March is here signalling the welcome departure of winter and the eagerly anticipated arrival of spring. Expect festivities aplenty in the lead up to Easter in Winchester this month:
Donald Hutera has curated Women GOlive at the Discovery Centre as part of the Theatre Royal Winchester’s programme on Thursday 10 March at 7.45pm, with an exciting roster of artists including Avatara Ayuso, Susan Kempster, Sarah Kent, Alice Labant, Gloria Sanvicente Amor and Lorna V. Tickets are available to book online here.
Why not go for the double on the 11 March and head back to the Discovery Centre for comedian Tiffany Stevenson’s Madman Tour. The show was one of the best reviewed at the Edinburgh Festival 2015 receiving ten 4* and 5* reviews. Stevenson has appeared on Mock the Week, Drunk History, The Apprentice: You’re Fired and People Just Do Nothing or heard on Radio 4 Extra, 7 Day Saturday, Woman’s Hour and BBC Radio Scotland. Tickets are available here and the show starts at 8pm.
For a thoroughly entertaining week, don’t forget to book tickets to Talking Scarlet’s production of Round and Round the Garden by Alan Ayckbourn, the master of comic relationship drama. Norman is intent on making all the women in his life happy. Without considering the repercussions, he simultaneously attempts to seduce his sister-in-law Annie, charm his brother’s wife Sarah and still keep his own wife Ruth happy. Starring Natasha Gray and Kevin Pallister from Emmerdale and showing at the Theatre Royal 7-12 March at 7.30pm. Tickets are available here.
Sean O’Casey’s Juno and the Paycock opens at the Chesil Theatre on 12 March running until 19 March, directed by Cecily O’Neil. The Boyle family is struggling for survival in a Dublin tenement room during the Irish Civil War. “Captain” Jack Boyle – the “peacock” of the title – spends his time avoiding work and drinking with his sidekick, Joxer, while his wife, Juno, tries to keep her family together. For more information and booking details, visit the Chesil Theatre website.
Winchester Cathedral has introduced its inaugural Modern Art tour on Saturday 12 March, to guide visitors through the building’s rich art objects, including works by internationally acclaimed artists Peter Eugene Ball, Cecil Collins, Eric Gill, Antony Gormley, Barbara Hepworth and Justin Knowles, as well as renowned local artists Sophie Hacker, Tim Harrisson, Alice Kettle, Tracey Sheppard and many more. Tickets are available from the Cathedral Box Office, priced at £12.50.
It’s the Easter Vintage & Makers Fayre on Sunday 13 March at the Guildhall, Winchester’s biggest indoor celebration of the charm of 1930s-1980s vintage fashions and paraphernalia. Visitors can expect an incredible team of vintage traders offering fashion, accessories, collectibles, textiles and housewares – a good place to visit for an alternative to chocolate easter gifts. Entrance is £2 and children under 12 are free. For more details visit the website here.
The great Simon Callow will be presenting the magnificently interesting Orson Welles at the Theatre Royal on Thursday 17 March. This is part of Callow’s tour of his book, Orson Welles: One-Man Band. Callow describes Welles as “one of the most completely, improbably, extravagant human beings who ever lived.” He attempts to “make the reader feel as if they’d met him”. To book tickets for a deliciously intimate evening, visit here.
The Winchester Real Ale and Cider Festival at the Guildhall has completely sold out 18-19 March. If you managed to book a ticket, have a wonderful time and enjoy the beer. If you missed out this year, why not try Welcome to Ginchester at the Green Man Pub on 18 March 7-9pm. Organisers the Cabinet Rooms have teamed up with Winchester Distillery’s Paul Bowler for an expert introduction to the world of gin. Do book in advance to avoid disappointment as places are limited.
Plenty to amuse Wintonians so far we think and we’ll be bringing you an egg-citing Win Guide to Easter later this month…