We caught up with the devilishly handsome and rather well built H Ryan Clark to find out more about David Ozanich’s award winning 90 minute one act drama The Lightning Field.

You're about to star in the European premiere of The Lightning Field. What can people expect?
You can expect a play about the things we sacrifice for what we hope is eternal companionship. The show has had well over two years to sink into itself. It’s been through a series of different variations - many script editions, different cast members, etc. As one of two original members, what I appreciate about the European production is the fact that a lot of the ideas and concepts have solidified that much more. It's not only a live dialogue on relevant / pertinent gay issues, but a detailed glimpse into coupling as a whole.

So what is The Lightning Field?
Literally, The Lightning Field is an art installation created by Walter De Maria. Located in New Mexico, the installation is a grouping of hundreds of metal poles aligned in a grid. On the site is a cabin where groups can stay the weekend hoping to witness a lightning show.

Of course, the lightning aspect isn't guaranteed, the piece becomes more about the pilgrimage one makes to the site - the event, the travelling to and happening upon is the piece.

Tell us a little about your character?
Sam is a New York City veterinarian looking to settle down with his boyfriend, Andy. Sam is a little grizzled, somewhat of a playboy and he's trying to avert his promiscuous ways by leaving the city and starting fresh in a new location - in this case, Denver, Colorado.

I've heard that he has a penchant for rough trade. Any truth in this?
Yes. Great truth. I can't speak on behalf of ‘rough traders’, but I think the rough-trade element for Sam is multi-layered. A large part of the act is the hope of ‘connecting’ with another person. There is a proof that comes with the territory. Somehow, through this pain, there is a proof of existence. It's like a scar - something that transcends the moment and acts as a reminder that ‘this really happened’.

What's more is the fact that there is a punishment factor. Sam carries a lot of demons with him, and in this obtuse way, this is his way of exorcising those demons.

So, what was it that originally drew you to The Lightning Field?
I connect, very much so, to the history of relationships within the play. It touches on divorce and abuse, and general relational maintenance; which are items I became familiar with, and struggled with as a child. I had never played a gay character before, so this was also an opportunity to explore the dynamics of that lifestyle.

In the play, two young gay lovers venture with their parents to The Lightning Field in search of a better future. Would you take your partner on a trip with your folks?!
I actually just returned from a three week safari in Tanzania, Africa, with my girlfriend, my dad, my stepmother, my half sister and her husband. My father is at the age where he and I seek any opportunity to bond with one another.

Having my girlfriend there was amazing. It was, in this odd way, a means of receiving blessing for our future union. It's nice to be in the presence of lineage - especially in my family as we are a very small unit. I may not have a concrete understanding of my roots, but it's a pleasure to step outside of the child / parent relationship and learn about each other as adults - as human beings in the present tense.

"Sam is a little grizzled, somewhat of a playboy and he's trying to avert his promiscuous ways by leaving the city and starting fresh in a new location."

The play delves into what lies at the heart of the new American family - what does it reveal?
I think when one separates themselves from routine, or a way of perceiving the world, there is always an advantage of discovering more about yourself. The easy course of action, I suppose, is to remain set in your ways, but if you strip that away, you are reduced to more fundamental principles of existence. In this case, love. It is all too recognizable an attribute, the need to love, and to be loved. It's easier said than done, but if one truly gives into feeling rather than rational thought, we find ourselves travelling down roads we would never have thought to take.

I think as Americans we have a lot of inhibitions about letting go, and understandably so - it's scary to not know what is ahead of you - but that is where we are in America, on the cusp of something new, something frightening, something all together different. America is so young after all. We're still learning.

Sex - particularly in gay plays - is often used to get bums on seats and there's a beautiful picture from the play that has your character clutching his lover with wet hair. It's a very intense, sexual image. Does that bother you?
It doesn't bother me at all. I think the picture is very representative of the beginning and end of the play. Mind you, there's a whole journey that transitions you between those two markers, and we have to leave something to the imagination. Knowing what actually happens in the play, I don't think audiences will be disappointed. I can't say the play doesn't culminate into sexual activity, but we definitely break and then exceed those expectations.

Do you have a problem with taking your clothes off onstage?
Honestly, (and this'll probably sound like a cliché actor's answer) if it's something the play warrants, then no.

The Lightning Field has won various awards including Best Play (Fringe NYC 2005) and Best Off-Off Broadway Play (GLAAD Award, 2005). How did it feel to get recognition for the work you were involved in?
It's always nice to gleam some recognition from a project you're working on. What mattered more was the dialogue that was sparked from the play. Love it or hate it, there were always intense debates on the content matter that followed the show.

Don't get me wrong, I love things that don't take themselves so seriously, but I also love when something allows me to redefine my way of thinking. I can appreciate when something feels foreign to me - it makes me want to understand, and all of the sudden I'm no longer a passive participant, I'm actively engaged.

You were in that original production. Has the play evolved since then?
Without a doubt. We have two new cast members and it's quite lovely to have new collaboration on this project. I got to this place in the original production where I felt I understood everything there was to understand - rather ignorantly so. Now I find that what really worked in the first production, naturally ‘stuck’ with this one and what didn't work is giving way to new ideas that afford me some much appreciated perspective and depth to the role.

It's nice to get out of my skin, and the new additions to the cast are definitely keeping me on my toes.

Is it being changed at all for the London run?
Nope. The play, for the most part, is being presented exactly as it was at its premiere two years ago. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

"What I do behind closed doors is for me to know - I have to keep some mystery about me."

The Lightning Field is being associate produced by Shamelessboyz - so are you a shameless boy?
What I do behind closed doors is for me to know - I have to keep some mystery about me.

What are you most looking forward to about visiting London?
I'm excited to immerse myself in London more than any other trip has allowed me. It'll be nice to escape the daily grind and to have the luxury and time to explore the city. I'm a big foodie, so I'll be sure to hit up all the gastronomic hot-spots.

There's a certain website that names you as a Broadway hottie! How do you feel about that?
I always chuckle when I see that site. I'm not sure what to think. It's flattering of course, but at the same time, I don't place too much stock in it.

So, how would you describe yourself in a personals ad?
6'2". 200lbs. Dirty Blonde. Hazel Eyes. Rather Scandinavian. I love The Cutting Edge. I can construct a list of friends and enemies based on that last bullet point. I love my space - not the website, but the air about me. I love unicorns and brandy glasses with teddy-bears in them. Whoever isn't scared away by this point, is a keeper.

So if you were a play, what play would you be?
I don't think it has a name. There'd be some lasers and a lot of fog. Maybe some Strindberg with roller-skates. I'm not sure - I'm still trying to decipher my dream from last night.

And finally, what's next for you?
Nothing terribly definitive. I'm working on my paintings and shopping for an agent. I'll let you know how it goes.

Find out more at www.lightningfieldtheplay.com and www.myspace.com/lightningfieldtheplay and read our review of The Lightning Field.

The Lightning Field, by David Ozanich
Oval House Theatre Downstairs
52-54 Kennington Oval
London, SE11 5SW
020 7582 7680 / www.ovalhouse.com

13 November- 8 December 2007

Want more? Then buy Something for the Boys: Musical Theatre and Gay Culture by John M. Clum. Get it online and save some money to put towards Alan Sinfield's excellent book Out on the Stage: Lesbian and Gay Theatre in the Twentieth Century.