Join Mid Wales Opera and future stars of the international opera stage for an evening of passion, drama and comedy from the operatic canon marking 30 years of Mid Wales Opera performances at our home venue of Hafren in Newtown. MWO and Wales International Academy of Voice join forces for a sparkling evening of operatic highlights in a concert performance to raise the curtain on our Spring tour of Puccini’s Tosca and celebrate MWO’s vital work in supporting young artists since our first performances in 1989.

Power and passion collide in Puccini’s breathtaking masterpiece Tosca. Trapped in a life and death struggle against the corrupt police chief Scarpia, the diva Tosca and her artist lover face the ultimate sacrifice. Join MWO on tour this Spring, as Puccini’s lavish score takes audiences on an emotional rollercoaster ride from tender love story through powerful brutality to ultimate tragedy.

The Way Back is the critically acclaimed new release from renowned director Peter Weir (Master and Commander, The Truman Show), starring Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Mark Strong and Saoirse Ronan. Inspired by an incredible true story, this epic film of survival against-the-odds tells the story of a group of seven prisoners who escaped from a Soviet gulag in Stalin-era Russia and walked over 4,000 miles across some of the most unforgiving terrain in the world, crossing the Siberian Arctic, the Gobi desert and the Himalayas before finally arriving in British-ruled India.

Jason is delighted to announce that he is extending his Amazing Midlife Crisis Tour into 2019 with a final series of dates. This is a tour with a twist!! These intimate evenings will be a unique opportunity to see him like you’ve never seen him before! Celebrating his 50th birthday and with a wealth of tantalising tales under his belt, this autobiographical show will zigzag back and forth through his life, with stories about Neighbours, Ten Good Reasons, Kylie, Joseph, I'm A Celebrity, Strictly and much, much more. Hear some new stories (and possibly one or two you’ve heard before!) plus some of the songs you know and love for a night like no other!

A few years ago, it seemed unlikely that the UK would vote to leave the EU; we had a reasonable opposition to the Tory Government; Donald Trump was a buffoon who surely wasn’t going to beat Hillary Clinton and Mark was living the married suburban ideal, since then it’s all gone to absolute shit! But don’t worry as Mark thinks Every Little Thing’s Gonna Be Alright. Mark’s sell-out show Who Do I Think I Am, revealed his natural father was a world backgammon champion. Now the star of Radio 4’s Mark Steel’s in Town, and newspaper columnist of the year is touring a show which is guaranteed to make the world seem even more mental than it is. Mark has written and presented many series of Mark Steel’s In Town on BBC Radio 4 (new series out soon) and toured it live around the UK. Mark has presented the BAFTA nominated Mark Steel Lectures for BBC2, is a regular on BBC One’s Have I Got News For You and Radio 4’s The News Quiz. He’s also appeared on BBC2’s QI and Room 101. Mark has written several acclaimed books, including: Reasons To Be Cheerful and What’s Going On and he writes a weekly column for The Independent for which he won Columnist of the Year at the Press Awards in 2015. Age Recommendation: 14+

Choreography by Fernando Melo, Caroline Finn and Marcos Morau. Three unique dances to amuse and amaze. Afterimage is a unique theatrical experience, using a mixture of mirrors and creative choreography; Revellers’ Mass is an unlikely dinner party inspired by old paintings and Tundra is an ultra-modern, robotically mesmerising retelling of Russian folk dance and revolution.

Salute to Sinatra and the Swing Legends, Foden's Band with guest vocalist Matthew Ford. Widely regarded as the finest big band singer in the UK, Matthew Ford teams up with the multi-award winning Foden’s Band for their Salute to Sinatra and the Swing Legends evening. Voted Best UK Male Big Band Vocalist, and nominated alongside Jamie Cullum in the inaugural Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Awards, Matthew makes regular appearances with the John Wilson Orchestra, BBC Big Band and performed for five years with the Syd Lawrence Orchestra. Crowned Champion Band of Great Britain on no less than 12 occasions, Foden’s are officially the most entertaining brass band in the UK, and with Matthew will perform all the great hits of Sinatra – and plenty of Swing’s finest moments – including I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Fly me to the Moon, Mack the Knife, My Way, New York New York and many more.'

A celebration of community dance from North Powys. Join us for an evening of joyful dance and celebrate our community dancers in North Powys as they take to the stage in a variety of dances. The evening will include groups of all ages and abilities sharing their passion for dance. In 2019, Powys Dance is celebrating 40 years of dancing with the people of Powys. Working across age ranges, social backgrounds and abilities we hope to inspire more people to participate and watch dance.

A unique opportunity to hear two oratorios by Linda Gittins, Penri Roberts and the late Derec Williams, performed on the same evening. Ysgol Theatr Maldwyn will be performing “Gair yn Gnawd” and Cwmni Theatr Maldwyn will perform “Myfi Yw”.

The hills are alive... Newtown Musical Theatre Company brings a timeless family classic, "The Sound of Music," to Mid-Wales this spring. Based on a true story, this musical has enchanted generations with its uplifting message of family, love, and courage. When a young nun, Maria, who doesn't quite fit into the convent life, becomes the governess to the seven children of a former Austrian naval officer, Captain Von Trapp, she finds an unexpected life that is soon threatened by the growing reach of the Third Reich. Filled with instantly-recognisable songs, "The Sound of Music" is an experience for all ages and one you won't want to miss. Suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp An amateur production by arrangement with R&H Theatricals Europe

Shepherd Geth Roberts (Llion Williams) might be getting on in years, but he still lives alone, high in the Elan Valley. A born storyteller, he’s spent his whole life working his wild and windswept farm. But now Geth faces his greatest challenge: his sight is failing and if he can’t see, then he can’t work the farm. Peter Cox’s one-man show, performed in English, is a heartwarming tribute to hill-farming communities across Wales.

Join Vicki Michelle and the Hormonal Housewives as they blast their witty way through a catalogue of women’s bits: weight gain, weight loss, mood swings, moody teenagers, men, zumba, therapy, housework, homework, electrolysis, men, sex, working out, staying in, going out, bikini waxes, celebrity gossip, eating, not eating, chocolate, wine, more chocolate, social media, more wine, and all the other joys of being a 21st century woman! No subject is taboo for these girls and no thought is too private as the challenges of modern womanhood are sliced, diced and put to rights. And that’s not all – audiences will be treated to some of the very best bits from the previous tour of this smash-hit show. A seriously funny evening – what these women can’t teach you about modern womanhood isn’t worth knowing...

The Montgomery Canal Triathlon 2019 is a great day out for families with children as well as experienced triathletes. The route involves cycling , walking and canoeing along the 35 miles of the Montgomery Canal , from Newtown to Lower Frankton, near Oswestry. The event is organised by the Friends of the Montgomery Canal and is supported by the Canal and River Trust in aid of the restoration of the canal A fun non competitive event - you can enter 1 , 2 or all 3 sections . Group entries are especially welcome There is a charge but that varies depending how many sections are entered varying from £5 for a junior entering 1 section to £25 for an adult entering all 3 sections. Canoes and equipment may be hired for a small fee but there is a very limited number available . It event starts at Severn Way, Newtown between 8.30-9.00 am and ends in the afternoon at the Western Arm, Lower Frankton

Join Newtown & District Male Voice Choir for a night of traditional and popular songs, as they bring their Annual Concert to The Hafren for the first time. The choir will be joined at the concert by two well-known musical artists, Tenor Aled Wyn Davies and Mezzo Soprano Sioned Terry, both of whom will be accompanied by Menna Griffiths. Local tenor Aled Wyn Davies, from Llanbrynmair, is returning to perform with the Choir by popular demand, following a well-received appearance at last year’s annual concert. Still working as a farmer by day, Aled has achieved great success as a soloist across Wales, winning the famous ‘Blue Ribband’ prize at the National Eisteddfod in Swansea in 2006. Since then, he has performed all over the world, and has also released two albums, Nodau Aur fy Nhân in 2006, and Erwau’r Daith in 2015. In 2014, he joined Rhys Meirion and Aled Hall as one of the Three Welsh Tenors. Originally from North Wales, classically trained mezzo soprano Sioned Terry performs a range of songs spanning genres from opera to popular songs from stage & screen, lieder, oratorio and Welsh classics. She is a familiar face on S4C, having recorded performances for several popular light entertainment programmes, including Dechrau Canu Dechrau Canmol and Noson Lawen. Her first EP, Think of Me / Cofia Fi, was published in 2013, and she is also a composer, having published a collection of songs for voice and piano. Sioned also performs across Wales as part of the female trio Athena. The choir will be conducted by Musical Director Sarah Astley-Davies and accompanied by Greg Jenkins, and they will also be joined by Geraint Peate as compere for the evening.

Around the World in 80 Days - Mark Beaumont set out to make this Victorian fiction a two wheeled reality. Having smashed the circumnavigation cycling World Record twice in his career, he now holds this 18,000 mile title in a time of 78 days and 14 hours, averaging 240 miles a day. Over the past decade, Mark’s epic documentaries have taken viewers to over 100 countries, into the Arctic, the high mountains and around the Commonwealth, also surviving capsize in the mid-Atlantic. Showing films and photography, these events are a fascinating insight into Mark’s career of adventure.

Themed walks – Heritage, foraging, dog and family friendly, pub lunch, singing, treasure hunts. Guided walks – Walks to suit all abilities from 4 to 15 miles. Foraging walks featuring Edible Newtown, History, Heritage and Town walks, dog walks, walks suitable for buggies pushchairs and mobility scooters, stroll and sing and picnic. Treasure Hunts – Nature treasure hunt for all the family. History treasure hunt based on Newtown’s textile industry and featuring "hunt- the -sheep" all over the town. Self-Guided Walks – Pick up a leaflet and walk with friends. More information newtownwalks@hotmail.com and /or http://newtown.org.uk/walks