CHRISTMAS PROGRAMME
Activities and performances will take place from 5pm to 8pm every Thursday and 11am to 5pm on a weekend. For the full programme of acts across the community Christmas programme, see below: TOM ‘MOUSE’ SMITH Having already supported Madness, James Bay and Catfish and the Bottlemen at the age of 13, County Durham’s Tom ‘Mouse’ Smith is certainly one to watch … SAMANTHA DURNAN This North East singer songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has already supported the likes of Ed Sheeran and The Hoosiers. Who’s next? We’ve put her high on our one-to-watch list … DANCE JAM Say hello to Sunderland’s answer to dance movie Step Up. Dance Jam have five competitive dance crews who compete across the UK. And this Christmas they’ll be in Park Lane showing us all how to break it down … STRANGE THINGS? Make zines with North East based collective, Strange Things?, which formed to give young people a safe and artistic outlet to demonstrate
how they feel. SOPHIE DONEATHY DANCE Watch dancers from aged three and upwards perform everything from street dance, cheerleading to tap. CUCKOO YOUNG SONGWRITERS Head along to this workshop led by professional singer/songwriters for valuable knowledge on song writing for 12-19 year olds. Part of New Writing North’s young writers programme. BOJANGLES UKES New band on the block, Bojangles Ukes, is led by Charlie Lally and Paul McCandless from Fulwell’s Bojangles cafe. The group, which started in January 2017, performs classics such as Ben E King’s Stand by Me and The Beatles’ All My Loving. EMPIRE CHOIR Get in the festive spirit listening to
classic Christmas carols and songs from the talented bunch at Empire. TAMMY PROCTOR Tammy’s true love for country really shows in her performances and we’ve no doubt this Sunderland girl may soon be heading stateside, to show the country genre exactly what she’s made of. TRINITY TWEDDLE Singing everything from jazz to indie-folk tunes, this amazing young talent is one to see in the city this Christmas. UK CONNECT – HA’WAY IN A MANGER 2017 Celebrate the reason for the season with storytelling, dancing, music performances and more from local school children, churches and community groups. Northern Storm Cheerleaders Ranging from toddlers to adults,
the Northern Storm co-ed cheerleading team are set to Bring It On at this year’s Christmas programme … CASA PERFORMING ARTS Watch CASA as their team of young people perform a combination of creative theatre and music. MYRACUSTIC Mainly performing pop rock, this three-piece acoustic band from the North East is made up of Katie Led, Michael Davies and Greg Moss. DAVE MURRAY Prepare yourself for a musical journey back in time with days of the crooner and swing brought back to life by the oh-so talented Dave Murray. Expect to hear classics by Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and more. FAUSTO POP CHOIR Having only formed in September, Fausto Pop Choir has already ap- peared on BBC radio with its large number of members belting out big pop hits. HINDI NARI SANGH’S BOLLYWOOD SANDDANCERS With members ranging from six to 71-year-old, the registered charity and enthusiastic dancing group of women and girls will bring Bollywood to Park Lane, with traditional Bharatnatyam dancing. SUNDERLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA A full orchestra – complete with string players – will take to the stage to perform a stunning repertoire of well-known classical and popular music. KEITH GREGSON Celebrating 50 years in the business next year, songwriter Keith Gregson is well-known among Sunderland’s older folk lovers from the 1970s. Relive the days gone by with Keith at Park Lane. KATHLEEN DAVIS STAGE SCHOOL Watch a range of ages as they showcase their quality training in dance, drama, singing and musical theatre – with many taught by guest lecturers from the West End. WESTOE BRASS BAND Starting in 1911, the Westoe Brass Band has a clear mining heritage and has continued to grow over the decades, performing high quality concert music to people across the North East, as well as competing in national brass band finals. CHARLEA B Acoustic artist Charlea B will be coming up from Teesside to perform country pop music and her own penned songs. HATTIE EASON Hattie is a Newcastle-based performer and keen vocalist, with an impressive portfolio of performing, including starring in musicals when she was younger and co-founding local theatre company, Bonnie and The Bonnettes, more recently.
Other performers and activities across the community Christmas programme include: King Ink, City of Sunderland college, Dance City, St Benet’s RC Primary School, Salvation Army, Dame Dorothy School Choir, the Children’s Society, Sunderland Shorts Film Festival and International Community Organisation of Sunderland. For full details of all timings visit www.sunderlandbid.co.uk