Nora - :A Doll's House

 

Nora: A Doll’s House

Written by Stef Smith

Performed by Exmouth Players

At The Blackmore Theatre

On Wednesday 25th March 2026

Directed by Cathy Turner

Assisted by Paul Baxter

At the intimate Blackmore Theatre, Exmouth Players brought Nora: A Doll’s House vividly to life in a production that was both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant.

Stef Smith’s reimagining of A Doll’s House is an ambitious piece and based on the original story by Henri Ibsen. Smith splits the storyline of Nora across three time periods—1918, 1968, and 2018 exploring how women’s roles have evolved, and, more strikingly, how much has remained the same.

This concept, central to the play, was handled with clarity and confidence by the company, ensuring the shifting timelines never became confusing for the audience, a challenge that productions of this text often face.  

Direction made effective use of the Blackmore Theatre’s space, with a simple yet purposeful set that allowed the performances to take centre stage. The minimalism worked in the production’s favour, echoing the domestic confinement at the heart of the story while enabling swift transitions between time periods. Clever set designing showed the differing time periods, with three 3D stand-alone entrances to their houses with a light fitting above suiting the period it represented. Simple staging of a table and 3 chairs on stage used throughout by every performer as they transitioned through the play, worked well. Lighting was used to excellent effect – as all three Nora’s narrate they are all lit from uplighters at the foot of the staging and in each period the specific doorway is lit to represent the time.  I loved the oranges and reds of the cyclorama co-ordinating with the action on stage.

Nora 2018 and Christine 1918 - portrayed by Rachel.. This actor naturally exudes believable emotions in her acting and can hold an audience with mere expression.  Her vulnerability as Nathan threatens her and as she attempts to seduce Daniel for his money was captivating.  The argument with Tom was palpable too.

Nora 1968 and Christine 2018 – Izzy, dressed in a mini skirt and boots had terrific stage presence and her monologue as Nora expressing her emotions in relation to her caesarean scar from the birth of her third child was really touching and impassioned.

Nora 1918 and Christine 1968 – An elegant portrayal of Nora during 1918 played by Ruth especially as she speaks of her passion for women receiving the vote and the paper cut that reminds her of this struggle was particularly poignant and beautifully acted. 

These three performers sharing the role of Nora delivered nuanced and distinct portrayal changing characters easily from ‘their Nora’ to ‘Christine’ in another time adding distinctive changes such as annunciation becoming less eloquent and descriptive (there was much more use of profanity in 1968 and 2018). 

The supporting cast provided strong performances, particularly Francis in the roles of Tom/Tommy/Thomas in the differing periods. In 1918 he is struggling with PTSD (originally called Shell-Shock) from his service in WW1, rotating into 1968 and his condescending attitude toward domestic responsibility, finalising with his judgement of Nora 2018 as he discovers her secret. His presence underscored the power and control that shaped Nora’s world.

Nathan, a dodgy employee of Tom’s who discovers Nora’s secret and blackmails her to protect himself was handled well by Jack. This character’s ever so slight changes throughout the differing periods, anger, resentment and then humility, were all encapsulated in this performance. This compared to the gentleness of the character of Daniel/ Danny who with a natural lilting Scottish accent is the calmness in this piece. Portrayed by Martin, his characterisation showed real warmth and love for Nora as he warns off Nathan and showed his uncomfortableness as Nora 2018 tries to seduce him. Really subtle acting from this actor. 

Nora’s similar experiences across generations are both powerful and unsettling, prompting myself and the audience to reflect on how much progress, if any, has been made for women’s rights and how patriarchy still exists, with a vengeance, in the 21st century.  

The costuming of the piece was again a clever idea by the director with the Nora’s being in various shades of red or burgundy until the last scenes where they wore yellow gowns of similar material and varying designs to suit the era. The pace of the piece could have felt dense due to the layering of timelines especially in the first half however this production was fluid and interesting to anyone watching and it built toward an impactful conclusion.

Overall, Exmouth Players have delivered a bold and intelligent staging of Nora: A Doll’s House. It is a production that challenged, engaged, and lingered in my mind long after leaving the theatre and was well directed by Cathy Turner, ably assisted by Paul Baxter and confidently acted by a talented cast.

Lyn Burgoyne   Noda Representative South West District 5 (Mid and East Devon)

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