Jane Gennaro

Last updated
Jane Gennaro
Born1953 (age 70–71)
The Bronx, New York City
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Illustrator, writer, playwright, voice actress, artist
Years active1975–present

Jane Gennaro (born 1953 in The Bronx, New York City) is an American artist, illustrator, playwright, writer and voice actress based in New York City.

Contents

Career

Illustrator

Gennaro's illustrations and cover art were first published in songbooks by Chappell Music in 1975. [1]

Gennaro was hired by MAD magazine editor Jerry DeFuccio to caricature him on personal stationary designs between 1976 and 1978. Gennaro illustrated the MAD ad for Al Jaffee’s “Clods Letters to Mad” and sang on the Mad Magazine novelty record “Makin’ Out”. [2]

From 1976-1977 Gennaro worked for Barbara Jo Slate, Inc. drawing Slate's feminist cartoon character, Ms. Liz, which appeared on millions of greeting cards. [3]

In 2012, an exhibition of the illustrated journals Gennaro has been keeping since 1988 was shown in Journeys: Jane Gennaro and Linda Mussman at Time & Space Ltd., Hudson, NY. [4]

Comedy writer and performer

Between 1977-1984 Gennaro performed at The Comic Strip, The Improvisation and Catch a Rising Star in New York City in an act that included singing impressions of MTV rock stars Tina Turner, Yoko Ono, Prince, David Bowie, Annie Lennox and Madonna. Billed as "Mud, Sweat & Jears," Gennaro voiced Cyndi Lauper on the novelty record, "Every Dawg Has Its Day" (Atlantic), a dance tune parody of the pro-wrestling craze. [5] In 1979, George Shea in Attenzione magazine suggested that Gennaro probably is the first Italian stand-up comedian. [6]

Between 1982-1983 Gennaro performed with her real-life sisters, as "Those Gennaro Sisters", appearing regularly at Carolines in New York City and other east coast comedy clubs. The act was described as “a fast-paced mixture of music, comedy and satire." [7]

In 2013 Gennaro was among the women authors of “No Kidding, Women Writers on Bypassing Parenthood” edited by Henriette Mantel. [8]

Playwright

In 1988, Gennaro's solo play "The Boob Story" opened at The American Place Theatre in New York, directed by Wynn Handman. [9] The show was described as "a cautionary serio-comic monologue about breast fetishism in America, and the perils of getting too much of what one wants." [10] Stephen Holden of the New York Times called the work an “ingenious conceit” and described Gennaro as “an engaging storyteller and skillful mimic.” [9] The New York Post's Bill Ervolino called her “wonderfully appealing and a creator of a colorful gallery of losers, friends and fools.” [11]

In 1991 she performed "Reality Ranch" at the American Place Theatre, dealing with the struggle of a magazine writer to attain self-knowledge in a world of infotainment. [12] The 'New York Times described Gennaro, as “using her disarmingly affable personality to make satiric stabs at quick fading fads that tend to make one feel a step behind the times”. [12]

In 1992 Gennaro completed “Una Donna in Coma”, a play for five actors. [13]

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Gennaro wrote and performed “Heebie Jeebies” in Culture Project’s Impact on the Gulf Festival, at Chashama in New York City and had an article published. [14]

Radio personality

Gennaro was a contributor to the syndicated radio show The American Comedy Network, voicing Joan Rivers in the rap record, "Can We Tawk?" [15]

From 1986-1987 Gennaro was a writer/performer on The Joey Reynolds Show on WNBC and was the traffic reporter on The Alan Colmes Show . Gennaro was a substitute host for Lynn Samuels on WABC. She did a limited engagement as “The Weather Girl” on WOR’s Rambling with Gambling in 1998. [16]

Gennaro was the first female writer for Don Imus' show on WFAN (1991-92), [17] humorously rebutting his sexist teasing in character as Leona Helmsley, Diane Sawyer, Jeri Hall and others. [18]

From 2002-2003 Gennaro was a commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered [19] [20] [21] and a character actor in satires written by Bruce Kluger and David Slavin.

Fine artist

Gennaro's "Articulate Remains", including the "Bones and Egg", "Brides of Bone" and "Kinderdraussen" series, were exhibited at TSL Gallery in Hudson in 2008, [22] and at Rogue Space in Chelsea in 2009. [23] Surrounded by the art, she delivered her monologue “Shaking the Goose Egg”. [23] A review in dArt International magazine state that "The exhibition’s title... refers to the artist giving voice to the objects that she finds in nature... the monologue is a vivid piece of confessional theatre that reveals complex feelings of hope, guilt and responsibility." [24]

In October 2010 her "Feed the Models!" exhibit opened at The World Monuments Fund Gallery in New York City. Vision to Visuals columnist Baldev Duggal wrote “It takes an artist like Gennaro to reflect back to us the truth—the tension that lies beneath the beautiful mirage of carefully doctored aesthetics and loss of self identity.” [25] Feed the Models was featured at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York, [26] and in November 2011–January 2012 was featured at the Fashion Institute of Technology's Fred P. Pomerantz Art and Design Center. [27]

Acting and voice-over roles

Gennaro has appeared on camera in numerous network television commercials, and recorded hundreds of voice-overs for narrations, cartoons, video games, audiobooks, podcasts and promos.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2001 Max Payne Nicole Horne/Computer (voice) [28] [29]
2002The Wedding DressElevator LadyShort film [28]
2002 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Maude Hanson [28] [29]
2003 Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Nicole Horne [29]
2004 The Wrong Coast Various Celebrity Voices [28]
2010 Team Umizoomi Voice [28]
2012 Max Payne 3 Nicole Horne (voice) [28] [29]
2018 A Bread Factory, Part 2Ann [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricky Jay</span> American magician and actor (1946–2018)

Richard Jay Potash was an American stage magician, actor and writer. In a 1993 profile for The New Yorker, Mark Singer called Jay "perhaps the most gifted sleight of hand artist alive". In addition to sleight of hand, he was known for his card tricks, card throwing, memory feats, and stage patter. He also wrote extensively on magic and its history. His acting credits included the films The Prestige, The Spanish Prisoner, Mystery Men, Heist, Boogie Nights, Tomorrow Never Dies, Heartbreakers, State and Main, House of Games and Magnolia, and the HBO series Deadwood. In 2015 he was the subject of an episode of PBS's American Masters, the only magician ever profiled in the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seen (artist)</span> American graffiti artist

Richard "Richie" Mirando, known as Seen UA is an American graffiti artist. He is one of the best known graffiti artists in the world and has been referred to as the Godfather of Graffiti.

Ira Stadlen, known professionally as Allen Swift, was an American actor, writer and magician, best known as a voiceover artist who voiced cartoon characters Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the Underdog cartoon show. He took his professional name from radio comedian Fred Allen and 18th century satirist Jonathan Swift.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Russo</span> American sports radio personality

Christopher Michael Russo, also known as "Mad Dog", is an American sports radio personality best known as the former co-host of the Mike and the Mad Dog sports radio program with Mike Francesa, which was broadcast on WFAN in New York City and simulcasted on the YES Network. Russo joined Sirius XM Radio in August 2008 and operates his own channel, Mad Dog Sports Radio. He also hosts an afternoon radio show, Mad Dog Unleashed, SiriusXM Ch. 82 Mad Dog Sports Radio. Russo also joined MLB Network on March 31, 2014 and hosts his own show, High Heat, and as of 2021, co-hosts with Alanna Rizzo. He also frequently appears on ESPN’s First Take. Russo was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame on November 1, 2022.

WFAN is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, carrying a sports radio format known as "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New York metropolitan area while its 50,000-watt clear channel signal can be heard at night throughout much of the eastern United States and Canada. WFAN's studios are located in the Hudson Square neighborhood of lower Manhattan and its transmitter is located on High Island in the Bronx. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WFAN is simulcast over WFAN-FM, and is available online via Audacy.

K9 (<i>Doctor Who</i>) British sci-fi character, created 1977

K9, occasionally written K-9, is the name of several fictional robotic canines in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, first appearing in 1977. K9 has also been a central character in three of the series' television spin-offs: the one-off K-9 and Company (1981), The Sarah Jane Adventures (2007–2011) and K9 (2009–2010). Although not originally intended to be a recurring character in the series, K9 was kept in the show following his first appearance because he was expected to be popular with younger audiences. There have been at least four separate K9 units in the series, with the first two being companions of the Fourth Doctor. Voice actor John Leeson has provided the character's voice in most of his appearances, except during season 17 of Doctor Who, in which David Brierley temporarily did so. The character was created by Bob Baker and Dave Martin, to whom rights to the character still belong; consequently, Baker's spin-off series K9, which is not BBC-produced, could not directly reference events or characters from Doctor Who, though it attempted to be a part of that continuity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Warhola</span> American artist (born 1955)

James Warhola is an American artist who has illustrated more than two dozen children's picture books since 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermann Mejía</span> Venezuelan–American painter and sculptor (born 1973)

Hermann Mejía is a Venezuelan–American painter and sculptor known for his work for Mad magazine. He was named by HuffPost as "one of 15 famous Venezuelan artists to know".

<i>Imus in the Morning</i> US radio program (1968-2018)

Imus in the Morning was a long-running radio show hosted by Don Imus. The show originated on June 2, 1968, on various stations in the Western United States and Cleveland, Ohio, before settling on WNBC radio in New York City in 1971. In October 1988, the show moved to WFAN when that station took over WNBC's dial position following an ownership change. It was later syndicated to 60 other stations across the country by Westwood One, a division of CBS Radio, airing weekdays from 5:30 to 10 am Eastern time. Beginning September 3, 1996, the 6 to 9 am portion was simulcast on the cable television network MSNBC.

<i>Mike and the Mad Dog</i> American sports talk radio program

Mike and the Mad Dog was an American sports radio show hosted by Mike Francesa and Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo that aired in afternoons on WFAN in New York City from September 1989 to August 2008. From 2002 the show was simulcast on television on the YES Network. On the radio, the show was simulcast beginning 2007 on WQYK in Tampa, Florida, and from 2004 until 2007 on WROW in Albany, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Hancock Rux</span> American performer, writer and artist

Carl Hancock Rux is an award-winning American poet, dramatist, librettist, novelist, essayist, recording artist, curator, theater director, radio journalist, visual artist, and social activist. Mr. Rux is Co-Artistic Director of Mabou Mines(an award-winning New York City-based experimental mixed media art company founded in 1970 by Lee Breuer, Ruth Maleczech, JoAnne Akalaitis, and Philip Glass, among others ); Associate Artistic Director/Mellon Foundation Curator in Residence of Harlem Stage The Gate House; resident artist at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; frequently works with The Billie Holiday Theater, ; and he is the multidisciplinary editor of The Mass. Review. He is the author of the collection of poetry, Pagan Operetta, the novel, Asphalt, and the OBIE award-winning play Talk; and is a noted musician, having recorded several albums since the release of his critically acclaimed debut, "Rux Revue" on Sony/550, exploring combinations of poetry, soul, rock, hip-hop, jazz, and folk blues. His mixed media works have been included in the Uptown Triennale at the Wallach Gallery, Park Avenue Armory, and London's Serpentine Gallery. Mr. Rux also has the distinct honor of having created the lead role in The Temptation of St. Anthony, the first all-African-American opera to premiere at the Paris Opera.

Elizam Escobar was a Puerto Rican art theorist, poet, visual artist and writer. He served a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted while a member of the FALN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colab</span> New York City artists group

Colab is the commonly used abbreviation of the New York City artists' group Collaborative Projects, which was formed after a series of open meetings between artists of various disciplines.

Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt is an American artist who took part in the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City, which was a historic turning point in the movement for Gay liberation and LGBT rights. He is on the faculty of New York City's School of Visual Arts

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Killian</span> American poet, author, and playwright (1952–2019)

Kevin Killian was an American poet, author, editor, and playwright primarily of LGBT literature. My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer, which he co-edited with Peter Gizzi, won the American Book Award for poetry in 2009.

The Anita Shapolsky Gallery is an art gallery that was founded in 1982 by Anita Shapolsky. It is currently located at 152 East 65th Street, on Manhattan's Upper East Side, in New York City.

Dina Bursztyn is an Argentine writer and visual artist whose works have been exhibited in galleries, museums and public spaces throughout America and abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace DeGennaro</span> American artist

Grace DeGennaro is an American artist. She is best known for watercolors and paintings that explore “ritual, geometry, and growth through repeated forms, serial patterns, and iconic forms like circles and diamonds.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl River Mart</span> Asian American retail brand, established 1971

Pearl River Mart is an Asian-American retail brand and family-run business in New York City. The business was founded in 1971 in Chinatown, Manhattan, as Chinese Native Products by Ming Yi Chen and a group of student activists from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Chen has said that he and his colleagues "wanted to create a small window into the Chinese culture". Its products include braided straw slippers, paper lanterns, cheongsams, cotton Mary Janes, and copies of Mao's Little Red Book. Pearl River Mart has become a New York City institution. The business has an art gallery in its main location, and hosts in-store events and performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda Mussmann</span> American playwright

Linda Mussmann(born April 20, 1947) is an American avant-garde playwright, visual artist, a multimedia set and lighting designer, and an activist whose multi-disciplinary work has addressed problems of representation and language using elements of theater, movement and music. Mussmann is the founder of Time Space Limited Theater Inc., a theater company and performance space.

References

  1. ↑ “Chappell’s Art Song Classics”, “Old King Cole and 49 other Best Loved Children’s Songs”, “Twelve Musical Plays Based on Famous Fairytales”. Chappel Music Company, A Polygram Company.
  2. ↑ MAD Super Special Number Twenty Six (1978). "Makin’ Out." Lyrics by Norm Blagman. Music by Frank Jacobs. Featuring Smyle. Vocal assists by Jane Gennaro, Alfrieda Norwood.
  3. ↑ "Feed The Models: The Scissor Drawings of Jane Gennaro". Fashion Institute of Technology, 2011.
  4. ↑ "JOURNEY’S Gennaro/Mussmann in the TSL Art Gallery." Time & Space, January 24, 2012.
  5. ↑ Crespo, Charlie. “Mud Sweat & Jears” Rock & Soul Magazine, 1985.
  6. ↑ George Shea. “What’s so funny about being Italian?” Attenzione, August 1979.
  7. ↑ Kaufman, Bill. “Those Gennaro Sisters ready for the takeoff.” Newsday, December 27, 1982.
  8. ↑ Popova, Maria. "No Kidding: Women Writers and Comedians on the Choice Not to Have Children." BrainPickings, May 16, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Holden, Stephen. "Stage: 'The Boob Story'." The New York Times, March 2, 1988.
  10. ↑ Klein, Alvin. "Footlights Beckon an Imus Radio 'Voice'." The New York Times, December 1, 1991.
  11. ↑ Ervolino, Bill. "Putting up a good front." New York Post, March 9, 1988.
  12. 1 2 Gussow, Mel. "Theater in Review." The New York Times, December 11, 1991.
  13. ↑ McCue, Danny. “Jane Gennaro, Rhythm Baby." The Long Island Ear, February 10, 1992.
  14. ↑ Gennaro, Jane. "Is That All There Is? From Claverack to Katrina and back." Ourtown Claverack Quarterly. Spring Issue 2006
  15. ↑ “Just A Big Ego” (1985). Rhino Records, Inc.
  16. ↑ "Official Paper," The Long Island News and The Owl, July 30, 1998.
  17. ↑ Hinckley, David. "Girly recollections of Imus' Boys Club." New York Daily News, November 7, 1997.
  18. ↑ Smith, Dinitia. "Morning Mouth." New York Magazine, June 24, 1991.
  19. ↑ "Feed the Models." National Public Radio, December 17, 2002.
  20. ↑ "Celebrities." National Public Radio, January 13, 2003.
  21. ↑ "Commentary: Be Mine." National Public Radio, February 14, 2003.
  22. ↑ Wilson, Beth E. "Lucid Dreaming: Aesthetic Dis(interest)." Chronogram, September 29, 2008.
  23. 1 2 Hrbacek, Mary. "Jane Gennaro, Rogue Space New York." in the art world, September 2009.
  24. ↑ Mendelsohn, John. "Articulate Remains: Reliefs, Sculptures and Assemblages by Jane Gennaro at Rogue Space in New York." dART international, Spring/Summer 2010 issue.
  25. ↑ Duggal, Baldev. "Vision to Visuals. Feed The Models!" Digital Photo Pro. August 9, 2010.
  26. ↑ Piccoli, Kaitlyn. "Feed The Models! Art Exhibit at Adelphi University." Long Island Press, October 1, 2010.
  27. ↑ White, Renee Minus. "'Feed the Models' exhibit at FIT". New York Amsterdam News, November 16, 2011.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Jane Gennaro." IMDb.
  29. 1 2 3 4 "Jane Gennaro". Behind the Voice Actors.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.