Member Article

What’s on this weekend: January 20-22

This week’s top pick

Northern City Rennaisance - Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle. Saturday January 21 and Sunday January 22, 2pm-5pm. Free admission.

Centred on Sting’s commissioned painting: ‘Northern City Renaissance, Newcastle, England’ by contemporary American landscapist Stephen Hannock, this exhibition focuses on the Laing’s collection depicting the Tyne’s sites of industrial shipbuilding and coalmining. Hannock’s paintings have often been described as ‘luminous’ due to his technique of polishing successive layers of paint. He said of the city: “In many ways Newcastle is the everyman of post-industrial cities. The cultural resurgence currently underway is truly inspiring.”

Cinema

War Horse - Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle. Friday January 20, 5.40pm; 8.10pm. Tickets: £8; £6.95 conc.

Steven Spielberg takes on Michael Morpurgo’s much loved children’s novel, transforming it into an epic screen version. Following the huge success of the National Theatre’s production, War Horse tells the story of farm horse Joey and his loving owner Albert, who goes to war in search of his beloved horse, sold to the military. Set in the trenches of WW1, Joey and Albert embark on a dangerous and emotional journey that will captivate audiences.

Theatre

Donna Disco - Live Theatre, Newcastle. Friday January 20 and Saturday January 21, 8pm. Tickets: £10; £8 conc

Donna is in her early teens: clumsy and fat, bland and bespectacled. She’s given a school project, to source a stranger’s story and present it at the annual Christmas Pageant. Suddenly her world begins to crumble as her mother goes AWOL, and an innocent crush goes hideously wrong. Directed by Laura Lindow, the Scotsman called it a “sweet and tender play which skirts the margins between joy and despair.”

Family

Fresh Palette Illustration Course featuring Anthony Browne - Seven Stories, Centre for Children’s Books. Saturday January 21, 10.30am - 12.30pm (five week course starting this weekend).

For those budding illustrators, explore a range of techniques over five weeks, with the chance to develop and work on your own ideas. Visit the Seven Stories exhibitions, handle original artwork in an exclusive ‘white glove’ experience and get informed about contemporary illustrators. The course culminates in a masterclass with former Children’s Laureate and best-selling illustrator Anthony Browne.

Food and Drink

Gibside Food & Craft Market - Gibside, Rowlands Gill. Saturday January 21, 10am-3pm. Free admission.

Tasty seasonal produce and high quality crafts from local farmers and produces on the first and third Saturday every month. Enjoy a range of food, drink and craft stalls, along with tasting and cookery demonstrations.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .