A NEW season of lunchtime concerts begins at the Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans next Wednesday with a performance by Isabel Beyer and Harvey Dagul. The classical piano recital, which starts at the theatre on Level Two of the Maltings shopping centre a

A NEW season of lunchtime concerts begins at the Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans next Wednesday with a performance by Isabel Beyer and Harvey Dagul.

The classical piano recital, which starts at the theatre on Level Two of the Maltings shopping centre at 1pm, features four hands at one piano as Isabel and Harvey continue their impressive 17th season there with a selection from Schubert, Chopin, Debussy and Brahms.

Future concerts in the season will feature guitar recitals from El Moreno and Dale Harris as well as the return of Hayden Dickenson on piano.

Tickets for the recitals are £3.50, available from the box office on 01727 844422.

ää Award-winning professional poet and arts theatre favourite Luke Wright is putting on a two-day poetry workshop and a performance at the end of next week.

Luke is a professional poet who has appeared on the national spoken-word circuit both solo and as part of "poetry boyband" Aisle 16.

His writing workshop aimed at young people between 12 and 18 begins at 1pm next Thursday, February 14, with the second part culminating in a performance for family and friends on Friday, February 15.

Tickets for the two-part workshop are £12.50.

At 8pm on the Friday evening, Luke will be putting on Poet and Man, billed as an Essex boy's live on-stage quest for truth, honour and a marketable way of summing it all up in rhyme.

Luke has been described by The Observer as, "the best young performance poet around" and is now well-known as a leading new-wave, stand-up poet but things have changed since he made his stage-bound bid to become the new Poet Laureate.

With a new wife, a cat and a more considered bathroom approach, the voice behind Truly Madely Deeply - a love song to Richard Madely - has come of age. Tickets are £8 with concessions £6.

ää A treasure chest of stories for children aged four to eight will be opened when Playdays star Elizabeth Frost puts on Fishy Tales, a show using puppets, music and plenty of audience participation.

Youngsters are invited to delve into Maggie the Retired Pirate's treasure chest of stories to discover a world of fabulous fish, mythical mermaids and a host of other weird and wonderful creatures from the deep.

The performance starts at 3pm and all tickets are £4.50.

ää Walking the line at the arts theatre next Saturday, February 16, will be Roger Dean who is putting on The Johnny Cash Story.

With support from The Lazy Boys, Roger will be performing the unforgettable music of the Man in Black and the audience is invited to sing along in a fully-licensed, Saturday-night cabaret set-up.

Now in its third successful year, the show includes Hurt, A Boy Named Sue, Ring of Fire, Orange Blossom Special, I Walk the Line and many other hits.

Roger comes on stage at 8pm and tickets are £12.50 with concessions £10.