Christmas 2008 audience feedback

Continuing on from our roundup of customer survey feedback from Autumn 2007, Spring 2008 and Autumn 2008 we are happy to present the last of the comments from our email customer surveys. This time it's the turn of our two Christmas shows, The Goblin WHo Saved Christmas and Hansel & Gretel.

Northern Stage: The Goblin Who Saved Christmas
Northern Stage: Hansel & Gretel

With Kneehigh Theatre's Don John opening our Spring programme in Stage 1 this week, we're preparing for another season of shows and another season asking for your feedback. If you do receive one of our surveys, please take the time to complete it - we hope these posts have shown that what you say really matters to us, and that we're not afraid of criticism.

As ever, feel free to leave any additional comments you have by clicking on the link below.

Vote for Northern Stage

The Journal Culture Awards 2008 with Arts Council England, North East have launched.

Any event, exhibition, performance or activity taking place between December 1st 2007 and December 31st 2008 is eligible for nomination in the 2008 Culture Awards.

If you've enjoyed any of the shows we've brought to the stage over the last year, then please take a moment to nominate us. You might suggest one of our shows for Best Performance, or one of the cast for Best Performing Artist. Is Stephen Sharkey (A Christmas Carol and Hansel & Gretel) your Writer of the Year? Do you think Susan Mulholland (Tattercoats and The Goblin Who Saved Christmas) is the Newcomer of the Year? What about the Wang Qingsong residency for Best Event or the Arts Council Award?

You can find out more here

Our eligible shows: (you can click each one to remind yourself all about it, as well as see the production galleries)

A Christmas Carol
Our Friends in the North (at Durham Gala)
A Doll's House
The Bloody Chamber
The Goblin Who Saved Christmas

VAT and Northern Stage

In light of yesterday's reduction in VAT and the current financial climate, rather than take a few pence off each ticket we want to use the opportunity to provide more tickets at our lowest price and make it easier for anyone to see a show.

Therefore, we've added an additional eighteen £5.50 tickets at the front in Stage 1, and all 16 back row tickets in Stage 2 are also now £5.50.

The price of merchandise and ice creams will be reduced in accordance with the VAT reduction.

Christmas show picture galleries

We've got galleries up online for both of this years fabulous family shows. Click through to either show page to take a look.

Hansel & Gretel

The Goblin Who Saved Christmas

Not many dates left for The Goblin

There's not a lot of tickets left for this year's under-sixes performance, The Goblin Who Saved Christmas.

To save you checking each show, you can now only buy tickets for the following dates and numbers are limited for many of these. This list will be updated regularly, as due to booking or cancellations available shows will vary. Book now to avoid disappointment, and don't forget to also order a copy of the illustrated picture book (only £3.50).

Wed 31 Dec 1.30pm

Fri 02 Jan 10.30am
Sat 03 Jan 10.30am
Mon 05 Jan 1.30pm

Wed 07 Jan 1.30pm
Thu 08 Jan 1.30pm

Sat 10 Jan 10.30am / 1.30pm

Family Day: Sat 1 November

We're running our successful Family Open Day again this year. There will be something for everyone - activities for under sixes and their families, as well as drama workshops and behind the scenes introductions to the theatre.

Find out more, or just come along on the day.

Take Part at Northern Stage

The participation team is proud to announce a wealth of activities taking place this Autumn.

There’s loads going on for young people this season, not least the launch of Northern Stage’s first ever Young Performance Group in September. If you’re aged between 13 – 16 and full of ideas and enthusiasm you should sign up now for the chance to take part in this 10 week project which will culminate in a performance on the magical set of our under sixes Christmas show, The Goblin Who Saved Christmas. We’ll be hosting a variety of performances and events throughout ‘Juice’, a celebration of work by young people for young people throughout October and November, and on the 1 November we welcome the return of our popular Family Day. Why not come along and make your very own gingerbread house that will be displayed in the theatre for all to see over the festive season?

For more chances to get involved with our two fabulous Christmas shows, Hansel & Gretel and The Goblin Who Saved Christmas head along to Seven Stories to meet the cast in an extra special story telling session and make Goblin decorations to adorn the Northern Stage Christmas tree (more info coming soon). Don’t forget you can purchase a limited edition A4 picturebook of The Goblin Who Saved Christmas when you book your tickets for the show online or at Box Office.

This autumn we have decided that it shouldn’t just be the performance group who get the chance to get involved with Northern Stage skills workshops so we are delighted to announce a new season of workshops open to everybody. They take place on a one off basis so you can just pick and choose which sessions you think you would enjoy. You don’t need any special knowledge or skills, just come along and have some fun and learn something new. The first session is with Monkfish productions on Wednesday 8 October and even better, it’s FREE with a ticket to the show!

Next month the participation team will be starting some behind the scenes work on the Looking For Bill project which will take place in and around Newcastle in October. Forming part of Northern Stage’s ongoing exploration of theatre taking place in unusual spaces and theatre spaces being used in unusual ways, Looking For Bill will culminate with some of Shakespeare’s most remarkable monologues being performed in places you would least expect them...keep your eyes peeled on the Metro!

For more information on any of these projects see the participation section of the website.

Hopefully see you soon! Sophie.

The Goblin Who Saved Christmas, the picture book

We are proud to announce that to accompany our under-sixes childrens show this Christmas, we will be producing a beautiful A4 landscape picture book. With hand drawn illustrations by John Disley, whose work you may know from our previous under-sixes shows, this will make a perfect stocking filler.

We're now taking pre-orders, and given that last years Tattercoats book sold out, we'd recommend getting your order in early. You can order here, or find out more on the Goblin showpage. The books will be just £3.50 each, and will be held for collection at Box Office when they arrive in November.