Manx actor Joe Locke is set to make his West End debut next week 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/