Sam Danson is a Manchester-based writer, performer, and producer whose work shines a light on under-represented stories through the lens of comedy. His debut solo show, BI-TOPIA, toured nationally from 2023 to 2025, offering an autobiographical exploration of his coming out journey as a bisexual man. Building on that success, Sam’s latest project, Daddy’s First Gay Date, takes a more fictional approach while continuing his commitment to amplifying diverse voices and experiences on stage.
Stories that centre around queer characters are really important for a number of reasons; they allow others to feel seen and represented, they also raise awareness of the issues facing those communities to audiences that otherwise might not be aware. It’s crucial to present the authentic truth within these stories, and unfortunately, one of the large truths is the shame, the trauma and the loss that a lot of queer people experience. It is right therefore that so many stories explore those themes, however another truth is also that queer people can live happy lives, and we need to celebrate that as much as possible.
There’s so much divide in our society at the moment, to focus on one aspect of that; queer people, particularly trans and queer people of colour feel more unsafe than they have in a long time. This is why queer joy & optimism almost feels like an act of resistance and representation in of itself. When the outside world is relentlessly divided, coming into the theatre can be an escape and a chance for joy, and it feels very much needed at the moment
When I decided to explore dating in this new show ‘Daddy’s First Gay Date’, I knew I wanted it to have a more uplifting ending than my previous show. Structurally it makes sense, if a show that explores dating ends up with no love story or increased connection, it could all feel like a waste of time. I can be a cynical person though and naturally was drawn to things to come crashing down for the characters, however, when I decided to follow the structure of a rom-com, that was when I knew it needed that happy ending. Rom-coms are ‘feel-good’ at their core, so telling a northern queer story in that framework became really cathartic. The reason I decided on a rom-com structure was because although it’s such a widely loved genre, the people and places in this play aren’t often seen in that genre, so it felt like an interesting approach to apply such a popular structure, with under-represented stories.
I strongly believe that building a show that contains uplifting stories and endings doesn’t mean the show has to avoid any mention of more serious issues though, in fact, on the contrary. The uplifting ending/story can feel all the more special when characters have to overcome hardship. I’m passionate about exploring more serious societal issues through comedy and entertaining storytelling, for me it’s a very effective way of connecting to an audience; to make them laugh, allows them to get closer to the story and the more serious subjects. Comedic moments happen in real life, and therefore comedy is always valid when exploring any theme, it just has to be thought about to make sure those themes aren’t being undermined.
In Daddy’s First Gay Date, we explore a variety of themes that are typically quite heavy subjects such as queer shame, homophobia, working-class culture, racism and parenting. These are all themes that the cast/creative team have personally experienced, and feel passionate about addressing on stage, but rather than them being treated as taboo subjects, they are simply woven into the storyline and fundamental make-up of each character, allowing the show to flow within the rom-com structure, whilst having characters that feel complex, but most importantly, real.
Authenticity was a big thing when making this show, especially with it being the first time I have written for characters so far beyond my own lived experience. In order to do this, I did a lot of research; running workshop sessions with community groups across the North-West to discuss the show’s themes and identify common experiences. I also cast the characters before fully writing the show – this allowed me to write for those particular actors, which helps the show feel more naturalistic. I also consulted the actors when writing anything about their character’s lived experience, such as experiencing racism, just to ensure it remained authentic and accurate to the real experience people have.
Uplifting endings to a story can be escapism, but they don’t have to feel unrealistic either. Although the ending of this show contains a certain level of parody towards the rom-com theme, it also has an underlying tone of something real. ‘Happily ever after’ is for fairytales, but ‘happy right now’, is attainable for all of us. The characters overcome certain flaws that have prevented their own happiness and they’ve found deeper connection between each other. Connection between one another is so important in a world that feels more divided than it has for a very long time, that’s the spirit of the show and we hope the audience leave with that same feeling.
Daddy’s First Gay Date, is now running at Seven Dials Playhouse in London until November 16th 2025!
