What can you expect from a trip to see Tom Hartwell’s acclaimed Before 30 when it returns to the London stage next month? Well, if these production shots are anything to go by, a fetching pink helmet and a delightful turquoise tracksuit top at the very least! Take a look then book your tickets!
Hartwell’s hit one-man show about the targets we aim for by certain ages of our life, Before 30, runs at Waterloo East Theatre from 26 February to 3 March 2019.
Hartwell’s play, which is directed by Phil Croft, asks “Where should we be by the age of 30?” Home-owners? Parents? Deliveroo drivers..? With the average first-time buyer not stepping onto the first rung of the property ladder until they are 35 and the growing trend in the temporary lifestyle gig economy, the prospect of growing up has never been less desirable
Meet Chris. He’s an aspiring chef who’s making ends meet between job applications by delivering food to people who can’t be bothered to cook. His past struggles with depression and anxiety resurface when faced with the prospect of facing 30, and constantly comparing himself to his accomplished Grandfather who seemed to achieve everything so easily.
Before 30 was first seen at Theatre N16 in May 2018, when Mind The Blog said of the playwright and performer: “Tom Hartwell is, without a doubt, one of our finest emerging playwrights.” Blog of Theatre Things also said: “This is a writer who really knows his audience.”
Tom Hartwell
Before 30 is the latest play from Hartwell, whose previous plays include Flood, which was staged at Tristan Bates Theatre as part of the 2017 Camden Fringe, Contactless (Hen & Chickens Theatre, 2017) and You Tweet My Face Space. He also co-hosts the regular London Theatre Podcast with Emma Zadow, in which they talk to artists working across the gamut of London theatre, from the West End to the Fringe.
Director Phil Croft previously worked with Hartwell on Contactless. He is an associate of The Hope Theatre, where he has directed productions including Beetles from the West, We Plays and The House of Usher.
Check out these images of the show:
