Can’t Wait to Leave

Adult one-man theatre exploring social isolation in young people and adolescent bisexual identity

Meet Ryan. 19 (but young for his age). School drop-out (but smart). Turkey sandwich enthusiast (365 days a year). Absolute stunner (no addendum). He’s new in town, and all he wants to do is check out. The hard part is coming up with an exit plan.

When the one person he thought he could rely on ups and leaves, Ryan finds himself adrift, looking for direction. Six months to kill, no money, no rules… surely this is the worst possible time to be alone? That’s when he meets Richard, who seems to have all the answers…

A new British play exploring social isolation in young people and adolescent bisexual identity, Can’t Wait To Leave is a bitingly frank portrayal of loneliness and self-discovery. Written and directed by Stephen Leach in his playwriting debut, Can’t Wait To Leave is set entirely in an A&E waiting room and told by a young man named Ryan. Ryan begins to reflect on the course his life has taken over the past six months following the unexpected departure of his older brother.

‘Can’t Wait To Leave’ enjoyed highly positive reviews, with LastMinuteTheatreTickets calling the show “a superbly written and performed piece of theatre” and LondonTheatre1 awarding it a five-star review. It subsequently ran at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, was highly praised by critics and audiences, received a slew of highly positive reviews, sold out its final performance – and was subsequently nominated for an OffFest award.

A solo performance with an additional voice cast, the show addresses and explores themes of loneliness among young people, childhood trauma, family estrangement, and sexual identity.

BroadwayBaby: “…impressive realism and deep connection to [its] founding concepts”
BroadwayWorld: Zach Hawkins “does incredible work… he waltzes through the flowing stream of consciousness with ease”
The Quintessential Review: “A highly accomplished monologue… [and] there’s plenty to laugh at”

See the trailer at https://youtu.be/NyQ4D_HT8Ac