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NEW RELEASE: Discovery - An Interview

  • S P Clark
  • Jun 30
  • 4 min read

S P Clark's latest release is a two-act play script, Discovery. To provide more information about the play (released 30th June 2025), S P Clark has interviewed...himself. You can get your copy of the play now for just £7.99 by clicking here! To find out more about the play - read on!


THE INTERVIEW


What inspired you to write this particular play?

 I was inspired several stories I had heard from friends in the LGBTQ+ community, by my own experiences, and by reading and watching the news. It felt as though there were several stories, multiple lived realities left untold. As a performer and writer myself I thought that I was well positioned to give it a shot, whatever the result may be.


What is it a straight forward journey to the finished product?

Well, no. Discovery started life as a series of vignettes in about 2007. I think there were about 6, maybe 7, different scenes that didn't connect as one whole story but were linked by their ties to the LGBTQ+ Community. Several of these scenes, when workshopped, just didn't work and revealed very little, and more importantly had little to add to the conversation. I left the text alone for a number of years thinking that it was worth a try but not much was achieved. And in about 2012 I revisited the piece when I came across it in the drawer.


While revisiting the piece I noticed that two particular scenes stood out as strong, and I thought they could be tied together somehow to create a one-act play. For about a year I played with story and developed a one-act play version which, to be frank, I hated. It didn't have enough time to develop the characters, to tell their story - it felt too rushed, and it didn't say what I wanted it to. I felt that I was forced to leave out so many ideas, so much value, and that meant the story had no heart. But...I wasn't ready to quit. I had a feeling that there was something in this piece that I hadn't yet discovered.


To cut a long story short - I murdered three characters that had orignally appeared in both the vignette and one-act versions, and narrowed the scope to four characters: the parents, their son and his boyfriend / lover. As I developed this, I wanted to add another voice and that became the neighbour. So in 2015 I finally felt that I had the piece complete. I had an organised play-reading which allowed me to tweak some of the language, some of the voices - but in essence it was complete.


Why did you choose now to publish?

Aside from the fact that it had sat on a USB receiving no sunlight, the LGBTQ+ Community has been under increasing attack around the world - rights are being taken back, freedoms are being restricted, and fear has returned to the minds and lives of many. It seemed a chance to reveal love, the family battles and some elements of truth for the community. Although this piece focuses on the lives of gay/bisexual teens and men, the themes are, I feel, transferable across the rainbow spectrum. It is also why I decided to release Discovery in this format - so that it could be performed for free, without anybody requiring performing rights. Let's just get the story out there.


Talking of the story, what can you tell us about it?

Discovery is a powerful and emotionally layered domestic drama that explores themes of identity, generational conflict, domestic abuse, and the courage it takes to live authentically. At its heart is 18-year-old Jason, a young man coming to terms with his sexuality while living in a household dominated by his emotionally volatile and abusive father, Terry. The strained family dynamic is further complicated by Jason’s secret relationship with his friend Scott, and the quiet strength of his mother Patricia, who harbours her own deep wounds.

As tensions rise and secrets unravel, Jason finds himself torn between the safety of secrecy and the risk of being true to himself. The play builds to a devastating confrontation when Terry discovers Jason and Scott together, triggering a violent outburst that exposes the deep fractures in the family. Amid heartbreak and difficult truths, Discovery ultimately points toward the possibility of change, resilience, and the enduring power of love.


What does this play mean to you personally as a writer?

I write a lot about the LGBTQ+ Community, or at least about some of my own experiences within it, but this is one piece of work that I am extremely proud of. For me, it speaks out and gives a dramatised telling of the lived reality of many. Having gone through many iterations, it holds a place in my heart and combines 7 or 8 years of work.


What other works linked to the LGBTQ+ Community are available to purchase?

In almost all my works these themes arise somewhere as it is part of my soul, my being and my life. I would suggest The Journey to Love, and TWO MEN, ONE LOVE as good starting points. It's also worth looking through the Latest News section on the website where you can read some poems, essays and blogs too.


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© The works of Simon P. Clark.  Permission must be sought before using any content.
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