There is a chance to enjoy an afternoon concert with a difference by the BBC National Orchestra Of Wales (NOW) at 3pm this Sunday, September 22, at The Hafren, in Newtown.

Entitled ‘Scenes & Stories’, it features children’s writer and illustrator, James Mayhew, who was a big hit with audiences when he performed with BBC NOW at The Hafren last September.

With his vivid illustrations, timed to the last brushstroke, coming to life at his easel and projected onto a large screen, James will paint live to the gorgeously melodic, strikingly dramatic music of Humperdinck, Dukas, Grieg and Mussorgsky.

Each piece in this programme tells wonderful stories and takes us to faraway places. All in all, a captivating, sensory event for people of all ages. Tickets are £16, or £5 for students and under 26s, with family tickets also available.

The concert is part of a busy start to the new season at The Hafren, with the ‘Genesis Connected’ tribute show celebrating the music of Genesis and the biggest selling connected acts Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, and Mike and the Mechanics, this Saturday night, September 21.

This show has an incredible mix of material, from atmospheric anthems to chart toppers that will get the crowd dancing in the aisles.

Hits spanning from the late 1970s onwards including: ‘Turn It On Again’, ‘Sledgehammer’, ‘In The Air Tonight’, ‘Against All Odds’, ‘That’s All’, ‘Solsbury Hill’, ‘You Can’t Hurry Love’, ‘The Living Years’ and many more. Tickets are £22.

Ransack Dance Company also present 'Murmur' on Saturday, September 28, with dancers swooping through murmurations of starlings, struggling through raging storms, and floating above torch-light, fighting to find authenticity in a world in which acting is our only survival mechanism. Tickets are £11, concessions £8.50.

National Theatre Wales stage 'Peggy’s Song' on October 3, and later in the month Newtown Musical Theatre Company are back for four performances of the spectacular musical 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'.

And November shows will include Mid Wales Opera, the Circus of Horrors, and comedians Jack Dee and Stewart Francis.

There is the first of a series of Dementia Friendly Film screenings with the comedy 'Carry On Up The Khyber', at 1.30pm next Friday, September 20, with £5 tickets including refreshments.

Also contact the box office for the new seasons of meetings for the Hafren Community Choir on Mondays, Hafren Rising Stars Theatre School on Tuesdays, Creative Art classes on Wednesdays, and Aerial Arts Workshops.

Contact the Hafren box office on 01686 614555 for more information or to book.