About the Show

Joe Locke stars in Samuel D. Hunter’s intimate modern odyssey, set in rural America.

In Clarkston, Jake travels west in search of clarity and purpose, landing in a small American town where he meets Chris, a Costco employee with his own struggles and unspoken dreams. As the two young men connect over long night shifts and quiet conversations, their friendship evolves into something more meaningful. Inspired by the spirit of explorers Lewis and Clark, they begin to imagine a life beyond the limitations of their current reality.

The production is directed by Jack Serio, known for his award-winning work in intimate, character-driven theatre. Joe Locke (Heartstopper, Agatha All Along) stars as Jake, alongside Ruaridh Mollica (BIFA nominee) and Sophie Melville (Evening Standard Theatre Award nominee). The play is written by Samuel D. Hunter, whose credits include The Whale and A Case for the Existence of God.

Clarkston explores themes of friendship, identity, and longing in a rural setting shaped by economic stagnation and emotional isolation. Through the lens of two young men forging an unexpected bond, the play considers what it means to seek connection and possibility in a place where both seem just out of reach.

Critic Reviews (9)

"Locke shows himself to be an accomplished stage performer, capturing a certain romantic ennui in Jake that makes him a likeable protagonist."
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"This isn’t a conventional gay romance, more a soulful meditation on the need for connection with someone worth trusting and a return to a spirit of possibility that seems as ungraspable as the ocean to which they’re finally drawn. "
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"In different hands, perhaps the clash between the thorny past and the sanitised present could feel more vivid"
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"Director Jack Serio stages his production like a series of snapshots, with minimal music and the freeze frame effect of Stacy Derosier’s lighting. "
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"What a strange production it is. Despite Locke’s face being on every poster, his performance is understated, flat even...So not a very bad play, just not a very good one"
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"The pace is so languid, the drama so intimate and miniaturised, that it becomes faintly frustrating."
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"The writing is subtle but blistering: a morose yet eloquent meditation on lives not well lived...It’s blunt and bleak, and almost nothing happens, but the acting and the oblique humour ensure that it is engaging for the most part."
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"The Heartstopper star will bring the crowds but the play is too generic and static to go anywhere"
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