THE RENDITION MEETS PRIME ISAAC

Image Credit - Mark Brenner

Prime Isaac leads with their heart. You feel it in the way they speak about the amount of care involved in working with actors, and the emotional weight of storytelling. As a Black, queer director from West London, Prime’s work is rooted in representation. Their latest production, Bitch Boxer at Arcola Theatre, is no different.

Charlie Josephine’s Bitch Boxer had a life before this iteration. The play is set in 2012 when women were finally able to participate in Olympic boxing. It follows Chloe, a young boxer navigating grief and ambition as she prepares for a pivotal fight. When Prime read the text at the end of 2024, they weren’t expecting it to hit as hard as it did.

“Seeing someone make the decision to fight for what they know they deserve…I find that really inspiring. Especially when it feels like life is against you. She’s drained, she’s tired, she’s grieving, and she still gives that final punch.”

There’s something about watching someone dig deep, emotionally and physically, that stays with Prime. The climactic fight scene is relentless, and Jodie Campbell (Borders), who plays Chloe in this production, gives her all to it. For Prime, the focus isn’t on pushing an actor past their limits; it’s on ensuring they never get to that point. “It’s a one-person show, and that fight is extensive,” they explain. “I always check in with Jodie  and ask if she’s tired.” Care in the rehearsal room means giving the performer control. “It’s about empowering her to say ‘let’s pause’. We can decide together whether we keep going or pick it up tomorrow.” For Prime, knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing when to push forward. “There’s no point working if you don’t have anything left to give. If we can stop comfortably, then we can start again comfortably too.”

Prime regularly speaks about creating work that they would have wanted to see growing up. Their earliest memory of theatre is watching War Horse at school and dismissing it immediately, exclaiming to their teacher “We can see the people moving the puppets, this doesn’t make any sense!” only to find themselves unexpectedly moved by the end. It was television, specifically the Christian and Syed storyline in EastEnders, that first introduced Prime to queer visibility. “That was the first time I realised queer people exist, but that being queer can be perceived to be wrong” they say. “Seeing them overcome challenges on the show was amazing to me.”

On stage, Black and queer representation also felt narrow, and primarily rooted in trauma and struggle. “I don’t find that very encouraging,” Prime admits. “My queerness isn’t the most important part of me. It’s not the most interesting part of anybody.” With Bitch Boxer, queerness doesn’t take centre stage. It exists and expands the story without defining it. “It’s about a girl grieving her dad,” Prime says. “But knowing bits of information about her identity humanises her and makes queer audiences relate in a unique way.”

Casting Jodie Campbell in the role of Chloe, a part originally played by a white actor, was instinctive rather than a radical gesture.

“ Most storylines have nothing to do with race, but there’s often a decision to cast straight white people. Even a simple advert about people just driving to the shop and going home could be a Black family, but the decision is made for it not to be. I don’t think white people do it deliberately, it’s just all that they know. So I do what I know. I’m Black, so Chloe’s Black. That’s the full extent of it.”

It doesn’t have to be complicated, but the impact is profound. It’s a subtle but important shift. The play itself hasn’t changed, but the lens from which it’s viewed has. And that lens incorporates Prime’s own identity.

The production has evolved since its earlier staging at Watford Palace. Time and new perspectives have reshaped how the team see the characters. “Last time, we thought Chloe’s partner was the villain,” Prime explains. “This time around, we’re all different people. We really care about Chloe, and we’re realising that she’s so flawed. The way she deals with her grief isn’t healthy. Everyone else has to adjust to her way of being, or go away.”

Revisiting the play has revealed new layers and new contradictions. It’s strengthened Prime’s passion for making Black queer work. “I didn’t realise how much of a reach the show had,” they say, recalling audience members who approached with glowing reviews after the Watford run. “Knowing that the work has an impact, and that it represents Black queer people, is incredible.”

When I ask Prime what the production has affirmed for them, they reflect for a moment. “I just want to tell a good story. What this show has confirmed is that you can do so much with a good piece of text.” Prime hopes the show offers something honest to the audience about grief. “The fight has a deadline, it happens and then it’s over. But grief?  Grief doesn’t have a timeline. It doesn’t end.”

For Prime, the show’s message is simple but powerful: allow yourself to be loved.

“No matter how strong or brave you are, showing vulnerability isn’t weakness. You can fight and you can win, but at the end of it, you’ll always need someone to lean on.”

Directed by Prime Isaac and starring Jodie Campbell, this fierce, tender reimagining of Charlie Josephine’s play brings grit, grief and Black queer visibility to the East London stage. 

Bitch Boxer runs at Arcola Theatre until 14 March.