You'll always find plenty of live performance events to attendin NewcastleGateshead, and these are just a selection taking place during the Winter Festival.

Christmas Lights at The Sage Gateshead
Fri 5 Dec 6pm (£)
The Sage Gateshead, St Mary's Square,
Gateshead
0191 443 4661 www.thesagegateshead.org

Join The Sage Gateshead for the switch-on of its Christmas lights at 6pm followed by a whole evening of festive music to launch the Christmas season. Highlights include Northern Sinfonia performing Handel's Messiah in a candlelit Hall One, with conductor Nicholas McGegan; a double bill of superb a capella vocal ensembles, Enkelit and Mouthful; and the extraordinary Russian Patriarchate Choir performing ancient sacred music and traditional folk songs.

GATESHEADQ1 THE SAGE GATESHEAD

A Northern Stage production: Hansel & Gretel
Fri 28 Nov 08 - Sat 10 Jan 09 (£)
Northern Stage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle
0191 230 5151 www.northernstage.co.uk

With their faith in Saint Nicholas and Christmas fading, and no food to eat at home, Hansel and Gretel venture alone into the woods. But there are dangerous spirits living in the trees, and if they find themselves lost, they could soon fall into the trap of an evil child-catching monster living in the heart of Kielder Forest. And even with all of Hansel's bright ideas, Gretel's quick-thinking, and
the help of some magical companions, can the children really escape a grisly fate? Dare you go into the woods this Christmas?

HAYMARKETQ2 HAYMARKET

The Goblin Who Saved Christmas - an original story by Susan Mulholland
Fri 21 Nov 08 - Sat 10 Jan 09 (£)
Northern Stage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle
0191 230 5151 www.northernstage.co.uk
Ages 6 and under

Max is a goblin-shaped Christmas-tree decoration who is always hung out of sight. Margaret is the fairy who sits on top of the tree. For as long as anyone can remember she has been running Christmas with military precision but this year it doesn't come. Max offers to help, but can he collect enough festive wishes before it's too late? Played out on a set of giant Christmas presents, join Northern Stage for a great big adventure with oodles of audience participation.

HAYMARKETQ2 HAYMARKET

Robinson Crusoe and the Caribbean Pirates
Tues 2 Dec 08 - Sat 17 Jan 09 (£)
Theatre Royal, Grey Street, Newcastle
08448 11 21 21 www.theatreroyal.co.uk

The North East's favourite panto stars Clive Webb and Danny Adams return for their fourth hilarious Theatre Royal pantomime created especially for the Theatre Royal. Joining Clive and Danny in their fight against the evil Caribbean Pirates is their secret weapon, Titan The Amazing Giant Robot. Just when the going gets tough and it looks as though everything is lost, Titan comes to the rescue with his amazing special powers.

MONUMENTQ1/Q2 THEATRE ROYAL

New Art Club: The Notcracker - not just another Christmas show
Wed 10 - Fri 12 Dec (£)
Dance City, Temple Street, Newcastle
0191 261 0505 www.dancecity.co.uk
Ages 10+

Dance City presents comedy dance theatre duo Pete Shenton and Tom Roden, aka New Art Club, in their alternative to The Nutcracker... an unashamedly silly deconstruction of previous Christmas stories and a serious reconstruction of a new one. Chock full of Christmas dances, Christmas philosophy, Christmas disaster and the triumph of good over evil (whatever that means), it's a Christmas show for our age; a show about greed, double crossing... dinner-time rows, the ghost of Christmas present and angels treading where fools fear to tread.

CENTRAL STATIONQ1 CENTRAL STATION

Beauty and the Beast with the MetroGnomes
Mon 15 Dec 08 - Sun 4 Jan 09 (FREE)
(regular performances each day except bank holidays)
Exhibition Square, MetroCentre, Gateshead
0191 493 0219 www.metrocentre.uk.com

A performance to entertain children and fill adults with Christmas spirit as they go about their shopping. This year's tale sees the magical garden of the Beast gripped in a frozen landscape. That's fine for Sparkle the Snowman but it needs Herbert, Sherbet, Maggot and Rusty, with their sense of panto fun, to melt hearts before the show can have a happy ending. Will the red rose bloom in time to keep hearts beating?

BUSES X66 & 100 RUN TO METROCENTRE FROM GATESHEAD INTERCHANGE AND NEWCASTLE CITY CENTRE