NORTH-EAST singing star Joe McElderry has been supporting Sunderland students as they began taking over a popular arts venues for a month-long programme of entertainment.
Joe, who rose to fame when he won ITV's The X-Factor in 2009, returned to the Customs House in South Shields, the venue where it all began for him, to help officially launch Sunfest, the annual creative arts partnership.
He talked to students about his own experiences in the industry and performed 'Someone Wake Me Up' and 'What have I Done' on stage delighting the packed theatre.
For the last two years, students from Sunderland University's Faculty of Arts, Design and Media have entered into a partnership with the Customs House, during May to stage their own programme of theatre, dance and visual arts.
Some of the highlights during Sunfest include performances of Arthur Miller's The Crucible and All My Sons, and the abridged version of Shakespeare's As You Like It and Titus Andronicus at Arts Centre Washington in Fatfield.
Audiences will be treated to a mix of dance, drama, music and media from a Beatles tribute evening to Motown classics, a tribute to the life of Bob Fosse, an award-winning stage version of Patrick McCabe's novel The Butcher Boy, as well as students performing the modern classic Attempts On Her Life by Martin Crimp.
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