Mansfield Magic

When the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra takes flight on their Fairytales and Broomsticks show later this month, the fairytale component will be coming courtesy of the Ockham Collective's Amy Mansfield. Children's entertainer Chris Lam Sam (pictured) will be narrating Amy's 'Bedtime Story', a Roald Dahlesque rhyme set to composer Claire Cowan's score, created for the Royal New Zealand Ballet's recent production of Hansel & Gretel. Billed as a "whānau-friendly concert of witches, wizards and bedtime stories", the programme is rounded out with selections from the scores of the Harry Potter movies.

You can catch it at the family-friendly time of 2pm at Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre on Sunday 11 August or at the Auckland Town Hall on Sunday 18 August. For more information and tickets, see the NZSO website. Or you can listen to the poem on Spotify, as narrated by Jonny Brough.

If you'd like to pick up some skills for spinning some yarns of your own, Amy is collaborating with writer and film-maker Rachel Davies to host another session of the Write Club at The Nix this month. This 1½-day workshop kicks off on the evening of Friday 16 August and reconvenes the following day. Whether you're a practising or an out-of-practice writer, this half-weekend of words will lead you through fun, cutting-edge, creative practices designed to enable you to free yourself and your writing voice. Click here for more information and to enrol.