OPERA and theatre fans in Brecon will soon be able to experience what it’s like being in the audience at a big production in the West End.

From this autumn Theatr Brycheiniog will be screening live productions from The Royal Opera House, National Theatre Live and The Royal Ballet.

All screenings will be broadcast into the auditorium using brand new, state-of-the-art cinema equipment, giving audiences the opportunity to experience big title productions live from the West End but from the comfort of a theatre near their home.

The theatre’s National Theatre Live screenings begin tonight (Thursday, September 27) when legendary actor Ian McKellen steps into one of Shakespeare’s most iconic roles as King Lear. This great tragedy about two aging fathers – a king and his courtier – who reject the children who truly love them, is tender, moving, violent and also shocking. It has been widely reported that this will be McKellen’s final big Shakespearian part so this is an event not to be missed.

Bringing the Classic Spring Theatre Company’s Oscar Wilde Season Live! to a close on Tuesday, October 9 is The Importance of Being Earnest.

In this masterpiece, love, logic and language will all be thrown into the air as we see how unsmooth the course of true love runs. This screening will feature Olivier Award winner Sophie Thompson and Jeremy Swift, alongside Fiona Button, Pippa Nixon and Stella Gonet.

On Thursday, November 1 the theatre will present an Encore screening of Alan Bennett’s Allelujah! From National Theatre Live. This hilarious new play is “just what the doctor ordered” (Daily Telegraph), and a “rousing chorus line for the NHS” (Observer), following a documentary crew eager to capture an old-fashioned cradle-to-grave hospital’s fight for survival.

A second National Theatre Live screening for November takes place on Tuesday 20th with The Madness of George III.

Olivier Award-winner Mark Gatiss plays the king as his behaviour becomes increasingly erratic and he succumbs to fits of lunacy. With his mind unravelling at a dramatic pace, ambitious politicians and the scheming Prince of Wales threaten to undermine the power of the Crown.

The Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker is screened on Monday, December 3, featuring choreography by Peter Wright and the much loved music of Tchaikovsky.

This Christmas classic will take audiences on a magical adventure to the Land of Sweets complete with the familiar ballet moments, the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Waltz of the Flowers.

The final Live Screening of the year comes again from National Theatre Live with a broadcast of Antony and Cleopatra on Thursday, December 6.

Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo play Shakespeare’s famous feted couple in his great tragedy of politics, passion and power. Going into 2019 the theatre also have several more live titles scheduled with The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet and National Theatre Live, including La Traviata, I’m Not Running and Don Quixote.

On Live Screening evenings, Theatr Brycheiniog’s The Waterfront restaurant will be serving a menu of lighter pre-show bites, which include antipasti plates and smoked salmon bagels, alongside their established evening menu.

To enquire about the menu options and to pre-order you can call the theatre’s box office on 01874 611622.

The full list of screenings is: King Lear, National Theatre Live, Thu 27 Sep, 7.00pm (Encore on Tue 16 Oct). Tickets cost £17.50 / £15.

The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde Season Live, Tue 9 Oct, 7.15pm, £15 / £12.50.

Allelujah! (Encore), National Theatre Live, Thu 1 Nov, 7pm. £17.50 / £15.

The Madness of George III, National Theatre Live, Tue 20 Nov, 7pm. £17.50 / £15.

The Nutcracker, The Royal Ballet, Mon 3 Dec, 7.15pm. £15 / £12.50.

Antony & Cleopatra, National Theatre Live, Thu 6 Dec, 7pm. £17.50 / £15.

For any details on performances, activities or anything else, visit brycheiniog.co.uk or call the Theatr box office on 01874 611622.