When We Were Young takes the audience back to 1990s Glasgow where gang culture was at its worst and takes them on a nostalgic and emotional rollercoaster, as they follow the lives of one of the many young teams who polluted the street corners of the city. This production is both a hilarious and eye-opening look back to 1990s Glasgow as well as a heart-breaking story of stolen youth. This show contains strong language, adult humour and blood and is recommend for audiences aged 16+. Utter class - DAILY RECORD A triumph , one not to be missed - GLASGOW THEATRE BLOG Comedy that rages fast and furiously in this drama that offers a great night out for audiences. - THE SCOTSMAN So well conceived and beautifully presented - LISA IN THE THEATRE

Be proud. Be who you are. Be more penguin. Here’s what you need to know… I am Hamzeh. My favourite shisha flavour is double apple. I love dancing. Here’s what’s going to happen… There will be loud music. A wedding. My first time on a plane. A lot of moonlight. This is the story of my life (so far). People have a lot of questions. The answer is “Yes. I can do anything.” Full of humour and beauty, Hamzeh Al Hussien’s extraordinary story takes you on a personal tour of the places he knows best. His village in the Syrian mountains, Za’atarirefugee camp in Jordan, Gateshead (UK) and inside his mind: a place full of music, dancing, fantasies and marbles. Hamzeh invites the audience to be his childhood friends, to hold up the moon to light his way, and into his dreams, brushing the dust from his clothes…and taking the stage. Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts CouncilEngland, the British Council and the North Shields Cultural Quarter.

This ticket also includes free entry to the after hours festival jam . we encourage you to stick around and enjoy some more music, a drink and some socialising with us in the undercroft at 9.30 pm, after ant law has performed. Nauta are a contemporary jazz quintet that formed in early 2023 and have since worked to establish themselves among the developing jazz scene in the north east of England. Spending the last two years performing their original music to audiences at venues across the north of England, such as the Hexham Jazz Festival and their sell-out debut headline at the Globe, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, they are now looking toward releasing their music. Channelling the ferocity of jazz creators from the late 20th century and the folk melodicism of their ancestors, Nauta offers a breath of fresh air for the UK jazz scene. Their music showcases their collective unique improvisatory voice and welcomes audiences into their creative sphere.

This ticket also includes free entry to the after hours festival jam . we encourage you to stick around and enjoy some more music, a drink and some socialising with us in the undercroft at 9.30 pm, after ant law has performed. With the exception of infrequent, heavily disguised arrangements of standards and songbook classics, the group performs Ants compositions exclusively. His compositional voice continues to develop, drawing together and entwining a number of musical traditions. The instrumentation is an acoustic jazz quartet: alto sax, piano, acoustic bass & drums with the addition of Ants electric guitar. Through this sonic prism they explore harmonies from jazz/western classical music, rhythms from South India, grooves from contemporary music and even rock/folk influences. All five musicians are at the forefront of the contemporary jazz scene in London. And all are equally devoted to jazz history and traditional forms as they are driving jazz forwards and thinking freely about creative music making.

From the Producers of Love It If We Beat Them comes a new show about one man’s journey to self-acceptance.  After a bad break-up from a six-year relationship, a plus-sized, gay, primary school teacher decides to sublet his flat to buff Instagram model Jamie. At the same time, he launches himself into dating again but finds the world of apps a much crueller place to people like him than he remembers. As the humiliations he experiences online build, his feelings toward his new flatmate grow, until he is forced to face up to his own prejudices, toxicity and failures to the people who matter most.  Funny yet poignant, this solo-performed play tackles body image pressures, social media jealousy, and one gay man’s journey to self-acceptance head on, whilst navigating the toxic universal world of online dating.   Buff is written by new up-and-coming playwright Ben Fensome, presented by Emmerson and Ward Productions, and directed by The Stage Debut Award shortlisted Scott Le Crass (Rose, West End; Toxic, Home, Manchester). Content note: Age rating 15+. Strong language, sexual references and derogatory references to body size and shape.

Written by Emilie Robson Winner of the North East Playwriting Award we used to get the metty together there and back. We’d ga to the airport. Looking at everyone gan on holiday. Make up stories for who they were and that. Wasn’t a date or owt like that. That’s just what we did …’ A love letter to friendship, lost youth, naivety and our beloved (but sometimes flawed) local transport system, Dogs on the Metro follows Jen and Dean over a series of days, months and years as they travel back and forth on the network, reflecting on their competing and conflicting versions of the same, pivotal event that changed their lives forever.  Emilie Robson’s electrifying new play won the inaugural North East Playwrighting Award where it blew the judges away with its razor sharp writing and gripping portrait of young lives. Content note: Includes discussions about consent and sexual violence

Meet Danny, plastering since he was a kid, he’s not scared of anything, he's RUM. Danny’s been up all night and now he’s rushing to finish a job before he has to give the speech of his life. RUM is a darkly humorous and powerful new play that wrestles with masculinity, mental health and addiction in the trade.  We are proudly partnered with ANDYSMANCLUB, a men’s suicide prevention charity who offer free to attend peer-to-peer support groups for men aged over 18 across the UK and online. 

A moving tale of love, loss and football  Written by Jeff Brown  Directed by Olivia Millar-Ross   A touching and humorous tale of two young people struggling to survive against the odds in their very different lives. This poignant, heartwarming and sensitive love story is set against the darker side of professional football and life on the economic edge. Vicky is a single mum, overwhelmed by everyday pressures, while Adi - the local team's new signing - is struggling to find his place, on and off the pitch. Seemingly worlds apart, the pair meet by chance on a park bench and discover they have more in common than they might at first have imagined.  This is the work of former BBC TV Look North presenter Jeff Brown, an award-winning reporter who has covered news and sport in the North East for almost 40 years. The Bench is Jeff's second play, and is now embarking on a long-awaited regional tour.  Show Racism the Red Card supports the North East & Cumbria tour of The Bench. 

Do you mind if we tell you some stories?   Remythed takes the myths and legends from the backgrounds of its performers and reshapes, reforms, and retells them. From Sheherazade, to Anansi, by way of Lady Godiva – see our stories in ways you've never seen them before, in a show full of insight, dreams and wisdom that'll leave you joyful, a bit tearful and questioning every story you've ever been told. LGBTQIA+ people have always been here; it's time our collective myths reflected that fact. Remythed delights in a joyful reimagination of what queer history could look like.  Remythed began life at VAULT Festival in London 2023 where it won Show of the Week. It is the debut show of Bet’n Lev Theatre. Bet’n Lev Theatre was founded by Artistic Directors Roann Hassani McCloskey (Who Murdered My Cat, Hakawatis) and Joel Samuels (Cutting the Tightrope, Sugar Coat, Fever Pitch, Holby City). Reflecting their heritages Bet’n is an Anglicised version of the word “Belly” in both Hebrew and Arabic whilst Lev is Hebrew for “Heart.”  Remythed features and was developed by Joel and Roann with Ishmael Kirby (Moll and the Future Kings, Bridges Y Puentes, Grills), Lucy Roslyn (Orlando, Pennyroyal) and Emile Clarke (Crimes on Centre Court, The Little Mermaid, Scarlet Pimpernel.) Content note: swearing, references to violence, racism and homophobia.

re you sitting comfortably? Is your phone turned off? Popcorn securely in your lap? Ever wished you could unwatch your favourite movie just so you could watch it all over again?   Then it’s time to meet your hosts for the evening.. wannabe popstar Bonnie Love and singing sweetheart Gloria Love as they introduce you to The House of Love for a night at the movies but PLOT TWIST! It’s like you’ve never seen them before.   Step through the screen and feast your eyes on stunning performances direct from Newcastle’s vibrant LGBTQ+ cabaret scene, it’s pocket rocket Costa Fortune, dancing diva Cherri Bomb and the voguing diva Chai Tea.   Expect roles reversed, bits added or taken away, an entirely new queer perspective that you didn’t know you needed - reimagined, rewritten and retold! Content note: contains strong language and adult humour

Jump aboard the queerest Tardis in time and space for a night of cosmic drag and cabaret, all inspired by the greatest TV show in the universe – Doctor Who. As we adventure through the variety-vortex, prepare for a supermassive night of extraterrestrial entertainment feat. an interstellar line-up, lots of surprises, and all the cosmic chaos you could dream of… Because as always with the Doctor – expect the unexpected… Our vortex manipulators are fully-charged, our sonics are ready to be screwdrivered. We’re gonna exterminate the dancefloor, cos there ain’t no party like a Time Lord party. The future is here, and it’s queer! “Hilarious and beautiful and wonderful and wild. Actually, one of the best nights of my whole life” - Russell T Davies “Celebrates Doctor Who in the most fun, feel-good way possible, in a space where everyone is welcome” - The Reviews Hub Content note: Strong language, adult themes, partial nudity, loud noises, flashing and moving lights, haze.

Presented by Awkward Productions. After the success of Gwyneth Goes Skiing at Live Theatre, Awkward Productions are back with their multi award winning, Edinburgh Fringe sell-out show Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story.  Do you know the story of Diana? Probably. But do you know this story of Diana? We very much doubt it. Join Diana in heaven as she shares the untold and untrue tale of her extraordinary life.  Combining drag, multimedia, audience interaction, puppetry and a lot of queer joy – this unique celebration of the peoples princess has won multiple awards and sold out venues across the UK. A celebration of Ar Di that is as hilarious as it is tasteless. Visiting Newcastle for the very first time, fresh from a World tour. 

A One Woman Play performed by Josie Lawrence Created especially for Live, Josie Lawrence is coming for two special nights to perform her one woman show. There is no script. She is going to make a brand-new play, right there in front of you. No preparation, no map. Just herself, a live musician and you the audience. She will need your help to decide, what next….

Paines Plough, Live Theatre and Ellie Keel Productions in association with Synergy Theatre Project present Ordinary Decent Criminal. Set in the years following the Strangeways Prison Riot, meet recovering addict Frankie, played by renowned political comedian Mark Thomas as he enters the brave new world of a liberal prison experiment. None of Frankie’s fellow convicts are what they seem. In the most unexpected of places he discovers that the revolution is not dead, it’s just sleeping. A brand new play from the writer of the Fringe First winning England & Son and A Political History of Smack & Crack, Ed Edwards reunites with Mark Thomas to tell a tale of freedom, revolution and messy love.

New Writing North and Live Theatre present Book of Crow By Anna Barker A dramatic poetry reading with live music by The Shining Levels. Acclaimed North East writer Anna Barker’s stunning book of poems is brought to life in this special event with a company of actors and live musicians. Presented as a dialogue between a woman and a belligerent crow, the piece swings between heartache and humour as it explores loss and the emotions that orbit it. This production is a Durham Book Festival commission, in partnership with Live Theatre, with support from Arts Council England.

Worklight Theatre presents It's The Economy, Stupid! Based on a true story of a family caught up in the 90s recession, It's the Economy, Stupid! reveals the humanity behind economics. Armed with bags, boxes and an old board game, Joe Sellman-Leava and Dylan Howells embark on a quest to uncover how the economy wins elections, and why the force that dominates our lives is so bloody complicated! Developed with and directed by internationally acclaimed Katharina Reinthaller, and produced by Worklight Theatre, It's the Economy, Stupid! is a bold new play from the Fringe First winning creators of Labels and Fanboy, touring the UK after its sold-out, critically acclaimed run at Edinburgh Fringe!

This ticket also includes free entry to the after hours festival jam . we encourage you to stick around and enjoy some more music, a drink and some socialising with us in the undercroft at 9.30pm, after ant law has performed. NOEL DENNIS: Noel Dennis with his quartet that includes Mark Williams on guitar and Andy Champion on bass performing a mixture of be-bop and post-bop. Expect to hear jazz influenced by some of Noels favourite trumpet players Miles Davis, Tom Harrell, Chet Baker and Woody Shaw, with a selection of standards thrown into the mix that will be thoroughly explored through deep improvisation. JOE STEELS: Since moving to the North East, Joe Steels continues to establish himself as an exciting guitarist on the jazz scene. He plays with a deep consideration of the tradition, mixed with innovation and a strong melodic sense. He draws inspiration from Grant Green, John Scofield, and British guitarist Mike Walker, among others. Joe has performed across the UK with British jazz greats such as Arnie Somogyi, Ross Stanley, and Andy Panayi. He has performed at the Love Supreme, Newcastle Jazz Festival, and many other venues. Joe currently leads his own project Borealis, releasing their debut album in May 23, and touring in the summer.