GPS – Meet the Playwright – Kristian O’Hare

take a moment to get to know Kristian O’Hare, playwright of the one act play, He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss), showing this weekend as a part of the first annual Gay Play Series at The Ringwald Theatre. you can catch He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss) on saturday, june 26th at 8PM or sunday, june 27th at 3PM.

Kristian O'Hare, playwright of He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)

You have 100 words to tell us everything about yourself. Go!

Kristian O’Hare has a PhD in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing. He has worked with playwrights Steve Feffer, Kate Snodgrass, and Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott. His plays have been produced or developed in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, NYC, and Kalamazoo. His turn-ons are: hairy chests, lemon pistachio donuts, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. His turn-offs are: leather couches, Levolor blinds, and other tasteless décor in amateur porn.

In one sentence, tell us what your play is all about:

To quote one of my idols, Whitney Houston: “Love is a contact sport.”

How long have you been writing plays?

When I was an undergrad, I had taken every fiction and poetry writing course I could, but didn’t explore playwriting until my senior year. I never went to plays and I didn’t know the first thing about writing one. I just wrote something I wanted to see and it worked – the play won an award and was selected to be part of the Kalamazoo Playwrights Festival. So I said fuck fiction and poetry and decided to pursue playwriting.

Why is this play important to you?

I’d never written about my experiences as a gay man until this script. In a way, this was my “coming out” play.

What was the inspiration for writing your script?

Aside from Whitney Houston, I’d have to say boxing inspired me. I’ve always been intrigued (and turned on) by boxing.

When I came out, I would go out to the bars in Chicago’s Boystown and by the end of each night I felt clobbered. Just physically and mentally drained. Beat up. It made sense to set up the play like a boxing match (with ring boys, refs, bells ringing, the whole deal).

Is this the first script of yours to get produced?

My most recent production was in May. The Ruckus Theatre (Chicago) produced my full-length play The Gay American about the downfall of Jim McGreevey, the former New Jersey governor who resigned – and came out at the same time – after having an affair with a male aide.

What are you most looking forward to in regards to the GPS experience?

I saw an interview with John Waters where they asked him what he was looking for in the new generation of gay artists, and he said, “Someone who will offend me.” Well, I recently had a critic/blogger call my work “offensive to gay men,” so I must be doing something right. Offended or not, I hope the GPS audience gets that same gut-punch feeling I had when I was trying to figure out how to get used to “the lifestyle.”

To see all available playwright interviews, click HERE

make your reservations for GPS by clicking HERE

Tags: Ferndale MI · Gay Play Series · GPS · He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss) · Kristian O'Hare · Meet the Playwright · The Ringwald Theatre · Who Wants Cake?No Comments

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