Biography
Nan earned the Stage Raw Award and Robby Award, along with nominations for the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, the Ovation Award (Best Production), and the Scenie Award for her role as Katherine Brandt in Moises Kaufman's 33 Variations at Actors Co-op. She also received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and the L.A. Weekly Award for her portrayal of Vivian Bearing in Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Wit, also at Actors Co-op.
She has consistently performed leading roles on stage in numerous productions, including Robert Harling's Steel Magnolias (Truvy), Lee Blessing's A Walk in the Woods (Joan Honeyman), the world premiere of Pocket Universe by Thomas Brandon, Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa (Kate), Lee Blessing's Going to St. Ives (Cora), Spinning Into Butter (Sara Daniels), Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night (Mary Tyrone), The Crucible (Elizabeth), Chekhov's Uncle Vanya (Yelena), and Shakespeare's As You Like It (Rosalind).
Beyond her on-camera work, Nan is a skilled voiceover artist, having recorded hundreds of radio and TV commercials for clients such as Dirt Devil, Clorox, Walgreens, Fiber Plus, Fancy Feast, McDonald's, and Nesquik. In video games, she voices Anya in the Gears of War trilogy and Dr. Betty Ross in the Ultimate Avengers animated films, among other projects. Nan has also voiced promos for various networks and affiliates and narrated multiple documentaries.
Nan is an award-winning audiobook narrator, recognized with Earphones Awards and named "Best Audiobook of 2016" for Mister Monkey by Francine Prose. AudioFile Magazine has praised her narration as "richly observed," "heartbreaking," and capable of "smoothly shifting to whatever character, time, or emotion she is portraying." She has narrated nearly 100 fiction and nonfiction titles across many genres for publishers such as Penguin/Random House, Hachette, Tantor, Christian Audio, HarperCollins, Oasis Audio, Skyboat Media, Dreamscape, and Audible.
In 2016, Nan and her writing partner Ana Auther founded Anagram Film Creations, a production company dedicated to female-driven stories. Their current project is a television movie titled Home Run Christmas.
In addition to acting, Nan has directed numerous theater productions, including Last Train to Nibroc and See Rock City at Actors Co-op—two of the three plays in The Nibroc Trilogy, which received Critic's Choice honors from the Los Angeles Times, Backstage West, and recommendations from LA Weekly. The trilogy earned six L.A. Weekly nominations (with two wins) and a Garland Award Honorable Mention for her direction. She also directed Actors Co-op's 20th Anniversary season opener, the musical The 1940s Radio Hour, which received four NAACP Theatre Award nominations. Other directing credits include the critically acclaimed The Boys Next Door, which was named Critic's Choice by the Los Angeles Times and Backstage West. From 1999 to 2002, Nan served as Producing Director of Actors Co-op, managing all aspects of theater production. In 2020, she directed the world premiere of Lee Blessing's play A Body of Water, featuring a new ending.
Nan has taught acting and voice production at Azusa Pacific University and Vanguard University, and also studied acting under Diana Castle at The Imagined Life studios in Los Angeles. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, she graduated Cum Laude from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre.
