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Northern Theatre News
August - Week 4
Anthony Cawood
August 26, 2025
August - Week 4
Welcome to Northern Theatre News!
It’s a Bank Holiday week, but the heatwave hasn’t stopped me slaving over the keyboard to get this latest edition to you! We’ve packed it with news stories, venue listings across the North and plenty of new competitions for you to enter
As always, I’d love to hear your feedback. So let me know what you’d like to see featured (or not!) in future editions of your newsletter.
Enjoy and see you in the theatre!
News roundup
Stockton Globe had double cause to celebrate recently, with their 90th birthday and the opening of a revolutionary new flooring system that allows the auditorium to seamlessly transform from traditional tiered seating to a completely flat space. Full release.
And as a bonus we’re featuring the Stockton Globe in our Theatre Spotlight this week!
It’s not quite time for Panto announcements, but then this is no Panto! Coming to Lowry, Salford for five weeks from 5 December to 11 January is the critically acclaimed musical parody Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch. I can’t wait! Full release.
 Ariel, as you’ve nevr seen her |  Ursula, as you’ve… you get the idea |
The award-winning Midnight Bell is coming back to Liverpool Playhouse, from 16 to 20 September.
Subscriber giveaway
£50 monthly prize giveaway
Each month we’ll give away a £50 Theatre Token to one lucky subscriber usable in over 250 venues across the UK including plenty in the North All you have to do is subscribe to be in with a chance of winning The first draw is at the end of August and the winner will be announced in the first newsletter in September so keep an eye on your inbox
What’s on over the next few weeks
North East
Newcastle’s Theatre Royal has The Lightning Thief, the first tour of the musical based on the hugely popular YA novels of the same name. 27 - 31 August.
Sunderland Empire has 2:22 A Ghost Story starring Stacey Dooley, 8 - 13 September.
Parkview Theatre, County Durham has We Will Rock You, 3 - 6 September
North West
Liverpool’s Empire has the spectacular Riverdance 29 Aug - 2 Sept.
Blackpool’s Winter Gardens has the hilarious Addams Family 26 - 30 August. Had to share a pic of the show’s leads at Blackpool Pleasure Beach, credit Keeley Southworth!
Blackpool Grand Theatre has The Last Laugh 26 - 30 August.
Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester, has Canal Street Lonely Hearts Club 3 - 14 September.
Opera House Manchester has Here & Now - The Steps Musical, 2 - 13 September.
Palace Theatre in Manchester has the spectacular Moulin Rouge for two weeks from 20th Aug.
Chester’s Storyhouse is running multiple open air experiences with a brand new adapatation of Sherlock Holmes! Running 18 July - 31 Aug. Plus Pride & Prejudice 24 July - 31 Aug.
The Lowry, in Salford, has Chicago 25 - 30 Aug. Plus they have A Squash and A Squeeze 5 - 24 Aug in the Quays Theatre.
Running all summer at The Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness-on-Windermere is a musical spectacular centered around Peter Rabbit - kids are sure to love it!
Octagon Bolton has Yen, award winning drama, 3 - 13 September
Running until 6 Sept, Theatre by the Lake in Keswick has the classic Pride and Prejudice.
Yorkshire & Humberside
The beloved adaptation of the Railway Children is staged on the very tracks they used in the film, the show begins when you board a vintage steam train! Sets off daily until 7th Sept and is garnering rave reviews!
Leeds Playhouse have a new musical, Reception, based on the music of David Gedge, at The Warehouse in Holbeck 22 Aug - 6 Sept. They also have To Kill A Mocking Bird at the Quarry theatre, 8 Sep - 4 oct. Watch out for a review in a future issue.
Leeds Grand Theatre has the amazing War Horse 19 Aug - 6 Sept. Check out the Northern Theatre News review here
Bradford Alhambra has Carrie Hope Fletcher in the rip-roaring Calamity Jane, 2 - 6 September.
Theatre Royal Wakefield has the classic Guys and Dolls running from 20 - 30 Aug.
Harrogate Theatre has the Dickens’ classic The Signalman 2 - 6 September.
Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough has a new production of the classic Noises Off, for the first time ever presented in the round! 9 Aug - 6 Sept.
Check out Northern Theatre News review here!
I don’t want to ignore any of the amazing venues we have in the North, so I’ve also created an index of all the venues I could find and have included it in the newsletter’s associated website - just look at the header or footer on the website and you’ll see ‘Theatres’ and a drop-down menu/list.
Let me know if I’ve missed any!
Northern Theatre News reviews
When we’re lucky enough to be invited to press nights we add the review to the very next newsletter Here are the shows we’ve seen recently.
Ticket offers not to miss!
I’ll try and bring you all the ticket deals and offers I can find!
Summer Saver offers
ATG Entertainment, who run a number of theatres up and down the country, has a Summer Saver offer on, select tickets are discounted on over 120 shows, including the Liverpool Empire, Manchester Palace Theatre, Manchester Opera House, Stockton Globe, and Sunderland Empire.
Other News
Want to read what you’ve seen on stage?
Nick Hern Books (NHB) has you covered and currently with 20% off all titles.
Theatre competitions
They’re not all northern, but when they’re not they do involve a hotel stay too, good luck! All are free to enter and run by 3rd parties (not me!), and I will keep them in each newsletter whilst the entry date is still valid.
Theatre spotlight
This week we are taking a look at the Stockton Globe, which has double cause for celebration, marking its 90th anniversary while unveiling a groundbreaking new floor system that lets the auditorium switch from tiered seating to a flat-floor configuration.
Stockton Globe Now  Then  Heyday  Beatles, Stones, Cliff… all played here!  House! When it was a Bingo hall  Restored to green and yellow glory!  Striking auditorium  Auditorium from the stage  The LINK - 200 seat adjoining venue | In 1913, the Stockton Globe first flickered into life as the region’s first purpose built cinema. It was demolished in 1925 and rebuilt within a year to embrace the new ‘fad’ of Hollywood’s talking pictures. In 1935 the Globe was reborn again as a stunning Art Deco palace designed by Percy L. Browne & Son, with almost 2400 seats. In 1938 it joined the ABC chain of cinemas, but the Globe was always more than just movies, with live pantomime, ballet and touring West End shows running each season. The 1950s–70s marked a golden age, as legends from Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry to The Beatles rocked its stage. The Fab Four played a fateful gig on 22 November 1963, the day JFK was assassinated, finding out the news between sets they still went on to finish the show. Homegrown stars made history here too with Cliff Richard and The Shadows launching their panto careers at the Stockton Globe. Meanwhile, everyone from The Rolling Stones and Cilla Black to Lonnie Donegan also delighted Teesside crowds. The Globe also made cinematic history in 1953, it wowed and terrified filmgoers with House of Wax, the region’s first ever 3D movie. - and what a classic it is! By the mid-1970s, however, the final curtain was falling. The last film shown was The Sting in June 1974. That December, Status Quo rocked the final concert, and in early 1975 the London Philharmonic Orchestra gave the venue its swan song performance. The Stockton Globe closed in 1975, briefly reopening as a bingo hall, as many theatre's did, then falling dark in 1997. The building sat silent on Stockton High Street until 2017, when a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, backed by Stockton Council, jump-started its £28 million restoration. Check out this amazing flythrough video of their plans. Craftsmen lovingly restored its 1935 Art Deco glory (even the auditorium’s striking green-and-yellow walls shine once more), and the Globe’s marquee now gleams again over the High Street. Watch this Final Reveal video to see this stunning restoration in all its glory! In September 2021, Stockton Globe reopened with McFly christening the stage before a rapturous crowd of 2,300 fans. Now Grade II listed and ATG’s flagship UK venue, the venue’s 2,700 capacity auditorium makes it one of Northern England’s largest. State-of-the-art facilities meet 1930s Art Deco glamour in a dazzling blend. It also now boasts an adjoining venue, The LINK, a contemporary bar and creative space with a 200 seat capacity. After more than a century of reinvention, the Stockton Globe stands proud again as the beating heart of Stockton’s cultural scene. Long may that continue. |
That’s it for this week
I’d love to know what you think about this newsletter what we could do to make it even better next time and what else you’d like to see.
Thanks for reading and subscribing and please do spread the word.
Thanks for reading and subscribing, and please spread the news.