Christmas Gothic

Dyad Productions bring Christmas Gothic to Northern Stage on Tuesday 15 December, a show that reaches back to a Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories around the hearth. It's three seasonal tales of terror, all performed by Rebecca Vaughan, who takes the stage as a dark, spectral woman telling haunting stories of the festive season.

If you're not familiar with the company, Dyad Productions has a habit of adapting literary classics and historical figures for the stage. This follows the international touring success of Female Gothic, and it's the same kind of thing: a single performer carrying the whole evening. Vaughan is an award-winning performer, and the company's creators credit her with their previous productions Lady Susan, Female Gothic, I, Elizabeth and A Room of One's Own. Here, she's adapting and performing the material herself, so the three tales are her voice and her presence from start to finish.

The show runs for an hour and fifteen minutes with no interval, so it's a straight run through the three stories. It's recommended for ages 10 and over, which makes it a decent shout for a family outing if you've got older kids who enjoy a bit of a chill.

It's playing in Stage 2 at Northern Stage, on Barras Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne (NE1 7RH), and tickets start from £12.00. With the date falling on 15 December, it's one of those things that fits right into the lead-up to Christmas.