Playing Up Scene Study Showcase: The Flea by James Fritz an amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books
Directed by Josie Daxter
Live Performance: 13 May 2026
Join us for an evening of bold, rigorous and imaginative scene work, led by acclaimed director and movement director Josie Daxter, as students present a shared performance of scenes from The Flea by James Fritz.
About the Work
Set in July 1889, The Flea traces an extraordinary chain reaction: a flea bites a rat, a rat spooks a horse, a horse kicks a man — and suddenly a boy and his mother are swept into a national scandal that will reshape their lives and the country forever.
James Fritz’s anarchic and affecting play is a retelling of the Cleveland Street Scandal, spanning from the streets of Bermondsey to the halls of Buckingham Palace. Featuring a flea, a horse, a detective, a queen, a pimp, a god and Charlie — the telegraph boy who knelt before the Crown — The Flea deftly blends history, politics and dark humour. The play premiered at The Yard Theatre in October 2023, directed by Artistic Director Jay Miller.
CONTENT GUIDANCE - This show contains strong and derogatory language, references to death, dying, sex, and mental health."
The Learning Process
Through focused scene study, students have used textual analysis to make clear, detailed performance choices. Drawing on Stanislavski’s practice, they have explored the writer’s intentions, the given circumstances and the world of the play, alongside objectives, obstacles and tactics. Students were introduced to actioning as a tool for clarifying character intention and worked with improvisation to uncover the moments between the lines.
Throughout the process, students received ongoing feedback, including director’s notes, and learned by observing and responding to one another’s work.
About the Director
Josie Daxter is a director, movement director and facilitator working across theatre and opera, specialising in devising new work. Recent projects include directing Worn (Complicité x NSCD) at The Place, and Indigo and The Boy in the Bed for National Youth Theatre’s new writing festival, Storyfest. She was also Movement Director on The Reckoning at Arcola Theatre for Dash Arts.
Josie is an Associate Artist of The PappyShow and has worked with Complicité since 2010. Alongside her professional practice, she leads courses and workshops for performers and non-performers in creative collaboration, devised physical theatre, puppetry and movement. She is an Academic Tutor on the Performance: Design and Practice course at Central Saint Martins, and Co-Lead Facilitator on NYT’s accredited course, Stepping Up.
