A bittersweet and vital play that throws a spotlight on 'Generation Rent' and the lengths they will go to in order to get that first step on the property ladder.
Rachel and Ben want to buy a flat in London. And so do their friends, Melanie and Sam. But what with rent, tax, student loans and bills, it's impossible to save for a deposit.
So the foursome come up with a fast-track solution to the problem: live together. Sneakily split the rent and bills on a tiny one-bedroom flat for a year. But with paper-thin walls and space growing sparser by the day, which will they sacrifice first – the friendship, the relationship, or the dream of buying their own property?
Matt Hartley's play Deposit premiered at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs in 2015, and was revived there (in this revised and updated version) in 2017.
'A quiet corker… as a snapshot of a moment in time, the play truly matters' — The Arts Desk
'Compelling, urgent... It's remarkable how much Hartley has packed into a lightning-quick 90 minutes. His play is a test tube, delectably colliding the personal and the political, then chucking in glances at class privilege, a sprinkling of sitcom laughs and a hefty emotional clout, too... A modest, state-of-the-nation mini-masterpiece' — The Stage
'Matt Hartley's play laces comedy with some tough philosophising... an unexpectedly moving account of how property is theft in more ways than one' — Guardian
About the Author :
Matt Hartley grew up in the Peak District and studied drama at the University of Hull. His first play Sixty Five Miles won a Bruntwood Award in the inaugural Bruntwood Competition and was produced by Paines Plough/Hull Truck in 2012.
Other work for theatre includes: Eyam (Shakespeare's Globe, 2018); Here I Belong (Pentabus Theatre tour, 2016); Deposit (Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, 2015); Microcosm (Soho Theatre, 2014); Horizon (National Theatre Connections, 2014); The Bee (Edinburgh Festival, 2008); Punch (Hampstead/Heat and Light Company); and Epic, Trolls and Life for Beginners (all at Theatre503, London).
He has written for TV's Hollyoaks and his radio plays include The Pursuit and Final Call.
Photo by Becky Paris.
Review :
'A quiet corker… as a snapshot of a moment in time, the play truly matters'
'Compelling, urgent... It's remarkable how much Hartley has packed into a lightning-quick 90 minutes. His play is a test tube, delectably colliding the personal and the political, then chucking in glances at class privilege, a sprinkling of sitcom laughs and a hefty emotional clout, too... A modest, state-of-the-nation mini-masterpiece'
'Matt Hartley's play laces comedy with some tough philosophising... an unexpectedly moving account of how property is theft in more ways than one'
