The Nutshell

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN 🖤 As our Crowdfunder campaign - #TheNutshellAppeal - nears 10% of our target at day 5 (🥹 thank you) we wanted to take a trip back to where it all began. In late 2018 we were driven to find our own affordable, accessible, welcoming rehearsal and performance venue and successfully won a Winchester City Council bid to rejuvenate and transform what was the iconic Antiques Market into a thriving creative space - The Nutshell. It began life as a barebones project. With building improvements undertaken by WCC and us, we moved in with nothing but a camping table and two chairs. We were lucky enough to receive kind donations of furniture, lighting, sound equipment and paint from generous businesses across Hampshire and we began welcoming the local community and local creatives into our space as hirers, members and audiences. PLEASE READ ABOUT OUR CROWDFUNDER VIA THE LINK IN OUR BIO - every donation and share of our project means the world ❤️ #thenutshellappeal #thenutshellwinchester #creativewinch #hellowinchester #hampshirelife #winchestervenue #antiquesmarket #letscreate #winchestervenue #winchestervenuehire

Hello! 🖤 As we enter into our fifth year of The Nutshell, we thought it was time to reintroduce ourselves and put faces to the names of The Nutshell’s founders. We’re Harriet and Noël and we are the joint CEOs of The Nutshell and The Discarded Nut Theatre Company and are extremely proud to run a female-led creative organisation. We have worked across the creative industry for over two decades specialising in working with young people, community theatre, music, education, producing, programming and small-scale touring. We pride ourselves on our unswerving determination to provide high-quality, vibrant and exciting artistic opportunities for all. We set up our theatre company in 2010 and have worked with thousands of young people through our youth theatres and projects and have produced professional productions including our five star production of Hamlet in 2017. In 2018 we went in search of a building to call ‘home’ as we felt that there was a gap in the Winchester market for excellent artistic provision in the form of a small-scale, creative venue; a welcoming, accessible, alternative space that would offer a culturally rich, exciting and diverse programme of work. The Antiques Market swiftly became the front runner, and was perfectly situated in the heart of what was to become Winchester’s Creative Quarter. We opened the doors to The Nutshell in early 2019 and with little in our back pockets, we set about transforming it into what you see today! Fast forward to 2024 (throw in a near two-year closure for good measure #2020 (the less said about that the better!)) and our programme, engagement, services, hires and offer has grown more than ever before. We are so proud of what we’ve achieved so far and it is an absolute privilege to do what we do in the city that we love and it is a mega plus getting to work with your best pal every day. Thank you for being a part of our journey! Here is to the next five years 🖤5️⃣ #thenutshell #thenutshellappeal #thenutshellwinchester #harrietmorris #noeljones #winchester #hellowinchester #hampshirelife #hampshirecreative #winchestercreative #letscreate #femalefounders #femaleledbusiness 📸 @samgavinsphotography ♥️

AWARD WINNER!! 🏆 WILL PICKERING - OTHELLO SOUND @fringetheatreawards How many pictures of @willp_mus1c can we get in one post?! What a legend xx So proud of Will and our entire team - what a way to tie off Othello 2026 🧡

WINCHESTER! This Thursday’s jazz club at @thenutshellwinchester features OUT FRONT - a fantastic trumpet led quintet featuring my friend @nmalcolmmusic . Gonna be epic. Don’t sleep on this! @winchjazzfest #winchester #nutshelljazzclub #nutshellwinchester #ukjazz

THE NUTSHELL JAZZ CLUB: OUT FRONT A UK jazz super group, Out Front originally formed to play the music of two of jazz’s greatest ‘inside-outside’ composers; Booker Little and Andrew Hill. With roots anchored in the the work of these two masters, they now present sets of entirely original music, composed by multiple members of the band. Featuring a rich line-up of three horns, drums and bass, the band draws on years of collective experience at the highest level of jazz and improvised music, exploring a full spectrum of possibilities, from joyous straight ahead time playing, to the most open of improvisation. Thursday 21 May 2026 £25, £13 Students 8pm (doors 7pm)

Wishing everyone a wonderful Pride 2026! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ We support love, inclusivity and kindness - all day, every day ♥️ Have a wonderful day!! @winchpride and throw your support to the entire team by donating towards 2027, if you’re able 🌈

DU IZ TAK? | 29th May 2026 Told through the language of insects, Du Iz Tak? is a story about the cycle of life and all its impermanence. Come and peer into a miniature world of little puppets to see a delightful group of friends exploring their ever-changing home. Adapted from the award-winning and beautiful book by Carson Ellis. ​ Du Iz Tak? is an enchanting, unusual and magical theatre show for young families. 📆 Friday 29th May 2026 🎟️ £8 & PWYC* 🕚 11am & 🕑 2pm Duration: 35 mins approx Ages 3+ and their families

What a beautiful way to spend a sunny Sunday morning at our first ever Cyanotype and Coffee workshop! Thank you to @simonbray for delivering our first sold-out workshop and to @southdownssocial and @jess_kitchen_hampshire for providing coffees and cakes to get us through. We’ll be delivering more workshops and as always are keen to hear from YOU! What workshop would you like to see at The Nutshell? 👇 #whatsonwinchester #workshopsinwinchester #whatsonthenutshell

The Nutshell Comedy Club 🎤 Sat 18 April More Spring Comedy fun, and April fools, to brighten up the day so we bring you yet another cracking comedy night featuring just the finest stand-up comedians from the UK comedy circuit. This month’s delights are Nathan Eagle, Tal Davies, Andrew White and all held together by your host and MC Sunjai Arif! 📆 SATURDAY 18 APRIL 2026 🎟️ £18/£13 🕗 8PM (DOORS AT 7PM) Link in bio 👆 Please note that line ups are subject to change.

THE NUTSHELL JAZZ CLUB > Thursday 16 April 🎷 London based Tenor player Fraser Smith has been playing professionally across Europe and beyond for the past 20 years. His latest album Lifeline! was recently added to The Times and Jazzwise ‘Best Jazz Albums of 2025’ lists, receiving a glowing 4 star review from each. ‘Fiery and energetic hard-bop’, the band’s previous album Tiptop!, received coverage from the Guardian, Jazzwise and Hi-fi magazine and amassed 1.3 million streams. Thursday 16 April 2026 £25, £13 Students 8pm (doors 7pm) Limited avails - selling fast Link in bio 🔥👆

Last Unicorn Airways - all tickets PAY WHAT YOU CAN! Take flight with Last Unicorn Airways! Join two playful baggage handlers as they unpack a globe-trotting adventure from a magical final flight, where every suitcase tells a story. Among them is The Flying Trunk, a spellbinding Arabian Nights-inspired tale of a daring storyteller and his enchanted flying suitcase, adapted from Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless tale. This heartwarming show is perfect for families and young children aged 4-9, and disabled children of all ages who experience complex and multiple barriers to access. This performance will take place in our ground floor studio and has level access and an accessible toilet. 📆 Friday 10th April 2026 🎟️ PAY WHAT YOU CAN! 🕚 11am & 🕑 2pm ⏳ 60 mins approx 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Ages 4+ and their families

Tiny Planet 🪐 7&8 April 2026 Half a String return with their latest production! For fans of Breathe and The Snowsmith >>> this is for you 🖤 Imagine a whole world no bigger than a house. A planet that can be explored in a matter of minutes, yet it is the centre of a galaxy. With breathtaking puppetry, original live folk songs and earthy percussion, uncover the mysteries that keep this little globe turning. Live camera projection brings this tiny world to life as a wanderer learns that the smallest things hold the biggest stories. Tuesday 7th & Wednesday 8th April 2026 🎟️ £14/£12 & PWYC* 🕦 11:30am & 🕝 2:30pm ⏳ 60 mins approx 🧑‍🧑‍🧒‍🧒 Ages 5+ and families/adults 🔗 in bio #halfastring #whatsonwinchester #hellowinchester #winchesterfamilies