Core Values at The Hen & Chickens Theatre

There is no single story at the centre of Core Values. Instead, it arrives as fragments: conversations half-finished, memories circling back on themselves, questions thrown outward with no guarantee of an answer. What emerges is closer to a mosaic than a narrative, with pieces placed side by side until a picture begins to form, then shifts again.

Before the play begins, the audience are invited to write down their own core value and place it in a box. At the end, each person takes one away. It is a simple but telling gesture. Core Values wants its audience to leave with something in hand, something to discuss, and perhaps something to question.

Developed by InHouse Theatre Productions, written and directed by Alice Dempsey, with featured writing from Cécile Fayter and Nikita Aang Campbell, Core Values is a devised work about the instability of human connection. It asks what we hold onto, what we let go of, and how relationships survive the small conflicts and larger wounds that shape us.

The structure is episodic, moving between short scenes that range from comic to quietly devastating. Early moments establish a lightness, with a discussion about how to spend time together becoming a subtle dissection of compatibility. Even here, connection feels conditional, shaped as much by difference as by shared intention.

The three performers carry this shifting form well. Cécile Fayter as Player A, Alice Dempsey as Player B, and Nikita Aang Campbell as Player C each bring a distinct energy. Dempsey gives the most outwardly expressive performance of the evening, using voice, facial expression and physical presence with confidence. Fayter brings sombre emotional depth, particularly in moments where personal discomfort and memory rise to the surface. Campbell adds steadiness and quiet control, giving many of the reflective scenes a grounded shape.

The humour works strongly. In pieces such as Facts and Figures and Boyfriends Are Useless, quick-fire dialogue and absurd detail create a sense of familiarity. These moments land because they feel recognisable. They also matter because Core Values often follows uncomfortable experiences. Laughter becomes a release valve, one of the ways people survive the awkwardness, pain and absurdity of being close to one another.

As the play unfolds, it becomes increasingly interested in what sits beneath those lighter exchanges. Scenes such as Am I Horrible to Live With?, The Almost Call, and After the Shower move into more interior territory, exploring insecurity, absence and the quiet ways people disappear even when physically present. The repeated question of whether to handle conflict “head on or stay silent” gives the piece a useful spine, returning in different forms as relationships bend under pressure.

The fragmented structure works well in performance. Each scene is marked by a fade to black, supported by sound, before the lighting returns in a new configuration for the next section. These shifts help reset the emotional temperature of the room, giving each fragment its own atmosphere while keeping the evening clearly structured. Miriam Botzenhardt’s work across stage management, sound and lighting is key here, quietly shaping the rhythm of the piece.

The staging itself is minimal, with chairs doing much of the practical work. For an early production in an intimate fringe setting, this simplicity feels appropriate. The Hen & Chickens Theatre, above the pub in Islington, suits the scale of the work, and the room’s tiered seating gives the audience a clear view throughout.

Some of the strongest moments come later. The Guitar stands out as one of the evening’s most affecting scenes, exploring memory, inheritance and the emotional charge held inside an object. The guitar becomes more than a prop. It becomes a vessel for grief, family and fear of loss. After the Shower also lands strongly, tracing the difficulty of being present with someone who is emotionally retreating, and the uncertainty of how close another person should come.

There is a recurring tension between wanting closeness and resisting it, between needing others and fearing what that need might cost. The repeated motif of “head on or stay silent” threads through the piece, offering a kind of structural spine. Conflict is never resolved cleanly. Instead, it expands, distorts, or is avoided entirely. Silence becomes both a refuge and a threat.

The final movement shifts into darker territory, confronting harm, accountability and the lasting impact of violence. It is a powerful and meaningful turn, reframing earlier moments in a different light. The tonal movement from humour to trauma is sometimes abrupt, but that abruptness also reflects the unpredictability of lived experience, where laughter and pain often occupy the same room.

At times, the Player A, B and C format leaves it slightly open whether the performers are continuing as the same figures or stepping into new versions of experience. Some fragments also feel more developed than others. Yet the play’s incompleteness is part of its texture. Relationships rarely arrive neatly labelled, and Core Values resists forcing them into tidy shapes.

What remains is a thoughtful and emotionally engaging devised play where relatable conflict is softened, sharpened and released through humour. As a debut work from Dempsey, and as an ensemble piece shaped by lived experience, Core Values shows a company interested in theatre as conversation, confession and connection.

It leaves the audience with no neat resolution, but with a question in their hand.

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: Core Values at The Hen & Chickens Theatre – photographer Alexander Gilbert

: Core Values at The Hen & Chickens Theatre – photographer Alexander Gilbert

: Core Values at The Hen & Chickens Theatre – photographer Alexander Gilbert

: Core Values at The Hen & Chickens Theatre – photographer Alexander Gilbert

: Core Values at The Hen & Chickens Theatre – photographer Alexander Gilbert

Performers

Cécile Fayter

PLAYER A

A London‑based actor, writer and queer creative with training from ArtsEd. With a background in clowning and a passion for complex female characters, she brings sharp emotional detail to the devised work. Writer of Am I Horrible, she contributes both performance and text to Core Values.

Alice Dempsey

PLAYER B

An Australian actor, writer and director who relocated to the UK in 2023 to continue her training at ArtsEd. Core Values marks her debut as a writer‑director, blending her interest in accessible, authentic storytelling with a collaborative devising process.

Nikita Campbell

PLAYER C

An Indonesian‑Australian actor and graduate of Federation University’s Music Theatre programme. Recently moved to London, she brings a fresh perspective to the ensemble and is excited to help shape new, accessible theatre through this devised production.

Cast & Creatives

Cécile Fayter as Player A
Alice Dempsey as Player B
Nikita Aang Campbell as Player C

A thoughtful and emotionally engaging devised play

Summary

A thoughtful and emotionally engaging devised play where relatable conflict is softened, sharpened and released through humour.

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Core Values at The Hen & Chickens Theatre