Three performers stand separately in pools of white light on a dark, smoky stage, wearing contrasting modern and period-style costumes.

ArtsEd, Chiswick, London2025

Nora: A Doll’s House / Harlequinade

The Production

ArtsEd presented Nora: A Doll’s House and Harlequinade as a March 2025 student double bill in Chiswick. Pairing Stef Smith’s contemporary Ibsen reworking with Terence Rattigan’s backstage comedy, the production set a modern feminist drama against a farcical portrait of theatrical life.

45 photographs in the curated edit

Commissioned by: ArtsEd
Director: Tim Hunter-Reid
Lighting Design: Chris Mould
Sound Design: James Hassett
Vocal Coach: Samantha Dye
Director: Lizzie Bellamy
Photography: Steve Gregson

A performer in a dark coat holds an open notebook and looks tensely toward another performer in a waistcoat, with a bright beam of stage light cutting through haze behind them.

On a busy, brightly lit stage with flowers, columns and balconies, two performers in ornate costumes clash swords while others watch from different levels.

A dim interior set with doorways, chairs and a small Christmas tree shows three silhouetted performers below and one performer standing high above on a balcony-like level.

One performer in a pale robe kneels and clasps the hands of another in a blue dress, looking up pleadingly as the standing performer smiles faintly.

A performer in a red period dress leans over a high railing toward another performer climbing a rope ladder, framed by tall floral arrangements and dramatic blue lighting.

Five performers are spaced across a shadowy room set, with one in a green floral dress foregrounded and another in a long teal dress centered under a doorway light.

A performer in ornate dark costume sits on the floor reaching outward, while another in white reclines dramatically across a large trunk behind them.

A close-up shows a performer in a blue velour tracksuit holding a brown paper envelope, lit starkly against a dark, hazy stage.

Two performers gesture broadly beside a large trunk where a performer in a red dress lies draped across it, creating a heightened comic stage tableau.

A young man in a green festive sweater reaches toward a blonde woman in a blue tracksuit as she raises a hand between them in a tense, warmly lit exchange.

A performer in a fur coat and burgundy hat grips a dark railing, looking distressed under a tight spotlight against a black background.

Three women stand far apart across a dim stage with handbags, each isolated in a pool of light beneath holiday garlands and a small red lamp.

A performer in an ornate red gown sings or pleads with one sleeve extended, while two costumed figures sit blurred behind floral stage decorations.

A man in a dark suit seated on a chair gently touches the chin of a woman kneeling before him on a bare stage set.

A performer in black and red period costume sits on a raised platform with arms spread, while a performer in a red gown turns toward them on a bench.

A blonde woman in a bulky dark puffer jacket stands near a staircase, caught in cool stage light with a concerned expression.

A large ensemble fills a dark stage with platforms, flowers and haze, as a performer in period costume strides forward carrying a sword.

Two women sit closely on the floor in warm light, one in a vest and skirt leaning toward the other in a blue tracksuit during an intimate conversation.

A performer in a police-style cape raises both hands as another performer in black and red period costume leans forward, brandishing a sword under dramatic side lighting.

Three women stand separately in doorways across a dim living-room set, lit by narrow spotlights with a Christmas tree and chairs between them.

Three performers in period-inspired costumes raise champagne flutes together, mouths open as if singing or toasting on a warm festive stage.

A performer in ornate dark period costume gestures dramatically beside a woman reclined in white on a raised platform near a staircase.

A woman in a blue velour tracksuit sits on a staircase holding a glass, isolated in a bright spotlight against a dark stage.

Two women in bright floral dresses face each other closely and hold hands, creating an intimate, tense moment on the set.

On a wide stage, two period-costumed performers gesture outward while another lies draped in a red robe on a raised bed beside columns and a staircase.

A barefoot woman in a blue velour tracksuit sits curled on the floor under cool blue lighting, looking upward with a pensive expression.

A distressed performer in ornate period costume cradles a bundled cloth while others in mixed period dress lean in and react around him.

A young man in a dark coat points a finger during a tense close confrontation with a woman in a blue velour tracksuit.

Three women are spaced across a smoky stage, one seated barefoot among white confetti while spotlights and staircase lights create a stark atmosphere.

A distressed performer in a red and gold period dress sits in the foreground while a blurred performer in black and red gestures behind her on a dark stage.

A wide stage scene shows performers dancing and gesturing across a house-like set with colored party lights, chairs draped in red fabric, and magenta-blue lighting.

A performer in a suit holds another performer close, one hand cradling her head, in an intimate moment under warm stage light.

A performer in rustic clothing raises both arms energetically beside a seated performer in a dark blue dress, with flower-filled columns behind them.

A performer in a green and yellow floral dress stands tensely in the foreground while a blurred performer in a white shirt stands behind on a dim blue-toned stage.

A performer in a dark police uniform stands in the foreground beneath a spotlight, with another performer on an upper platform behind floral urns.

An ensemble in period-style costumes fills a multi-level stage, with a toppled chair in the foreground and performers gathered under dramatic lighting.

Two performers embrace tightly in the foreground while a third watches from behind on a dimly lit stage.

A performer in a dark floral dress speaks with an urgent expression against a mostly black stage background.

Three performers stand far apart across a wide stage under cool spotlights and thick theatrical fog, with a dim house set behind them.

Two performers sit close together on a dim stage, smiling warmly and holding hands in an intimate moment.

A performer in a vivid red patterned dress stands in sharp focus, looking ahead with a tense expression, while a suited figure stands blurred behind her.

A wide stage view shows three performers standing beneath a spotlight, with another on a staircase and a silhouetted figure above in blue light.

Three performers stand side by side under falling stage snow against a dark background, their expressions solemn and still.

Close-up of a performer in a teal period-style jacket and striped blouse, lit dramatically against a deep blue background.

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