From Breakup to Breakthrough: Sam Danson on His New Play Daddy’s First Gay Date

‘Vulnerability is normal’: Sam Danson on masculinity, fatherhood, and his new play ‘Daddy’s First Gay Date’

How’s this for a premise: on the very same night, Ben, a man in his early 30s, finally finds the courage to end his 15-year relationship, learns he’s about to become a father, and then stumbles into his first-ever hookup with another man. It’s the high-stakes, “full throttle” setup for Daddy’s First Gay Date, the new play from writer-performer Sam Danson, currently running at London’s Seven Dials Playhouse.

Following his acclaimed debut BI-TOPIA, Danson is looking to cement his status as a vital voice in British theatre. He’s using the familiar, comforting structure of a romantic comedy to tackle subjects that are anything but: internalised shame, masculinity, and the messy, complex reality of coming out later in life—far from the bubble of a metropolitan hub.

“I thought it’d be interesting to throw the characters (and the audience) in at the deep end,” Danson explains. “The play begins full throttle with the audience having to piece together what’s happening, just as the characters are doing, who are all in over their heads at this time!”

“I thought it’d be interesting to throw the characters (and the audience) in at the deep end,” Danson explains.”

It’s a play that asks what happens when your entire life explodes and resets in the span of a few hours. For Danson, who also stars as the shell-shocked Ben, that chaotic beginning was the only possible entry point.

Comedy that ‘Adds to the Vulnerability’

This “in over their heads” feeling is the engine of the play’s comedy, but it’s also the source of its most profound exploration. The show is billed as an “exploration of how queer men are shaped by expectations,” and Danson’s great skill is in mining the comedy from the “candid vulnerability” of his characters.

In Daddy’s First Gay Date, the laughs don’t come from punchlines that undercut the drama; they come from the painfully relatable awkwardness of a man trying to navigate a new identity while his old one is still crashing down around him.

“Seeing Ben try to navigate several tricky social situations whilst also having a thousand conflicting thoughts in his head is a good set up for comedic situations,” says Danson. “It’s always important to use comedy to add to the vulnerability and authenticity of the characters rather than undermine them though.”

That authenticity is key. This isn’t London or Manchester. The play is deliberately set in a small, northern industrial town, a world Danson knows intimately. It’s a setting that fundamentally changes the stakes for Ben and for Tim (Dior Clarke), a British-Jamaican man from London who finds himself an outsider in the same town. The play highlights a reality where queer life is often hidden, and dating apps are a portal to a secret world.

“Grindr is far more limited in these areas!” Danson laughs. “We use it as a tool to address the increased level of ‘discretion’ within the LGBTQ+ community in these places, as well as a fast track look into the do’s and don’ts of creating your online profile on there… e.g. maybe leave out pictures of you and your grandad on his 80th birthday.”

**Daddys First Gay Date_L-R_Dior Clarke_Sam Danson_Credit-Jason Locke**

‘I wanted to highlight the place I loved’

This specificity of place—where everyone knows you, and being different is a public fact—is drawn directly from Danson’s own life. It’s a nuanced portrayal, one that balances affection with a clear-eyed critique of the social and political limitations of small-town life.

“The world the characters live in is very much inspired by my own experience growing up in the same area of the North,” he says. “I have exaggerated certain things, and combined certain ‘village folk’ to be the same person, but overall, I wanted to highlight the place I loved growing up, whilst also addressing the problems with areas like that – both socially and politically.”

The play’s other central relationship—between Ben and his ex-girlfriend Helen (Megan Edmondson)—is handled with equal care. She is the mother of his child, his partner of 15 years, and the first person he has to reckon with on his new path. But the most complex dynamic is between Ben and Tim. Tim is not just a romantic interest; he’s an outsider on two fronts, navigating the town’s racial microaggressions as one of the only Black men in the area.

‘A Lot of Listening’: Building an Authentic World

Writing this character, Danson admits, required a process rooted in deep collaboration and trust. It’s a testament to the show’s integrity that the process wasn’t simply an act of imagination, but one of facilitation.

“Through a lot of listening and consultation with both director Rikki Beadle-Blair and actor Dior Clarke, who was cast before I fully wrote the character,” Danson notes. “Each bit of writing that explored Tim’s unique lived experience was always shared with Dior, and he get the chance to add/tweak or totally change it if needs be.”

That partnership with Beadle-Blair, the renowned director and LGBTQ+ advocate, is another cornerstone of the work, continuing from their collaboration on BI-TOPIA. “Rikki and I have a really great working relationship,” Danson says. “He totally understands my vision for the shows I’m making whilst adding his own brand to them in a way that compliments the overall project. He’s such an experienced artist and mentor who really helps make everything possible!”

“Rikki and I have a really great working relationship,” Danson says. “He totally understands my vision for the shows I’m making whilst adding his own brand to them in a way that compliments the overall project. He’s such an experienced artist and mentor who really helps make everything possible!”

This journey from journalist to celebrated playwright has clearly given Danson a unique lens on the stories he wants to tell. “Journalism really ended up being a useful outlet to explore social issues beyond what I normally would be interested in,” he reflects. “It widened my perspective… it has taught me that in order to understand our society, we need to continuously engage with it.”

‘Queer stories that aren’t steeped in tragedy’

Daddy’s First Gay Date is Danson’s engagement with society, and it has a clear, hopeful message. In a theatrical landscape where many queer stories are defined by their tragic arcs, he has deliberately written a romantic comedy. It’s a political act, a claim for joy.

“It was important for this show to have a happy ending, so we could contribute to the growing list of queer stories that aren’t steeped in tragedy,” Danson states.

Ultimately, the play isn’t just about coming out. It’s about starting over, about the fumbling, awkward, and tender process of becoming yourself—even when you’re in your 30s, even when you’re about to be a dad, and even when you live miles from the nearest Pride parade.

“Ultimately, I want audiences to leave having seen an entertaining, funny show that has also highlighted that vulnerability is normal,” Danson concludes. “And [that] true connection with others is far more important than being ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in any situation.”

Featured Image: Daddys First Gay Date L-R: Sam Danson, Megan Edmondson, Dior Clarke – Credit-Jason Locke