News: Durham Free Fringe Returns This Summer — And It's Looking for Acts

Durham Free Fringe Returns This Summer 

And It's Looking for Acts

Durham's newest festival fixture is back and already building momentum. Durham Free Fringe has opened applications for its second edition, running Wednesday 29th July to Sunday 2nd August 2026 — and artists across all disciplines are invited to get involved.

Modelled on the ethos of the Edinburgh Free Fringe, the event operates on a simple but powerful premise: you don't need a fully-equipped venue to put on a great show. All you need is a room and an audience. By partnering with local pubs — with The Holy GrAle on Crossgate again serving as the main hub — Durham Free Fringe keeps the barrier to entry low for both performers and audiences alike. Admission is free, though audiences are warmly encouraged to donate to acts they've enjoyed.

The festival welcomes artists from across the spectrum: theatre, comedy, music, spoken word, and beyond. Shows running between 40 and 75 minutes will be programmed as standalone events, while shorter acts will be brought together in mixed-bill formats — including the returning stand-up night, (Just Off The) Bailey Banter.

Organisers are keen to stress that Durham Free Fringe is a complement to Durham Fringe, not a competitor. Artists who've applied to Durham Fringe are actively encouraged to consider the Free Fringe too — whether as a fallback if their application is unsuccessful, or as an opportunity to bring an additional show to the city.

A note for technically ambitious productions: the venues operate with basic technical support, so complex lighting rigs and full blackouts aren't on the cards. The spirit here is creative adaptability — making the most of the space you're in.

Programming begins in April. Applications are open now at durhamfreefringe.co.uk, with enquiries welcome at hello@durhamfreefringe.co.uk. The earlier you apply, the more options the team will have to offer you a good slot. 

Preview: I, DANIEL BLAKE at Newcastle Northern Stage

I, DANIEL BLAKE

Newcastle Northern Stage, 

Friday 20 March – Thursday 2 April 2026

Adapted by Dave Johns  

Produced by Northern Stage in association with Leeds Playhouse

From the Palme d'Or and BAFTA award-winning film directed by Ken Loach, written by Paul Laverty

First produced to great acclaim in 2023, I, Daniel Blake returns to Northern Stage — the theatre where it was born — before embarking on a new UK tour. Dave Johns, the actor, comedian and original Daniel Blake, adapted Ken Loach's devastating Palme d'Or-winning film for the stage, and the result remains one of the most urgent pieces of political theatre to emerge from the North East in years.

The story is a simple but devastating one. Daniel Blake is a 59-year-old Newcastle joiner who, following a heart attack, is deemed unfit for work by his doctor — yet rejected for Employment and Support Allowance by a government assessor. Caught between a system that won't support him and a jobs market he can't safely re-enter, Daniel is forced to navigate an online bureaucracy designed, it seems, to defeat him. Along the way he befriends Katie, a young single mother with two children who has been relocated from London to Newcastle, equally bruised by the same indifferent machinery. Their friendship, and their shared defiance, is the beating heart of the play.

Director Mark Calvert and lead actor David Nellist — winner of Best Performing Artist at the 2023 North East Culture Awards — both return to the production, with Jessica Johnson joining as Katie. Together they ask the question at the heart of the piece: has anything really changed?

Calvert is a working class theatre-maker from the North East, and his connection to this material is deeply personal. During the original run he visited Newcastle food banks regularly, witnessing first-hand the scale of need in the city. That experience shaped a production which never tips into sentimentality, instead trusting its audience — many of whom will recognise the world on stage — to draw their own conclusions. "This production stands as a testament to the need for realignment," he has said, "a call to keep telling these stories until our country truly supports its most vulnerable."

David Nellist is a Newcastle native, known to television audiences from Sherlock and Stonehouse, while his stage work spans West End productions including Billy Elliott, War Horse, and the Olivier Award-nominated Animal Farm. His return to the role of Daniel is a homecoming in every sense — he grew up in Wallsend and his award-winning portrayal has been described as one of the most committed performances seen on a North East stage in recent memory.

Jessica Johnson takes on the role of Katie and brings formidable credentials to the part. A Journal Culture Award winner, she is perhaps best known locally for the multi-award-winning Key Change with Open Clasp Theatre and the 40th Anniversary National Tour of Educating Rita. Her television credits include Vera, Casualty and Coronation Street. She is an instinctive, deeply naturalistic actor, and the scenes between her and Nellist in the original production were among the most emotionally charged of any show in the region that year.

Completing the ensemble are four actors who all appeared in the original run: Micky Cochrane — Performing Artist of the Year at the NE Culture Awards 2025, and a cornerstone of North East theatre for decades — alongside Janine Leigh, Kema Sikazwe, and Jodie Wild. Their collective experience and familiarity with the material gives this revival a lived-in assurance that a fresh cast could not replicate.

The creative team is equally strong. Designer Rhys Jarman, Lighting Designer Simisola Majekodunmi and Movement Director Martin Hylton return alongside Calvert to recreate a production that won Excellence in Touring at the 2023 UK Theatre Awards. At the same year's North East Culture Awards, Dave Johns took home Best Writer and Nellist Best Performing Artist — a rare double that reflected the depth of quality on and off the stage.

The statistics behind the story are hard to ignore. UK food banks distributed 2.9 million emergency food parcels in 2024–25 — a 51% rise in five years. In October 2024, around 3.2 million of the poorest households cut back on food or went hungry. I, Daniel Blake does not lecture its audience about these numbers. It simply shows you one man, one woman, two children — and what happens when the state turns its back.

Tickets:

Running: 20 March – 2 April 2026 

Box Office: 0191 230 5151

Online: www.northernstage.co.uk

Venue: Northern Stage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RH

Preview: The Enormous Crocodile at Darlington Hippodrome

North East Theatre Guide  ·  Spring 2026  ·  Family & Children's Theatre

World Tour ★ Darlington Hippodrome

The Enormous
Crocodile

The Musical — based on the beloved Roald Dahl story

Darlington Hippodrome  |  Thu 16 – Sat 18 April 2026

🌿

One of Roald Dahl's most mischievous creations snaps his way on to the Darlington Hippodrome stage this April in a riotously entertaining new musical — bursting with puppetry, original songs, and enough comic peril to delight every member of the family.

The production brings the jungle to life through an extraordinary cast of five performers who are, quite literally, quadruple threats: singers, actors, dancers and puppeteers. At its heart is an audacious five-metre-long crocodile puppet — the creative cornerstone around which director Emily Lim and puppetry designer Toby Olié have built an entire animal kingdom.

Show Details

Venue Darlington Hippodrome

Dates 16 – 18 April 2026

Director Emily Lim

Puppetry Design Toby Olié

Box Office 01325 405405

In Conversation: Emily Lim & Toby Olié

How did puppetry become central to the show's identity?

Emily Lim: It was an epic, gradual process of working out how to make the story live as a piece of musical theatre — honouring Dahl's original while being radical where it would enhance the spirit of the material. We decided very early on that puppetry would give children in the audience the most magical, fun experience of the jungle animals. Meeting Toby and his wild imagination was a real turning point in understanding how hilarious and inspiring this dimension could be.

What were the biggest creative challenges in developing a puppet musical from scratch?

Emily: Finding the alchemy between our performers and their puppets was essential. How do these puppets sing? How do they groove? How does this particular puppet bounce around on a trampoline? Our company are amazing — juggling an extraordinary range of skills, committing songs and lines to memory while discovering all the different physical beats of each scene with their puppets. It's been a huge learning curve, and the results are spectacular.

Do you have a favourite puppet in the show?

Emily: I love them all, but there was a moment in one draft where we nearly cut Humpy Rumpy entirely — so perhaps him. Oh, and the plate of carbonara. That's a favourite.

Toby Olié: Mine is definitely the Enormous Crocodile himself. The sheer scale and playfulness of how we portray him onstage feels equal parts joyful and thrilling. The initial design concept was really the bedrock for the entire show's puppetry — it shaped how the performers would portray every animal.

Even more riotous than I could have imagined. By the finale audiences are practically dancing in their seats — and the adults are just as hooked as the children from the opening number.

— Toby Olié, Co-Director & Puppetry Designer

Is this a show for children, or for everyone?

Toby: Absolutely everyone. In puppetry it is so often assumed the work is only for children — but the last few decades have seen puppetry play a huge part in shows for the widest range of audiences. Productions that genuinely entertain and forge connections across multiple generations are wonderful things, and something I'm very proud of The Enormous Crocodile achieving. Families arrive with excited children, and by the end of the opening number the adults are just as hooked.

What should North East audiences know before they book?

Toby: Our combination of fantastic songs, hilarious anarchy and a menagerie of playful puppets keeps you engrossed from start to finish. Our cast of five incredible performers are quadruple threats: singers, actors, dancers and puppeteers — who wouldn't want to see them work their magic? And be aware — we're a deceptively big show. Our cast does feature an elephant, a hippo, and a five-metre-long crocodile.

Book Your Tickets

Thu 16 – Sat 18 April 2026  ·  Darlington Hippodrome
Call the Box Office: 01325 405405

darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

North East Theatre Guide  ·  Spring 2026 Preview by North East Theatre Guide

 

 

REVIEW: TINA – The Tina Turner Musical at Newcastle Theatre Royal

TINA – The Tina Turner Musical 

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Tuesday 3 to Saturday 14 March 2026

I have seen enough jukebox musicals now to generally know what to expect - sparkles, fun and the odd song awkwardly shoehorned into a story. I’ve also seen enough to understand that perception of jukebox musicals amongst the more serious theatre types isn’t always the most positive, and this is what first struck me about Tina. No matter who I spoke to about the show, everyone was full of praise, applauding how well the show tells the painful tale of a woman from Nutbush, Tennessee, who became one of the biggest stars in the world. Having seen it, I now know that this is a jukebox musical unlike any other.

The musical takes you on a journey through Tina’s life, from her humble beginnings as a young girl singing too loudly at church, through her tumultuous and abusive marriage to Ike Turner and finally onto her hard-won success as a solo artist. Whilst Tina’s story, particularly the abuse she suffered at the hands of Ike, is fairly well-known, what often gets forgotten is how much she had to overcome to succeed in a music business that discriminated against her based on her race, gender and even her age. The show does not shy away from any of these difficult topics, taking you on the journey with Tina as she simply refuses to give in. The violence, racism and discrimination genuinely draw gasps from the audience, and make the moments of affection, joy and success all the more poignant.

Elle Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi plays Tina, and honestly, words fail me. She is an absolute tour de force and it is simply impossible to peel your eyes away from her. She brings new meaning to the words “triple threat” in theatre - her performance demands attention in every word, every line, every step. Indeed, I spent much of the show in awe at the sheer athleticism of Ma-Kinga N’Zuzi - not a beat was missed, and her dancing at the very end of the show was as polished and energetic as it was at the start, even when delivering astonishingly powerful notes in the big numbers. 

The cast are strong, particularly vocally, with some wonderful performances by both leads and ensemble performers. David King-Yombo gives an impressive performance as the talented but abusive Ike, whilst Tina’s family dynamic is brilliantly portrayed by Claude East as Gran Georgeanna, Georgia Gillam as her sister Alline and Letitia Hector as her mother Zelma. A special mention must be made to the professionalism with which the cast and the theatre staff handled a show stop in the second act, due to a medical emergency in the audience. Whilst these things do unfortunately happen, all involved responded quickly and theatre staff, cast and crew were rightfully applauded by how they handled the situation. Several of the cast have mentioned this on social media, and I would like to reiterate their sentiments and wish the person who took ill a swift recovery. 

The staging of the musical is reasonably simplistic for most of the show, reliant upon the large screen at the back of the stage. This works well, allowing the emphasis to be on the performances rather than on huge scene changes. It also means that there is little distraction from every brilliant costume, from the sequins to the satin. A special shout out to the Wigs, Hair and Make-Up team, because, as you can imagine, there is no Tina Turner musical without a huge range of hairstyles. Finally, the finale scene is sheer theatrical perfection, with clever staging that allows for a real feel-good party at the end of the show. 

I have been humming Tina Turner songs for most of the day, from Private Dancer and Proud Mary to I Can’t Stand The Rain and of course, (Simply) The Best, but the musical will stay with me for a long time, and not just down to an absolutely banging tracklist. When telling great stories, it is always important not to hide from the more difficult aspects, but to include them, no matter how uncomfortable. TIna does this so well, refusing to hide from the abuse and racism, but forcing us to confront the harsh reality of the life of one of music’s greatest stars and acknowledge how much she was forced to deal with. The journey through the show is not an easy one, but, by the end of the show, I felt genuinely inspired by her story and full of a heady mix of joy and sheer adrenaline.

Tina: The Tina Turner Musical takes the audience on a thrilling, if not always cosy, journey. I laughed, I cried, I danced, and I’ve been singing its praises ever since. With standout performances and a truly raw and genuine telling of the Queen of Rock and Roll’s Life, this show is definitely one to see before it rolls (on a river) out of town next weekend. 

Review: Hannah Daglish

Tickets:

TINA – The Tina Turner Musical runs at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 3 to Saturday 14 March 2026. Evening performances are at 7.30pm, with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm. Book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or call the box office. 

 

 

REVIEW: Woman In Mind at Sunderland Empire

Woman In Mind 

Sunderland Empire

Until Saturday 7 March 2026

The Alan Ayckbourn play Woman In Mind appears this week for a very short run at the Sunderland Empire. The top billing of Sheridan Smith and, in his stage debut, Romesh Ranganathan, packed the theatre to see this 41 year old play.

There has been no attempt to update the show with modern technology and the natural development of character takes precedence over fancy tricks.

Sheridan Smith is ever present over the two hours as Susan, a lady who has stood on a garden rake in her garden and knocked herself out. Ranganathan is Dr Bill Windsor who discovers her and calls for an ambulance. At first she assumes she is dead and has gone somewhere they don't speak English as she cannot comprehend what he is saying.  

As the show develops it is clear that all is not what it seems for Susan after her knock as she tries to fathom out what is real and what is in her imagination. 

Here comes the difficulty in writing a review. The less you know about the narrative ahead of seeing the show, the better your experience will probably be.  It is a great  ensemble cast with running jokes about Muriel (Katie Buchholz)  and her food. Having said that, there were more laughs in the second act. 

Normally mentioning sound design too early in a review is code for a rubbish play that the reviewer did not like. However, in this case, I have to mention that some of the effects were reminiscent of the cinema style surround sound leading you to think someone is talking behind you, when it's probably just what's going on in Susan's mind.

It feels less usual to see a ‘straight play’ at this venue which pulls in the big musicals, but this one shows there is an appetite in Wearside for engaging plays.

Sheridan Smith is naturally at ease on stage and she appears to feed off the reactions of the audience. She works hard to give a convincing performance. 

Romesh Ranganathan did not give the impression that this was his debut on stage. More used to television acting, theatre could have been challenging, however he appeared comfortable in this format. I'd love to see more of both on the theatrical stage.

The ensemble really works well in pulling the crazy scenario into some sense of order. Tim McMullan’s Gerald witters on over talking the situation and Taylor Uttley’s relatively brief appearance as Rick gives the sense of issues before the play started. Indeed body language and what is not said is as much a part of the exposition. Sule Rimi gives Andy a sophistication that contrasts with the others whilst Safia Oakley-Green adds sparkling energy as Lucy whenever she popped up.

It was the first time that I had seen this story and director Michael Longhirst certainly gets things moving along well in the second act.

This was a fun night at the theatre that works well as a live experience. As a show that I have been looking forward to, it did not disappoint.

Review: Stephen Oliver

Photos: Marc Brenner

Tickets:

Show: Woman In Mind
Venue: Sunderland Empire
Dates: Wednesday 4 – Saturday 7 March 2026
Tickets: Available online at ATGTickets.com/Sunderland
A £3.95 transaction fee may apply to online bookings

REVIEW: Fixing at Newcastle Alphabetti

Fixing

Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre

Until 28 February 2026

then on tour.

Matt Miller returns to Alphabetti with the third show that he has collaborated with Peader Kirk. This time around they are both fixing cars in a holistic car maintenance programme over 8 weeks, whilst also discussing the relationship that they enjoyed with his father and younger sister.

Matt initially appears in their overalls as Natalie Spanner - a lecturer in car maintenance - and they make it clear that there will be some interaction with the audience as they explain the workings of a car from the sump plug through to the engine. This phase of the show is kept light hearted and entertaining. On the night that we were there the audience got involved with everything from pretending to be a car starting up though to a pair of jump leads. Because the audience were up for it this part of the show worked well.

Soon Natalie has asked everyone to close their eyes and think about a moment in a car whilst there is a quick costume change which, in turn, signals the move over to a really personal story. Back in the 90s they spent Fridays with their recently divorced father. He would pick them up in a 1952 Sunbeam Talbot Mark II before taking them to Stargate chippy for their tea. [Which incidentally is an excellent move as it still a great chippy - I digress, this isn't a food review about our nearest take away!] He'd then drive them around the corner to his house which had a nearby allotment and garage. Matt recalls the experience of these visits and the car trips in between using a car that had neither rear seatbelts nor flashing indicators.

The show then toggles between the two situations: how to maintain a car and how to maintain a relationship , both with effective maintenance. The result is a a production that feels like it quickly reaches a conclusion over 75 minutes. The power is in the reflective element as the audience consider their own situation and relationships. There's no big unnecessary gear changes in the story for shock value here. Instead there's a grounded fable that feels authentic. 

The show feels light thanks to Natalie's rapport with the audience from the off. It is also a moving story that is one the audience can relate to. Fixing is another reminder that the region is capable of creating powerful theatrical experiences that represent our fabulous diverse community.

Review: Stephen Oliver

Photos: Von Fox

The tour: 

Saturday 28 February   Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle 

www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk/fixing 

Thursday 5 March    Barnsley Civic

barnsleycivic.co.uk/event/fixing

Friday 6 March  Nottingham Playhouse 

nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/fixing

Saturday 7 March   ARC Stockton Arts Centre

arconline.co.uk/whats-on/fixing

Thursday 12 March    Stanley Arts, London

stanleyarts.org/event/fixing 

Wednesday 25 March      The Spring Arts Centre, Havant 

www.thespring.co.uk/event/fixing

Friday 27 March       Ripon Theatre Festival

www.ticketsource.co.uk/ripon-theatre-festival/fixing

Friday 10 April         Lowry, Salford 

thelowry.com/whats-on/fixing-dwx9

Saturday 11 April  Slung Low, The Warehouse In Holbeck, Leeds

www.slunglow.org/shows

Friday 17 April   Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester 

attenborougharts.com/whats-on/fixing-by-wild-open-hearts

Preview: Our Friends in the North 1979–84 at Newcastle Theatre Royal

 

Our Friends in the North Returns Home: An Iconic Saga Takes to the Stage

Our Friends in the North

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Thursday 15 - Saturday 24 October 2026. 

Thirty years after it first gripped the nation on BBC Two, Peter Flannery's landmark drama Our Friends in the North is coming back to Newcastle — this time, live on stage. In a major co-production between Live Theatre, Eastlake Productions and Newcastle Theatre Royal, this boldly reimagined theatrical adaptation promises to be one of the most significant cultural events the North East has seen in years.

When Our Friends in the North first aired on 26 February 1996, it arrived like a bolt of electricity through British television. A sweeping, nine-part epic charting three decades of political upheaval, social change and deeply personal reckoning through the lives of four Geordie friends — Tosker, Geordie, Nicky and Mary — it launched the careers of Daniel Craig, Christopher Eccleston, Gina McKee and Mark Strong, scooped BAFTA Awards for Best Drama Series and Best Actor, and cemented its place as one of the most important pieces of British storytelling ever committed to screen.

Now, thirty years on to the very day of that original broadcast, comes the announcement that feels both inevitable and thrilling: Our Friends in the North is coming home. Not to a screen, but to a stage — specifically, the grand Victorian stage of Newcastle Theatre Royal, where it will receive its world premiere this October.

The new production, titled Our Friends in the North 1979–84, has been adapted for the stage by Live Theatre's Artistic Director Jack McNamara in close collaboration with Peter Flannery himself — the original screenwriter. McNamara will also direct. Rather than attempt to compress all nine episodes of the television series into a single theatrical evening, this version takes a focused lens on the Thatcher years, exploring a period of seismic rupture in British political and social life, and asking how those national shifts played out in the everyday lives of ordinary people in the North East.

A Story Rooted in Place

What makes this production particularly meaningful is the ambition behind its making. This is not a London production parachuting into the regions — it is a story born of the North East, made by the North East, for the North East and beyond. The co-production brings together three of Newcastle's most vital cultural organisations, all of whom share a commitment to telling stories rooted in place and community.

Live Theatre, based on the Quayside and widely regarded as one of the country's most important new writing spaces outside London, provides the creative heartbeat of the project. Newcastle Theatre Royal — one of only nine Grade I listed theatres in the country — provides the iconic stage on which this epic story will unfold. And Eastlake Productions, the Newcastle-based production company led by Jamie Eastlake, brings the producing expertise to realise the production at the scale its subject matter demands.

The three organisations have form together. Their previous collaboration, Gerry & Sewell — a football drama adapted from Jonathan Tulloch's novel The Season Ticket — sold out at Live Theatre in 2023 before transferring to the Theatre Royal in 2024 and then travelling to London's Aldwych Theatre for a critically acclaimed West End run in January 2026. That trajectory demonstrated convincingly that stories from the North East, when told with ambition and craft, can speak to audiences far beyond the region. Our Friends in the North arrives with even greater expectations.

The Voices Behind the Production

Jack McNamara, who has shaped Live Theatre's artistic vision with considerable distinction, speaks with evident passion about the project. Describing Our Friends in the North as "one of the great national sagas of our time," he has spoken of the renewed force these stories carry in today's political climate, and of the particular significance of bringing the narrative back to the community that inspired it — working closely with Flannery to ensure the stage adaptation honours the original while finding fresh theatrical life.

Live Theatre's Executive Director Jacqui Kell has emphasised that this production represents exactly the kind of ambitious, collaborative work the organisation exists to champion — arguing that the combination of Live Theatre's new writing expertise and Eastlake Productions' producing experience has made it possible to realise the play at a scale truly worthy of its legacy.

Marianne Locatori, CEO of Newcastle Theatre Royal, has described the world premiere as "a special moment" for the theatre, its audiences and for the region as a whole — underlining the Theatre Royal's ongoing commitment to presenting and supporting work made in the North East on its grand stage. Jamie Eastlake, meanwhile, frames the production as a full circle moment: "Our Friends in the North is a story that could only have come from this place," he has said, capturing the unmistakable sense that this production is as much about civic pride as it is about theatre.

What to Expect

While the production is still in development — casting has yet to be announced, though auditions are being held locally as part of a commitment to showcasing North East talent — the shape of the piece is already compelling. By concentrating specifically on the years 1979 to 1984, the production places the four central characters in the eye of the Thatcherite storm: the decimation of traditional industries, the fracturing of communities, the collision of personal hope with political reality.

For those who grew up watching the original series, this will be a chance to encounter familiar characters and an era-defining narrative in a bold new theatrical form. For those coming to the story fresh, it promises an urgent and emotionally charged portrait of a Britain in transformation — one that, given the current political moment, may feel startlingly contemporary. This is, after all, not merely a piece of regional nostalgia. It is a story about power, community, betrayal and resilience that speaks directly to questions we are still living with today.

Tickets:

Our Friends in the North 1979–84 plays Newcastle Theatre Royal from Thursday 15 October to Saturday 24 October 2026. Tickets can be purchased online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or by calling the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

Priority booking opens as follows:

Newcastle Theatre Royal Friends Plus: Monday 2 March, from 10am

Friends of Newcastle Theatre Royal & Friends of Live Theatre: Tuesday 3 March, from 10am

Flexi Priority Pass, Groups & Schools: Tuesday 3 March, from 3pm

General booking: Wednesday 4 March, from 10am