A Renaissance woman for the 21st century Odalys Nanin does it all. A producer, playwright, director, actor and businesswoman, Nanin rescued West Hollywood’s Globe Theater from certain demise ushering the landmark building into its successful reign as Macha Theatre (Mujeres Advancing Culture, History and Art) and spearheading countless successful plays, screenings and events there as its artistic director.
A Renaissance woman for the 21st century Odalys Nanin does it all. A producer, playwright, director, actor and businesswoman, Nanin rescued West Hollywood’s Globe Theater from certain demise ushering the landmark building into its successful reign as Macha Theatre (Mujeres Advancing Culture, History and Art) and spearheading countless successful plays, screenings and events there as its artistic director.
Uncompromising in her artistic vision, and an out lesbian, Nanin has continually written, produced, directed and starred in universal material that features LGBT characters and also characters who reflect her Cuban roots, with such modern classics as Garbo’s Cuban Lover, The Skin of Honey andThe Lieutenant Nun, to name a few. Now, she can be seen starring in a revival of her very personal play Love Struck at Macha through Sept. 23.
Love Struck was first produced in 1997 and again in 2002, but with its enduring themes of love and passion infused with her trademark humor, it’s the perfect play to revive for the times.
Nanin chatted with SheWired about the Love Struck, Macha’s amazing roster of events and what it’s like to do those steamy love scenes on stage.
Visit Macha Theatre’s website for tickets to Love Struck.
SheWired: This is the third time you are bringing Love Struck back to Macha. What is it about the play that resonates so much for you?
It was the first play I wrote and the one that inspired me to write about our LGBT stories. Love Struck is also the play through which I came out of the closet.
What was your original inspiration for the play?
Marie Barrientos, my co-writer, and I wanted to write a play for us to perform together. We actually wrote the Toy Scene for Erotica Night, a fundraiser for the Gay and Lesbian Center. After we performed it we had so many people come up to us and asked us to write more scenes. So we did and that's how Love Struck came to be.
How do you feel you’ve grown and changed in your role in Love Struckhaving now played it three times? Are you bringing a depth to the character that perhaps wasn’t there when you first acted in it?
I have grown as an actress, and it actually resonates deeper now then when I first performed it. It's a great piece of work, a candid look at a relationship between two people who love each other but are like night and day! Who has not been Love Struck and whose heart has not been broken?
How did you arrive at Tricia Cruz to play your love interest?
Ten years ago she auditioned for the role and she's been playing it ever since.
How is her interpretation different from your prior Love Struck costars?
Tricia Cruz is a professional actress. She takes directions well and connects with me on stage. She also loves the role and it's a natural at it.
Tricia Cruz
What is it about the play that makes it themes so universal and timeless?
Love Struck is a romantic comedy about a candid look into the ups and downs of a relationship regardless of the sexuality of the couple involved. In the play they happen be both women and gay. It’s about issues that come up when you open your heart to love.
The audience connects to the issues and conflicts of both characters because they identify with them.
You’re a writer, actor, producer and director. How are you able to juggle all of those jobs without losing your mind?
You focus on each element separately and then you bring it all together, orchestrating and executing it with confidence and trusting your gut feeling every step of the way.
You have always been very deeply couched in creating art about LGBT people. These days there are more and more LGBT characters in pop culture, especially on television. How do you feel about the portrayal of LGBT characters on television? Do you feel we are portrayed authentically, or do we have a long way to go?
There are very few films that I have seen that are really worth watching. My favorite of all times are two -- Desert Hearts and Aimee and Jaguar. When I write, I focus on telling the story, not selling it to Hollywood. That's what's great about live theater, the story has to be good and the characters have to be true to the story.
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