Text that reads "ALEX Payne" with "ALEX" in large white font and "Payne" in orange script.

Fight Director. Stunts. Director. Actor.

Meet Alex

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Alex Payne is a fight director, stunt performer, coordinator, director, and actor whose work lives at the intersection of story and spectacle. Trained as an actor at East 15 Acting School, his approach across every discipline is shaped by performance first; bringing together movement, character, and action to create work that feels cinematic, immediate, and alive.

As a fight director, Alex’s work spans the West End and leading UK institutions, with credits including Opening Night, Trainspotting the Musical, Teeth ’n’ Smiles, Macbeth and The Cherry Orchard for the RSC, The Estate at the National Theatre, and The Last Ship, recently staged at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and soon heading to Drury Lane.

Alongside his stage work, Alex works internationally as a stunt performer, with screen credits including the award-winning Vikings, Netflix’s Vikings: Valhalla, and Amazon’s Bloodaxe. As an actor, he played Edward in Abu Dhabi TV’s Al Boom S2 and appears in the upcoming horror feature For The Good of the Herd - which also gave him the chance to perform one particularly gnarly stunt.

Alex is also the director of The Immersive Playground, creating ambitious live experiences for clients including Louvre Abu Dhabi, and continues his work in Bosnia and Herzegovina with Youth Bridge Global, using Shakespeare as a tool for connection and reconciliation.

Across every discipline, Alex’s work is driven by the same instinct: action in service of story.

Say hello…

Credits

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Credits

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Credits ⦁ Credits ⦁

A female singer with blonde hair performs on stage, holding a microphone and wearing an orange embroidered shawl with fringes. She is backlit with stage lights, and musical equipment is visible in the background.
Three Viking warriors in armor and cloaks walking on an icy landscape with a snowy forest and buildings in the background, under a cloudy sky. The text 'Vikings Valhalla' appears at the top.
Two male wrestlers in a wrestling match, with one on his knees and the other gripping him in a hold. A man in a business suit looks on. The scene appears intense and dramatic.
Poster for the play "The Cherry Orchard" with a black-and-white photograph of a middle-aged man with gray hair and beard, wearing a white shirt and dark sweater, against a light gray background.
A man with platinum blonde curly hair and a partly blood-covered face, staring intently in front of him, leaning forward with his arms crossed on a table, with a dark background.
A man and woman exchanging something in a field of tall green plants, with a table and chairs nearby.
Lego police officer figurine in front of an explosion with flames and fire in the background.
A man with a beard wearing a black hat, beige shirt, and dark vest riding a horse outdoors with a blurred background of trees and sky.
Two actors performing on stage, one embracing the other, with a serious expression.
Star Wars cosplay characters with Darth Vader and a Jedi holding lightsabers in a dark, sci-fi themed setting with a crowd in the background.
Two women are inside near a glass door and window. One woman is sitting on the floor, with her head tilted back and her eyes closed, appearing distressed. The other woman is kneeling behind her, holding her shoulder and seeming to comfort her. The scene is illuminated by natural light coming through the glass, with greenery visible outside.
The Joker, a clown with green hair and white face paint, wearing a purple suit with a green vest and yellow shirt, standing on a lit platform and posing with arms outstretched in a dark indoor setting.
Performers and audience at a circus or carnival event under colorful lights, with a girl standing on a wooden platform in front of a crowd.
A person performing a fire spinning act in a dark room, surrounded by fire.
An elderly man with a bald head wearing a dark gray coat over a light-colored shirt and blue jeans, standing in front of a black gate with vertical bars, holding a gray woolen hat in his right hand. There is a partially visible white sign with red text behind him that reads, 'DON'T LET BRITAIN...'
Group of people dressed in yellow and black sports costumes, with some performing martial arts poses, along with a person in a Lego character costume, outdoors in an urban setting.
A lively stage performance at SeaWorld with performers dressed as mythical and fantasy characters, including a woman in a purple dress, a man in a reindeer costume, and dancers in blue and white costumes, with a large swirling blue and black ceiling design and the SeaWorld sign in the background.
Two men face each other closely, one wearing a black jacket with white stripes and the other in a dark suit with a white shirt, in a tense confrontation.
Two shirtless boxers fighting in a boxing ring with red and white ropes, one boxer delivers a punch to the other's face.
A boat with the shape of a dragon, on fire, floating on water with people on board, during dusk or nighttime.
Two actors performing a dance or theatrical scene on stage, with a black background, a table with a lamp and books to the side, and stairs in the background.
Two shirtless men are fighting inside a boxing ring with ropes, while an audience watches from the background and foreground. The setting has vintage-style boxing posters and flags hanging from the ceiling.
Two men performing an acrobatic stunt on a dark stage with spotlight, one hanging upside down while the other helps.
Four men posing inside a pub called 'The Nags Head,' with drinks in hand, smiling and making gestures for the camera.
A man in a blue suit and a woman in a beige pantsuit stand on a stage with confetti falling around them, in a formal setting with chairs and a table in the background.
A man and woman dancing passionately in a dimly lit room with green and blue lighting. The woman is in a burgundy dress and stockings, and the man in a white shirt and gray pants. They are close, with the woman leaning back and the man leaning forward.
Scene from a theatrical performance featuring characters dressed as the Joker, Catwoman, and Batman, set against a backdrop of a cityscape at night with a large clock and rain effects.
CV

  • “ superbly choreographed by fight director Alex Payne”

    —What’s on Stage

  • “ Alex Payne’s fight direction deserves a special mention: it is realistic and compelling, during the sparring and right through to the match itself.”

    —Everything Theatre

  • “ Slick, energetic fight choreography from Alex Payne looks terrific, and it’s smartly juxtaposed with blown-up footage of the actual fight”

    —Time Out

  • “With Alex Payne’s fight direction, it’s worth seeing for the edge-of-your-seat-action scenes alone”

    —The Arts Dispatch

  • “ both performances are flawless, with both Francis Adams as Brian and Alex Payne as Matthew conveying a real sense of yearning for each other’s companionship under the mistrust and dislike.”

    —What’s on Stage

  • “ Well-choreographed fighting by Alex Payne. A murderous scene in the second half is so cunningly choreographed, it alone would make the production worth a recommendation.”

    —West End Wilma

  • “Credit must go to the magical theatrics devised by illusion director Filipe Carvalho and action co-ordinator Alex Payne, which infuse the production with its promise of spine-chilling horror.“

    —Culture Whisper

  • “ Director Alex Payne ingeniously isolates pivotal scenes from the original text that can be easily integrated without disrupting the flow of the night. The result is an ebb and flow between dining and performance that leaves you highly satisfied after each course, be it food or theatre! A phenomenal debut production.”

    —LondonTheatre1

  • “Another highlight are the numerous and excellently choreographed fights sequences, courtesy of fight director Alex Payne, most memorably the three way duel between Bassanius, Demetrius and Chiron is a true joy to behold.“

    —Union Times

  • “ There are also some thrilling fight scenes choreographed skilfully by Alex Payne, especially considering the small and round set-up.”

    —Female Arts

  • “ The show’s a visual feast; there’s smoke and blood galore, and some intense physical scenes from fight director Alex Payne. The climactic scene of Macbeth’s death is particularly stunning, with choreography, movement and music coming together to turn a moment of violence into something quite beautiful from which it’s impossible to look away.”

    —Theatre Things

Say hello…

Send an inquiry and connect with Alex.