Tortoise in a Nutshell

Tortoise in a Nutshell Edinburgh based visual theatre company. Mixing live action, puppetry and music to make theatre.
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Mixing live action, puppetry and music to make theatre that ignites the imagination of our audiences.

What would you see if you could look at your world through fresh eyes? A girl arrives in a new city, wondering if she wi...
01/09/2026

What would you see if you could look at your world through fresh eyes?

A girl arrives in a new city, wondering if she will belong. Slowly her new home begins to unfold, revealing weird and wonderful stories. A zebra has been spotted roaming the streets but still hasn’t been captured. As both the girl and the Zebra immerse themselves in the hustle and bustle of their new environment, the invisible city grows around them, inviting them in.

In two days, Tortoise in a Nutshell and Theater Gruene Sosse will premiere this exciting new international co-production in Frankfurt, Germany. Realised through a life-sized pop-up picture book, The Invisible City invites everyone to this miniature world of wonder, and asks us - what makes a city truly yours?

Don’t miss out! For everyone 8 and above, more details Theater Gruene Sosse

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🗓️ 3-8 September
📍Junge Theaterwerkstatt am Zoo, Frankfurt

📸 Bodlovic

Thank you for everyone who joined us for The Invisible City previews - we had a lovely time! 🫶And a special shoutout to ...
21/08/2026

Thank you for everyone who joined us for The Invisible City previews - we had a lovely time! 🫶

And a special shoutout to the amazing venue Lyra for having us back, with all the fantastic support!

Next stop...Frankfurt in September 🇩🇪 ! Head to our website for more info.

What would you see if you could look at your world through fresh eyes? 👀A girl arrives in a new city, wondering if she w...
17/08/2026

What would you see if you could look at your world through fresh eyes? 👀

A girl arrives in a new city, wondering if she will belong. Slowly her new home begins to unfold, revealing weird and wonderful stories. A zebra has been spotted roaming the streets but still hasn’t been found. As both the girl and the Zebra immerse themselves in the hustle and bustle of their new environment, the invisible city grows around them inviting them in.

In this new international co-production Tortoise In A Nutshell and Theater Gruene Sosse create a life-sized pop-up picture book, for everyone aged eight and above. Fantastical, rhythmical, rich with imaginative imagery and surprising transformations, The Invisible City asks us what makes a city truly yours?

This production also seeks to develop more sustainable, climate-conscious approaches to theatre-making within an international collaboration. 💚

🔗 more info on our website!

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📍Lyra
20 August: 1pm School Performance
20 August, 6pm & 21 Aug, 4pm: Public performances, Free tickets available on EdFringe website

📣 Happening next week! The buzzy Edinburgh Fringe has officially kicked off, and so does the count down of the first Sco...
13/08/2026

📣 Happening next week!

The buzzy Edinburgh Fringe has officially kicked off, and so does the count down of the first Scottish work in progress sharing’s of The Invisible City!

On 20th August at Lyra, we are putting on a sneak peek 👀 for a local school, before its official launch in Frankfurt this September.

From 20 - 21 August, we will also have two free sharings, with a post-show discussion about producing international co-production in environmentally friendly practices.

A girl arrives in the city and wonders what it takes to belong here. Tortoise In A Nutshell and create a life-sized pop-up picture book made of recycled cardboard, you are invited to a search and a journey into a city that invisible grows with us.

That’s us back from rehearsals in Germany with Theater Gruene Sosse for The Invisible City! While we have so many exciti...
04/08/2026

That’s us back from rehearsals in Germany with Theater Gruene Sosse for The Invisible City!

While we have so many exciting things to share with you, first up are some of the incredible views we've enjoyed along the way - all from the train!

This June and July, we've adopted incentives like slow travel and a carbon neutral rehearsal process in Germany. As international touring and co-production continue to play an important role in climate and sustainable development, we're excited to keep exploring ways to reduce our environmental impact while making theatre across borders. 🌍🚆

That’s us back from rehearsals in Germany with Theater Gruene Sosse for The Invisible City! While we have so many exciti...
04/08/2026

That’s us back from rehearsals in Germany with Theater Gruene Sosse for The Invisible City!

While we have so many exciting things to share with you, first up are some of the incredible views we‘ve enjoyed along the way - all from the train!

This June and July, we’ve adopted incentives like slow travel and a carbon neutral rehearsal process in Germany. As international touring and co-production continue to play an important role in climate and sustainable development, we‘re excited to keep exploring ways to reduce our environmental impact while making theatre across borders. 🌍🚆

We’re somehow already into the second half of the year - when did that happen😳? We have lots of new and returning projec...
08/07/2026

We’re somehow already into the second half of the year - when did that happen😳? We have lots of new and returning projects coming up over the next few months, all the exciting details are below!

The Invisible City (3 Sep)
We kick off the autumn with a new co-production with German theatre company Theater Gruene Sosse exploring how we want to live together in a divided world. Premiering in Frankfurt this September🇩🇪 Don’t worry if you can’t make it to German we will be doing some early sharings of the new show in Edinburgh in August, more details to come soon!

Concerned Others (6-25 Oct)
Our tabletop puppet and micro-cinema production returns for a new Scottish tour, presenting the urgent stories of underheard voices from a nation living with the highest rate of drug related death in Europe.

Una Imagines (16 Nov - 19 Dec)
Our magical winter show for kids aged 4-8 continues to tour community venues across the country, embarking on a fantastical adventure about anticipation, excitement and the trepidation of the unknown❄️

Imprints (Sep - Dec)
This intimate performance is staged around a single writing desk for older adults and dementia communities. Across autumn and winter, Imprints will visit community centres and care homes across Scotland.

There’s upcoming research projects, a new development role for a young professional and a FRESH new website, so stay tuned! 🥁🥁

🔗 in bio for all the latest information about our upcoming work.

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📸
p1: The The Invisible City
P2: Concerned Others (credit )
P3: Una Imagines (credit )
P4: Imprints

We are excited to officially share our brand new co-production with Theater Gruene Sosse - The Invi...
07/07/2026

We are excited to officially share our brand new co-production with Theater Gruene Sosse - The Invisible City.

All about a girl moving to a new city and what it takes to belong. Combining rich cardboard imagery, immersive sound and fantastical tales for everyone aged 8+

We are currently in rehearsals in Frankfurt with a premier here in September. We will be doing a full Scottish premier and tour in 2027 but keep a look out 👀 for some first look opportunities available next month in Edinburgh.

We will be sharing lots of photos, videos and info soon about our amazing team, travels and prep. If there’s anything you want to know drop us a message! ⬇️

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Edinburgh

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+441316050127

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