A Night for the REAL Capital of Culture

CULTURE in all its shapes and forms was celebrated last night at The Journal’s own Culture Awards 2007.

The gala ceremony, hosted by Sky TV and former Metro Radio presenter Ingrid Haagman, welcomed artists, business people, writers, curators or art and talent or all kinds to the newly refurbished Northern Stage in Newcastle.

Entertainment from many of the nominees and winners graced the stage throughout the show, including performances from Newcastle College students of dance, music and musical theatre, and a Bollywood medley from Nikita Asher & Group.

The title Artist of the Year was awarded to Tyneside-based choreographer Liv Lorent, whose dancers provided a mesmerising display from BalletLORENT during the night.

She said: “I feel very privileged and very humbled to have won. It’s really lovely when somebody says well done, so to have said it in such a public forum is quite overwhelming.”

Another of the evening’s performers, singer Katie Doherty, won Newcomer of the Year.

Ms Doherty, who sang from her new album Bridges, is hoping the award will help her make music her full time career. She currently works as a part time shop assistant.

She said: “I’m a bit gobsmacked as I never expected even to get nominated so I certainly wasn’t expecting to win. I feel a bit stunned at the moment, but it probably helped my performance as I was on stage straight afterwards which didn’t give me time to get nervous.”

Actress Lisa McGillis was among those who accepted Live Theatre’s award for Performance of the Year. The Pitmen Painters, which starred Lisa in three separate stage tales, is about to go to the National Theatre, putting the work of the Ashington group into the national arena. She said: “I feel honoured to be part of The Pitmen Painters. It is a really special play and really relevant to the region. It has highlighted how amazing the Ashington group was and has brought their work to the public stage again.”

Journal editor Brian Aitken, who introduced the awards, told the audience of nominees, supporters and Journal Culture Club members: “The Journal’s Culture initiative started nearly four years ago. Liverpool had just been named as Capital of Culture for 2008 and we wanted to play a leading role in highlighting – showcasing – the considerable talent and talents the North East has to offer, and convincing people to go and witness that talent for themselves more often. Thanks to our Culture partners we’re doing exactly that.”

And Ged Bell, the Chairman of the North East Regional Museums Hub, who presented the award for the Renaissance North East Museum Award to Sunderland to Saigon added: “We all work and live in the number one region of culture.”

(c) 2008 The Journal – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.