Nan McNamara

What was the first audiobook you performed?

The Edge of Forever by Barbara Bretton

What title or series are you best known for?

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

If a listener wanted to get to know your work, which of your audiobooks would you point them to?

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
Lincoln’s Lady Spymaster by Gerri Willis
Sandwich by Catherine Newman
When Women Invented Television by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
What We Could Have Been by Jess Sinclair

Where else have we heard your voice?

From Beneath the Hollywood Sign Co-host podcast about Classic Cinema
Gears of War video game franchise role of Anya
Ultimate Avengers: The Movie Animated role of Dr. Betty Ross
Adventures in Odyssey role of Margaret

What do you always have in the booth?

Large water (‘natch), box of Kleenex and if it’s hot, one of those personal cooling bandanas.

How did you come to performing audiobooks?

Performing audiobooks was a natural progression for me as an actor — I just wish I’d started earlier. My first love is the theatre and the text work it requires in terms of preparation is similar to audiobooks. But now I get to play ALL the characters!

Anything else you’d like a listener to know?

Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Nan grew up in a family of artists – although in Minnesota, they are too nice to ever call themselves such. Her father played banjo and guitar, and tap-danced across the state. Her uncle first introduced her to performing as a little girl during Saturday morning dance classes. It was a weather-girl sketch she performed in Catholic grade school (just try to envision that) that first ignited her passion for performing. The class laughed at her – and that was her intention. She’s covered all the bases since then, including work on stage, film and television, as well as voiceover, audiobook narration and podcasting. She has a dream, a hope, a wish that one day, the Minnesota Vikings will win the Super Bowl. What a day that will be!