Independent theatre company Nerve Theatre was founded in January 2025, when its first original production,
Broken Party, took to the stage at Benn Hall in Rugby. That was followed the same year by a modern retelling of
Frankenstein. Now, for 2026, Nerve Theatre founder Mia Ballard has written and directed
The House She Built, staged for three nights at The Black Diamond, Northampton.
The House She Built, set in 1950s Hollywood, is a dark thriller influenced by the lives of Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn and their treatment as women within the cogs of Hollywood. Our leading lady here is Nancy Carlton, who returns to Mellor Brothers Productions to make one final film. But something awaits her, and the scene is set for a period thriller that explores the grimy world behind Hollywood's apparently glamorous days.
Michaela Clement-Hayes leads the cast as Nancy Carlton, the star troubled by her past, but returning to her old studio for that final movie. Clement-Hayes looks the part, and she depicts the confusion, anger, and terror as events unfold excellently. Occasionally, vocally, she doesn’t project as well as the space needs, but overall, she holds the show together well as the leading lady.
Supporting Clement-Hayes is a great collection of performers who bring an excellent mix to the show. Of particular note is Rik E. Dean as the camp and tremendously loyal make-up artist Willie, long-time friend of Nancy. His character is perhaps one of the warmest in the play, with often little to like about most of the characters here. George Sutton is equally strong as director and Nancy’s husband, Richard Rush. He brings power to many scenes, often crucial ones to the story, especially.
More sprightly and entertaining is James Burgess as the calculating press man Jack Booker, always on hand with a telling tale for his paper and hiding a secret of his own. Mellor Brothers Productions head honcho Adrian Mellor is played with nice gravitas by Jonathan Litchfield, oozing the charm you'd imagine got the men of Hollywood to the top, though he may be hiding something in his past too, as everyone in Ballard’s detailed, cryptic play appears to be.
Amber Rosen as Barbra and Beverley Webster as Lillian Crane also offer good support as Nancy’s co-stars. The former, a young woman, would be Nancy of herself, clingy and idol-worshipping to the extreme. The latter is an over-the-top stalwart actress, always on Nancy’s back, hinting constantly at her troubled past.
The set is minimal in its use of props, but the venue itself creates the perfect setting, with the Art Deco surroundings complementing the play. Composers Antony Newby and Matt Watson have created a collection of new music that adds atmosphere to the show, especially during the mysterious dream sequences that scatter throughout the play.
At times, The House She Built feels a little rough around the edges, with clunky scene changes and audio cutting in and out too abruptly, and the first act feels slightly overlong. Still, none of this distracts from the intriguing, weaving storyline, which ends in a surprising way I challenge anyone to guess until the final stages. So, for the mystery alone and your support of both independent theatre and new writing, I suggest a trip through the decades to The House She Built is definitely one to make.
An intriguing, mysterious thriller with a suitably unexpected twist.
⭐⭐⭐
Performance reviewed (final dress): Wednesday, 23rd September, at The Black Diamond, Northampton.
The House She Built runs at The Black Diamond until Saturday, 26th September 2026.
Find more details about Nerve Theatre on Instagram as nerve.theatre and on Facebook as Nerve Theatre.
For tickets to the show, follow https://bdiamond.co.uk/event/the-house-she-built-nerve-theatre-original-play/
Photographs: Rebecca Cockcroft Photography
