Meet Marina Ogalla | Actor and Singer/Songwritter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Marina Ogalla and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Marina, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I believe that taking risks is a very important part of a successful career, mostly a creative one. If we avoided taking risks we wouldn’t do anything in life. Putting out a song is risky, making a short film and submitting it to places is risky, and being on stage is risky. But if as a creative, I didn’t do any of those things I would have accomplished nothing. With time, I have learned that the biggest rewards come from the biggest risks. For me, the biggest risk I have ever taken was to move to New York. I’m originally from Spain, so moving here meant speaking another language, not knowing anyone and barely being able to afford it, and yet I did, and here I am. Now, I have graduated college debt-free with a BFA in Acting from Marymount Manhattan College, I have performed in the Queens Short Plays Festival, filmed a bunch of music videos, and started an LLC as an independent artist. If I hadn’t jumped like I did, I would still be in my hometown, I wouldn’t know all the wonderful artists I have met, I wouldn’t have a business, I wouldn’t have a degree and, I probably wouldn’t even be doing this interview. Taking risks is vital for the life of a creative, otherwise, we wouldn’t be creatives.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is a mixture of things, I have done a lot of musical theater, and now I have my songs out, I have also done a lot of straight theater. The first time I got recognition was with Dagmara, in Metalhammer, which we performed in many different theaters in Barcelona and the surrounding area. While I’m mostly an actress and a singer, I have done many different things and that’s what I love the most. I think what separates me from other artists is that if I believe the project is good I will be in it, even if it’s very different from the things I have done before or involves me doing something I’m not used to doing. I believe everything is learnable, and that’s how I live my life. I don’t wanna choose projects based on what I have done but on what I believe I can give to the audience, on how I can tell the story, because at the end of the day, what I love about it, is to tell stories.

I have to admit getting to where I am today wasn’t easy. It’s taken time, a lot of rejections, and a lot of money, which I had to work hard to get. In my creative journey, I have been anything and everything, from a tour guide to a waitress, a teacher, and an administrative. But no matter what I was doing at that time, I always knew the most important thing was my art so I never stopped focusing on it, writing, auditioning, and that’s why I have been able to overcome every challenge I think. Through thick and thin, I never stopped focusing on what’s next: what can I create? what story can I tell? I consistently audition, I wake up at dawn to line up for the non-equity list at Broadway auditions, and I send self-tapes every day. It is this consistency that took me to where I am.

I’ve been acting for a long time, I have been in important projects, being part of G3Teatre in Barcelona, participating in all the plays they did for a couple of years, and Cradula Teatre, participating in FITAG, a festival in Girona, and doing UAP15, UAP16, and UAP17, being the main character in the last two. I have participated in the movie “El vent és això” from Pere Vilà. I accomplished a lot in my time in Spain, and since I have been here I have also been working, performing in music videos and in the Queens Short Plays Festival. But even with all that, I’m hungry for more. If I want the world to know something about me is that I’m hungry to create, to act, to perform, to tell stories and that I won’t stop, because I love what I do, and that’s the most important thing an artist can have.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
New York is such a big city with so much to see, and experience, choosing a favorite spot is almost impossible but I’m gonna try. I believe the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a must-see here, they have such a variety of art and cultures, and it’s huge! I have been there many times and every single time I go I find something new. After, a walk through Central Park is a must-do, you can see the typical Bethesda Terrace and the Mall but my favorite part is a bit uptown, the Conservatory Garden. If you go during spring it is beautiful and quiet, which is a rarity in the city. A more unknown area of the city is the historical Seaport area, stuck in between modern high buildings there’s this beautiful old street with a couple of restaurants and my favorite bookstore: McNally Jackson. If what you want are crazy nights, the Lower East Side is covered in bars and clubs, the Giggle Room, or the Library, or you can go to Stone Street, and have your fill of drinks.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My shoutout has to go, without a doubt, to my parents. They have helped me in every possible way and supported me both emotionally and financially, and in so many ways, they still do. When I was a Sophomore in high school I had a plan for life, I already loved singing and acting but I never saw it as a possibility, so I was gonna go to medical school, but then I got cast in UAP15, which was a big deal, known throughout the province, and casting amazingly talented teenagers. After being on that stage, I knew that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and my parents threw themselves into this project. From then on, they would take me to auditions and concerts, let me skip school for a movie or a show, read lines with me, pay for college and when I told them I was gonna move across the world, they supported me. If anyone is responsible for my success up until this point, it is them, without a shadow of a doubt. Of course, many other people helped too, the director Pere Vilà, who gave me responsibilities in his movie “El Vent és això”, the directors of Cradula Teatre and Cor Preludi, Mercè Rigau, Carina Nadal, and Mon Bover, lately my professors at Marymount Manhattan College, Peter Romano, and David Mold. My success has been possible thanks to everyone who has ever helped me and believed in me.

Website: https://marinaogalla.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marinaogalla/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarinaOgalla

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXfC7o2i-qBiS571qtT-lQ

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@marinaogalla17 https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/artist/43btIJh7ur2nqCc0yQ27z8?si=TjApZW7oTkyh5h_mZgrA_w

Image Credits
Justin Clyne Carol Rosegg Photography