Noah Schnapp’s first stage role is a play about wealth and privilege
The Stranger Things star will make his London theatre debut in Andy Sandberg’s new play Affluenza, set among the super-rich of the Hamptons.
The Stranger Things star will make his stage debut in London this autumn in Affluenza, a new play about wealth, privilege and the consequences of a teenager’s drunken car journey. Written and directed by Andy Sandberg, the play runs at Riverside Studios from 26 September to 21 November.
Schnapp, who has played Will Byers in Stranger Things since the Netflix series began in 2016, will take on two roles in the production. The actor has previously appeared in films including Bridge of Spies, The Peanuts Movie and Hubie Halloween, but Affluenza marks his first professional stage role.
The play is set in the Hamptons, the affluent New York enclave known for summer houses and celebrity residents. Its story begins when a teenager’s drunken car ride ends in tragedy, setting up a confrontation with questions of family wealth, responsibility and the extent to which privilege can shape a person’s understanding of right and wrong.
The premise is inspired by real events surrounding the highly controversial 2013 case of Ethan Couch, although Affluenza creates its own characters and story.
The title refers to the term that became associated with Couch’s defence after he killed four people and seriously injured another while driving drunk at the age of 16. His lawyers argued that his privileged upbringing had contributed to his inability to appreciate the consequences of his actions. The phrase subsequently became shorthand for the idea that extreme wealth can insulate people from accountability.
That gives Schnapp’s first stage role an unusually pointed subject. Rather than arriving in London in a familiar musical or established play, he is fronting a new work whose central question is how much responsibility can be separated from privilege.
Andy Sandberg is also directing the wider Mainstage Season 26/27 at Riverside Studios, which will open with Affluenza. Two further productions have been announced: Sacrilegious by Dead Poets Society writer Tom Schulman, followed by Expecting by Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola. All three are new plays.
Sandberg is a Tony Award-winning producer and the artistic director and CEO of the Hermitage Artist Retreat in Florida. His previous directing work has included productions in New York and London, as well as new-play development through the Hermitage.
Affluenza
Riverside Studios, London
26 September–21 November 2026
Tickets from £25
Box Office: MainstageSeason.com
Elena Leo is the Culture & Lifestyle Editor of Ikon London Magazine.