Ronnie Larsen has spent his life telling gay stories onstage. For him, that work begins with a belief that people should claim their lives fully, without waiting for permission or pretending their faults do not exist.
“It means owning your life 100%. Embracing yourself fully, faults and all, and accepting yourself,” Larsen said of being out and proud.
Larsen, 57, lives in Fort Lauderdale and is involved with Plays of Wilton. His career has centered gay stories in theater, creating space for LGBTQ lives, relationships and experiences to be seen by audiences rather than pushed to the margins.
“Yes. I’ve spent my life telling gay stories on stage,” he said when asked whether his identity shaped his life and work.
That direct answer captures the connection between Larsen’s identity and artistic purpose. Theater gives stories a physical presence. Actors speak them aloud, audiences encounter them together and experiences that might otherwise remain private become part of a shared cultural record.
His proudest accomplishment, however, is personal rather than theatrical: his 16-year marriage to Melqui Dominguez. That relationship reflects the same commitment to living openly that shapes his work onstage.
Larsen’s advice to LGBTQ youth is rooted in urgency.
“Life is short. Live your life fully everyday. Don't live in the future,” he said.
His personal motto pares that idea down even further: “Life is short.”
It is a reminder not to postpone authenticity for a more convenient time. Acceptance is not a future prize to be earned after someone becomes flawless or receives universal approval. In Larsen’s view, living fully means embracing the present person, imperfections included.
He also recognizes the collaborative labor required to sustain LGBTQ theater. For Larsen, that work is about more than simply putting on a show. It is about creating a space where gay stories and gay lives can be spoken, witnessed and remembered.
That purpose reflects the world Larsen has chosen to build. The stage is not only a place to entertain, but a place to preserve stories that might otherwise go untold.
Through his marriage, his theater work and his plainspoken philosophy, Larsen’s message remains consistent: own the life you have, tell the stories that matter and do not wait for the future to begin living.
