Meet the artists, musicians and dancers who are performing our February 16th show for WHEN BROOKLYN WAS QUEER by Hugh Ryan.
OUR HOST - PENNY ARCADE
Penny Arcade is a writer ,poet, performer, theatre maker and international icon of artistic resistance known for her magnetic stage presence, her take no prisoners wit and her content rich plays and one liners. She is the author of 16 scripted performance plays and hundreds of performance art pieces. Her work has always focused on the other and the outsider, giving voice to those marginalized by society. Her willingness to speak truth to power at the expense of career concerns has made her an international icon of artistic resistance. Her decades long focus on the creation of community and inclusion as the goals of performance and her efforts to use performance as a transformative act mark her as a true original in American theatre and performance. Visit https://pennyarcade.tv/ for more info, and stay connected by joining her Patreon community.
TROY OGILVIE
Troy participates in mutual aid in her so-called Brooklyn neighborhood. This work involves free fridges, bulk food distribution, and free stores among other activities that rally around the slogan "solidarity, not charity." Troy's community organizing and choreographic work spring from her dance lineage of mentors Sidra Bell, Margie Gillis, Gallim Dance, Punchdrunk, Susan Misner, and Alexandra Wells; her study of adrienne maree brown, Octavia Butler, and Dean Spade; and listening/responding to what her community needs. She's also a team member on The Dance Union Podcast.
IG: @troyanosaurus
JOE MCGINTY
Joe McGinty is the founder of Loser's Lounge, and the owner of Sid Gold's Request Room, a rock & roll piano bar in Chelsea. His original projects include Baby Steps, Circuit Parade, The Duchess and The Fox and Polyvox. He was a member of The Psychedelic Furs and has worked with The Ramones, Ronnie Spector, Space Hog, Nada Surf and many others. He has a vintage keyboard studio in Brooklyn. joemcgintymusic.com, , mcgintymusic.bandcamp.com/ , IG: @joemcginty7
JULIA LAMENDOLA
Julia LaMendola and Leslie Graves perform hauntingly melodic songs on electric guitar and bass with live production by Lettice.
IG: @endlessarrows
Peter Dizozza is a music composer who produces supplemental material as a writer, pianist, performer, photographer, and filmmaker. His piano/singer/songwriter performances began in November 1995 at—and because of—an open-stage anti-hoot organized and hosted by Lach at SideWalk Bar-Restaurant, formerly in the East Village. La Mama ETC, Theater for the New City and the Williamsburg Art and Historical Center have helped support his work as a playwright. He is a council member of The Lambs, America's First Theatrical Club. dizozza.bandcamp.com , Twitter and IG: @dizozza, cinemavii.com
SEA GRIFFIN
Sea is an art weirdo from way back. They are half of shipwreck cabaret duo, Boy Meets Pearl and likes to play a variety of strange and beautiful instruments and write little dreampunk ditties.
RAY BROWN
Ray is from Tallahassee, FL and has been writing songs and performing since 2010. His debut album, CANYON, was released in August, 2012. The East Village arts quarterly, BOOG CITY describes his songs as "funny and tragic at the same time" and The New Yorker dubbed him "a solid songwriter".
JIM ANDRALIS
Jim is a songwriter, singer and psychotherapist. He performs with his band the Syntonics and co-hosts a country music variety show at Joe's Pub called Grand Ole Pubry. The next one is April 15th!
STEPHANIE LARRIERE
Stephanie Larriere, co-founder of Brooklyn Beanstalk, is a professional teaching artist, she has led educational after-school programs and performances in NYC public school and dance residencies in leading Arts-in-Education organizations such as Arts Horizons, CREATE and Wingspan Arts. Stephanie has also taught French language instruction in public schools and has been a private French tutor for children and adults. As a tap dancer, she has been performing and teaching in studios, festivals, dance camps and colleges over NY State for the last decade. A native of France, she has been a resident of NYC for more than a decade and lives in Brooklyn with her wonderful 18 year-old son. IG: @stephanielarriere
SUSAN HWANG
Susan Hwang is the founder, producer and host of Bushwick Book Club. She's a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has toured internationally performing music and theater. Her duo with songwriter/producer Charlie Nieland is called Lusterlit, and they refuse to play anything but songs about books. Her collaboration with percussionist Marlon Cherry continues to evolve through pandemics and all to include socially distanced performances on her stoop in the East Village. Susan plays accordions because they are pretty and lighter than pianos (barely). She plays drums because it's healthy for a girl to hit things. susanhwanglalala.com, lusterlit.com, IG: @soozee3
MARLON CHERRY
Marlon Cherry [Anti-Seen, Afro-Jersey, Church of Betty, The Roches, Mecca Bodega etc] is a multi-instrumentalist songwriter from North Carolina who has been plying his manifold trade in NYC for a few decades now. His solo music has been issued by Fang, Regina and OSR .Marlon Cherry's music is available on CDBaby, iTunes and Spotify.
"Ancient Sound Modern Dance" by Marlon Cherry
STANLEY JOHN MITCHELL
Stanley John Mitchell arrived in the US as drummer and songwriter for the legendary New Zealand alternate band 'The Drongos'. He has been a touring and recording drummer sinc ethe 1980's playing for bands like the renowned Long Island based Americana band 'The Lone Sharks', fronted by the great Gene Casey. He founded and co-led the Lounge-groove band, 'Dirty Martini.' In 2005 Stan founded his own project, Stanley John Mitchell and his Band of Buddies. This band is based out of Brooklyn and is a regular feature on the bustling Brooklyn music scene. Stan's music is an exotic mixture of South Sea sensibility and the Americana music he loves so much. stanleyjohnmitchell.com
RISA MICKENBERG
Risa Mickenberg is a writer and director and CEO of Hermette Wireless. www.hermettewireless.com. She’s also with the bands Jesus JESUS H CHRIST AND THE FOUR HORNSMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE and GLASS BIKINI. risamickenburg.com
CHARLIE NIELAND
Charlie Nieland is a musician/producer from Bushwick Brooklyn. Mixing audio, producing podcasts and editing video as the technical director/co-producer of Bushwick Book Club, he loves helping the fearless participants of BBC bring their book-inspired work into the world. Charlie has written and produced material with Debbie Harry, Rufus Wainwright, Rachelle Garniez, Jessie Kilguss, Sweet Soubrette, Her Vanished Grace and is half of the literature-inspired songwriting and performing duo Lusterlit with Susan Hwang. He scored the feature film THE SAFETY OF OBJECTS (starring Glen Close), the pilot episode of The L Word on Showtime and the VH-1documentary NY77:THE COOLEST YEAR IN HELL. Charlie was awarded a Gold record (UK) for his production work on Blondie's GREATEST HITS SIGHT & SOUND and achieved a Top 10 Billboard Dance Chart Position with Debbie Harry's single "Two Times Blue", which he co-wrote and produced. charlienieland.com, , charlienieland.bandcmp.com, IG: @charlienieland
RALPH DENZER
A multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, music director and live theatre musician, Ralph has performed extensively in New York city, elsewhere in the US and Canada as well as in Germany, Finland and Denmark.