Penny Arcade (performer)
Encyclopedia
Susana Ventura better known by her stage name Penny Arcade, is an American performance art
ist, actress, and playwright
based in New York City
.
performance in New York began at age 17, when she performed with John Vaccaro's Playhouse of the Ridiculous
, and appeared in the Jackie Curtis
play Femme Fatale, followed by an appearance in the Andy Warhol
and Paul Morrissey
movie Women in Revolt
. She traveled Europe during the 1970s, and returned to New York in 1981, where she worked with many underground theatre artists including Jack Smith
, Charles Ludlam
and Hibiscus
's Angels of Light. She was a friend of Quentin Crisp
, and the two created a long-running performance/interview piece, The Last Will and Testament of Quentin Crisp.
She has been performing her own monologues since 1985, mostly in New York. In the late 1980s she created a character named Margo Howard-Howard
, a 50-year-old drag queen with a scandalous past, for her performances. The New York Times refers to the character as "patently unbelievable", but in a later article acknowledges that her monologue was "based on real Lower East Side residents." Howard-Howard received an obituary in The Village Voice
.
In the 1990s she toured internationally with her most popular show, Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!
, which, like much of her work, was an opinionated commentary on sexual norm
s and censorship
; it featured a chorus of amateur reverse strippers. In 1998 she performed at the first Gay Shame
event (as opposed to gay pride
) at DUMBA
in Brooklyn
; she appears in the documentary film
of the event by Scott Berry, entitled Gay Shame '98. Her 2002 performance New York Values, which also toured abroad, dealt with another of her major concerns: the loss of cultural identity in New York during the Giuliani years. The famous Village Gate
marquee in New York is still adorned with her name and the title of her performance piece, although the nightclub no longer exists.
Penny Arcade is a co-founder of the Lower East Side
Biography Project, a video production and oral history
workshop that trains participants in documentary filmmaking and preserves the stories of Lower Manhattan
artists and activists. Recently profiled individuals have included Herbert Huncke
, Jayne County
, and Marty Matz, among others.
In 2002, she ran for the New York State Assembly as a candidate of the Green Party
. She received 1,054 votes out of 32,976 in the 74th Assembly district, losing to incumbent and anti-rent control advocate Steven Sanders.
, with whom she performs all over the world.
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
ist, actress, and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
based in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Career
Ventura's long association with avant-gardeAvant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
performance in New York began at age 17, when she performed with John Vaccaro's Playhouse of the Ridiculous
Playhouse of the Ridiculous
The Theatre of the Ridiculous is a theatrical genre that began as an American movement in New York in 1965 with the beginnings of "The Play-House of the Ridiculous" and the spin-off group formed in 1967 "The Ridiculous Theatrical Company"....
, and appeared in the Jackie Curtis
Jackie Curtis
John Curtis Holder, Jr. , better known as Jackie Curtis, was an actor, writer, singer and Warhol Superstar.-Early life and career:...
play Femme Fatale, followed by an appearance in the Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
and Paul Morrissey
Paul Morrissey
Paul Morrissey is an American film director, best-known for his association with Andy Warhol.Morrissey attended Ampleforth College, a private Roman Catholic boarding school and Fordham University, both Roman Catholic schools, and later served in the United States Army...
movie Women in Revolt
Women in Revolt
Women In Revolt is a 1971 satire film produced by Andy Warhol and directed by American filmmaker Paul Morrissey.The stars of the film are Jackie Curtis, Candy Darling and Holly Woodlawn, three transgendered superstars of Andy Warhol's Factory scene. Jackie and Candy had previously appeared in Flesh...
. She traveled Europe during the 1970s, and returned to New York in 1981, where she worked with many underground theatre artists including Jack Smith
Jack Smith (film director)
Jack Smith was an American filmmaker, actor, and pioneer of underground cinema...
, Charles Ludlam
Charles Ludlam
Charles Braun Ludlam was an American actor, director, and playwright.-Early life:Ludlam was born in Floral Park, New York, the son of Marjorie and Joseph William Ludlam. He was raised in Greenlawn, New York, on Long Island, and attended Harborfields High School. The fact that he was gay was not a...
and Hibiscus
Hibiscus (entertainer)
Hibiscus was one of the leaders of the psychedelic gay liberation theatre collective group known as the Cockettes in early 1970s San Francisco; in today's theatrical parlance he would be considered to be a "Creative Director".-Early life:Harris was born in Bronxville, New York in 1949 to George...
's Angels of Light. She was a friend of Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp
Quentin Crisp , was an English writer and raconteur. He became a gay icon in the 1970s after publication of his memoir, The Naked Civil Servant.- Early life :...
, and the two created a long-running performance/interview piece, The Last Will and Testament of Quentin Crisp.
She has been performing her own monologues since 1985, mostly in New York. In the late 1980s she created a character named Margo Howard-Howard
Margo Howard-Howard
Margo Howard-Howard was a New York City drag queen who wrote memoirs titled I Was a White Slave in Harlem shortly before his death...
, a 50-year-old drag queen with a scandalous past, for her performances. The New York Times refers to the character as "patently unbelievable", but in a later article acknowledges that her monologue was "based on real Lower East Side residents." Howard-Howard received an obituary in The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
.
Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!
Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore! is an internationally-toured show by performer Penny Arcade. Like many of her shows, it combines erotic dancing, improvisation, comedy, audience participation, and monologue. Themes include AIDS, pornography, censorship and prostitution...
, which, like much of her work, was an opinionated commentary on sexual norm
Sexual norm
A sexual norm can refer to a personal or a social norm. Most cultures have social norms regarding sexuality, and define normal sexuality to consist only of certain legal sex acts between individuals who meet specific criteria of age, consanguinity , race/ethnicity A sexual norm can refer to a...
s and censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
; it featured a chorus of amateur reverse strippers. In 1998 she performed at the first Gay Shame
Gay shame
Gay Shame is a movement from within the LGBT and queer communities described as a radical alternative to gay mainstreaming and directly posits an alternative view of traditional "gay pride" events and activities which have become increasingly commercialized with corporate sponsors and "safer"...
event (as opposed to gay pride
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
) at DUMBA
Dumba
DUMBA was a collective living space and anarchist, queer, all-ages community center and venue in Brooklyn, New York.DUMBA became a radical cultural nexus point around which the Queercore movement flourished and an independent film scene developed...
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
; she appears in the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
of the event by Scott Berry, entitled Gay Shame '98. Her 2002 performance New York Values, which also toured abroad, dealt with another of her major concerns: the loss of cultural identity in New York during the Giuliani years. The famous Village Gate
The Village Gate
The Village Gate was a nightclub at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, New York.Art D'Lugoff opened the club in 1958, on the ground floor and basement of 158 Bleecker Street. The large 1896 Chicago School structure by architect Ernest Flagg was known at the time as...
marquee in New York is still adorned with her name and the title of her performance piece, although the nightclub no longer exists.
Penny Arcade is a co-founder of the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
Biography Project, a video production and oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
workshop that trains participants in documentary filmmaking and preserves the stories of Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
artists and activists. Recently profiled individuals have included Herbert Huncke
Herbert Huncke
Herbert Edwin Huncke was a writer and poet, and active participant in a number of emerging cultural, social and aesthetic movements of the 20th century in America...
, Jayne County
Jayne County
Jayne County , formerly known as Wayne County, is an American male-to-female transsexual performer, musician and actress whose career has spanned several decades. County would go on to be known as rock's first transsexual singer...
, and Marty Matz, among others.
In 2002, she ran for the New York State Assembly as a candidate of the Green Party
Green Party of New York
The Green Party of New York is a ballot-qualified political party in New York, which was founded in 1992. It is a part of the national Green Party movement...
. She received 1,054 votes out of 32,976 in the 74th Assembly district, losing to incumbent and anti-rent control advocate Steven Sanders.
Personal life
Penny Arcade is married to musician Chris RaelChris Rael
Chris Rael is an eclectic American musician, singer, composer, and songwriter.Rael is the founder and leader of Indo-pop band Church of Betty, based in New York City. He has composed, recorded, and produced more than 25 CDs, collaborating with artists from around the world...
, with whom she performs all over the world.