Q&A with S.D. Clifford – Darkk – Smock Alley
Darkk – Smock Alley – 30 Jun + 1 Jul 2023 – 8pm – Boys’ School

Ahead of the opening of Darkk tonight in Smock Alley, we got to ask writer/ director/ actor S.D. Clifford about the production. You can see the results below…

“Living in a tiny room that is a self-created world of isolation, negative voices and self-recriminations, it seems the modern world, AI and Social media is suffocating Terry into a hole he cannot seem to escape from. As a child he entered the world with a feeling that he does not quite belong. As an Adult heading into the latter part of his life, he finds modern life with all its complexities near impossible, especially the voices that keep reminding him that he has already been sentenced to death.”

Can you tell the readers a little about this production and the world it explores?

The previous versions of DARKK have been performed in The English Theatre Berlin (2 runs), and various smaller theatres in Kerry, and Dublin. The play itself did quite well during its first run in Berlin, but I was never happy with some elements of the content, characterisation, and theme.  Having now developed all elements of the piece into something I am more than happy with, I wanted to give it a live performance to weed out any last elements of the piece that simply do not work. DARKK is one person’s journey into trauma, violence, and one’s absolute need to create DARKK elements to our character in order to avoid the pain and suffering of Love.  Through the actualization of a physical space called DARKK, the piece delves into how we need distorted, subjective, and edited versions of our past, present, and future to muster up enough delusion so we can find reasons to get up, go on and live. We explore this through a surreal, absurd and unpredictable reality called DARKK.

According to the press release, this is the final version of Dark and you’ve been working on it for ‘over 18 years’. Is it very different from when you first started the piece?  How has it evolved?

Yes. I have evolved as a writer, and the piece itself has evolved into a decent, original, and risky piece of theatre. Even though much of the acting and performance on the stage is completely absurd, it has taken a long time to format the play, so it makes sense within its own reality. I have also taken out some audio that was in the original performance, developed the character to be more natural and written more content for Terry.   The original play also had the tendency to disconnect from its own reality as everything moved too fast. My insecurity as a writer did not allow me to simply slow it all down, and take the time to fill it up with the silence it needed to grow.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but you are this production’s writer, director and sole actor. Were you ever tempted to get another perspective on it with a different director?

Absolutely. My role as writer, director and actor is born out of the need to finish the play and simplify the process until I feel the play is fully completed.  After this run, I am no longer open to performing and directing it myself.  Performing and writing this play has really improved my ability to bring content from my head on to the stage, but as I get older, my energy levels are more suited to writing, creating characters and watching the play from afar.  In all reality, when I see any piece of Theatre where one person has so many roles, I always look upon it in an unfavourable manner. With DARKK, I simply had no choice. Sometimes, it takes what it takes.

What are you working on now? Have you any other productions in the pipeline?

I will be working on getting DARKK out to people in different locations, and ensuring I give it the best chance I can to have a full production in a larger space.  I am then revisiting a short piece of prose/theatre/poetry called Laurie and Jessies Christmas that has already been optioned 3 times, but has never seen the light. I will spend the whole of 2024, in between being a dad and husband, ensuring Laurie and Jessie get a voice of some sort. Additionally, over the next 7 years, I have an additional 7 projects that I want to work on and finish. These are the result of 30+ years of writing, travelling, and trying to keep myself alive.

You can see Darkk in the Boys’ School, Smock Alley on 30 Jun + 1 Jul 2023.