Manx Actor Joe Locke To Make West End Debut On Wednesday

Manx actor Joe Locke is set to make his West End debut on Wednesday in the new play ‘Clarkston’.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Samuel D. Hunter, best known for ‘The Whale’, the production opens on Wednesday, September 17, marking a significant milestone in the 21-year-old actor’s career.

Set in Clarkston, Washington, the play begins with Chris, a Costco employee working night shifts, who meets Jake, a new hire and a young gay man from Connecticut.

Chris is also grappling with a difficult relationship with his mother, who struggles with drug addiction.

Meanwhile, Jake has Huntington’s disease, a progressive neurological disorder that causes involuntary movements. He arrived in Clarkston by chance, having lost the ability to drive partway through a westward road trip.

Locke is set to take on the role of Jake in the upcoming production.

Talking to BBC News, Locke said: ‘Jake is this city boy in a small place.

‘He has got so many layers to him that really unravel in the play. A lot of the themes are to do with class and the different experiences of the characters.

‘I really enjoy characters that have something to them, a bit of bite and a bit of a grey area.

‘Everyone is flawed in some ways. I’ve been lucky enough in my career so far to play a few flawed characters, and Jake is no different to that.

‘That’s the fun bit, the meaty bit – getting to know these characters. They’re good and they’re bad.’

The actor from Douglas is best known for his breakthrough performance in Heartstopper, and also recently appeared in the well-received Marvel TV show ‘Agatha All Along’ on Disney+ alongside well-known actors Aubrey Plaza and Kathryn Hahn.

To find out more about Clarkston or book tickets for the Trafalgar Theatre, you can visit https://clarkstonplay.co.uk/