving enough to encourage even the most dedicated couch potato outdoors, now is the time to make the most of the last of spring and start of summer.
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Everyone seems to agree that the year is flying by. So, with April already almost over and the concert season set to get under way - check out the guide to North East festivals here - why not get cracking on booking out your diary. Here's our pick of suggestions of extra-special treats which have tickets available now.
See Durham Cathedral in a new light
When spectacular sound and light show Life, by artists Luxmuralis, had a debut run at Durham Cathedral last October, it sold out so quickly that many people did not get a chance to see it. Blending stirring music and dazzling light projections, it flooded the interior of the cathedral with colour and constantly-changing patterns as visitors made their way around the 1133 building on a journey taking in themes of earth, sea and sky.
Now the cathedral has announced that Luxmuralis will be back with a whole new experience this October, called Science, which no doubt will prove more like an artwork and a moving one at that. This time the theme will be the elements, DNA and the great scientists of history, and immersive soundscapes throughout the cathedral will explore the history of chemistry and biology and our understanding of the world.
Andrew Usher, chief officer for visitor experience and enterprise, is delighted to welcome back the artists and said: "We've released the tickets much earlier this year as in 2022 the show was sold out from the first night with over 12,300 people visiting the cathedral during the five-night run". He said the new show will follow a different route and, in view of last year's "fantastic response", he urged people to book early.
The immersive evening show's October 11-15 run goes on sale at 11am this Friday, April 21. Tickets - costing £8.50 (£4.75 for under-18s and free for under-threes) have time-slots and must be pre-booked: see here.
Follow in footsteps of history at Bamburgh Castle
The Northumberland castle's atmospheric setting will provide the backdrop to an author event on May 12 where history will feel very much alive. Annie Garthwaite will be there to talk about her debut book Cecily, a female perspective on the Wars of the Roses and the event will be held in the very spot in the castle that played a turning-point role at the time.
The book, chosen as a 'top pick' by The Times, tells of Cecily Neville - described as one of England’s greatest medieval women - who was matriarch of the House of York which fought the House of Lancaster for control of the English throne. Bamburgh was the first castle to fall due to gunpowder during the famous 15th century war, when cannons breached its walls in 1464, and Annie's talk will take place in the very section of the castle which fell.
Originally from the region, she wrote Cecily after deciding - at the age of 55 - to give up her 30-year high-flying career as a businesswoman and turn to writing. At Bamburgh she will be revealing the extraordinary character at the heart of her book: the mother to kings Edward IV and Richard III who was also a mover and shaker in her own right as well as a fine strategist and politician.
Tickets for the 11am event cost £19.95, which includes refreshments upon arrival at 10.30am and then all-day admission to the castle and its grounds. See here.
Putting Newcastle Cathedral in the picture
A major touring national exhibition has arrived in Newcastle and has made a dramatic entrance at this city landmark, which also features in it. The English Cathedral is a photographic show by Magnum photographer Peter Marlow and is free to visit.
The late artist's images show the magnificent interiors of all 42 English Anglican cathedrals and their changing architectural faces - which he travelled the country to capture, sparked by an initial commission from the Royal Mail to create six commemorative stamps of cathedrals to mark the 300-year anniversary of the completion of the St Paul’s Cathedral.
He called his ensuing journey "memorable and wonderfully hypnotic, a kind of reflective pilgrimage". And now the plan is to display the work at each venue in turn, making up another photographic pilgrimage.
The exhibition, organised by The Peter Marlow Foundation charity which was set up to continue the photographer's legacy following his death in 2016, has been to 12 cathedrals so far, including St Paul's itself and Hereford, and it will be on show in Newcastle until May 24.
Peter took the portrait of Newcastle Cathedral in 2010 and it looks different to how it does today, following its revamp work in 2020-21. He took it one dawn, in natural light, and the quiet scene shows the ‘long view’ of the nave, looking east from the medieval font and taking in the oak ceiling, 14th century stone arches, Victorian pews - which are now gone - and the high altar.
By contrast it is now on display in a space with modern LED lighting added in 2020 to cut electricity use and the carbon footprint. The Very Reverend Dr Jane Hedges, interim dean of Newcastle, said the building has been shaped by generations but its role remains the same and she added: “Peter Marlow captured the timeless nature of cathedrals through photographing these sacred spaces at dawn using natural light, which is exactly how they would have appeared for hundreds of years."
For more information see here and keep an eye out for an upcoming photographic competition linked to the exhibition.
Bringing BBC Proms to Gateshead
Tickets go on sale this weekend for the first weekend-long Proms festival at Sage Gateshead. This summer, the music centre will join the Royal Albert Hall in London to become a home to the BBC Proms live broadcasts.
Music fans can expect six concerts across three days - four of which also will be scheduled on BBC Radio 3 - designed to both capture 'the magic' of the Proms and celebrate 'exceptional' music made in the North East. The coming line-up promises a mix of classical, jazz and pop superstars including Self Esteem, Yazz Ahmed and Arun Ghosh; Reginald Mobley and Baptiste Trotignon and Royal Northern Sinfonia.
Sage choirs Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia and Voice’s of the River’s Edge will feature too while a CBeebies Ocean Adventure event will be an opportunity to introduce young ones to live music's pleasures. For the full July 21-23 programme and to buy tickets which will go on sale at noon on April 22 see here.
Alien encounter in medieval Newcastle Keep
You might feel you've seen classic kids' film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial a million times but we bet you haven't seen it quite like this before, with a screening in the historic Great Hall of the Castle Keep in Newcastle. And the same could be said for Harry Potter movies which are on its film programme too.
Steven Spielberg's 1982 heart-warmer will be shown at the Keep on June 23 and those keen to book up for the one-off experience - which is on sale now - are reminded to wrap up when they go as it can get extremely cold within those castle walls even in summer. For tickets, £12, to the early evening screening - and for details of the rest of the film programme including those Harry Potter movies, Blackadder and Pulp Fiction - see here.
Journey back in time at Tyne Theatre
It's not often you get a chance to see how theatre worked in Victorian times but that's what is what will be on offer at this 150-year-old city theatre when it hosts one of its rare tours on May 7. As well as exploring secret areas behind the scenes and under the stage you will get to see the original wooden stage machinery still in place, including a fascinating demon and fairy trap used in various Victorian stage spectaculars.
The Tyne Theatre & Opera House was built in Westgate Road in 1867 and the Grade I-listed building boasts a beautiful auditorium and great acoustics on-stage where back in the day a big transformation scene could take 30-plus people to engineer from below the boards, with those operating the machinery often being former sailors who had experience of working with ropes and wooden structures.
Book the morning tour here. There will be another on June 10. The cost is only £8 (plus processing fee) and group bookings are possible, with an option to add tea or coffee and biscuits for £2 each or you could substitute cake for the biscuits for £3.
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