Penny Arcade (performer)
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Penny Arcade (born Susana Carmen Ventura, July 15, 1950) is an American
performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
ist,
actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
, and
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...
based in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. She is known for her comedic wit, forthright delivery, and stage presence. Her performances explore topics such as
gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
, humanity,
woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...
hood,
LGBT culture LGBTQ culture is a culture shared by lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexuality, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals (LGBTQ people). It is sometimes referred to as queer culture (indicating people who are queer), LGBT culture, and LGBTQIA cult ...
,
nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a neoclassical compound derived from Greek language, Greek, consisting of (''nóstos''), a Homeric word me ...
,
family history Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...
, and the life of the outsider. Additionally, Penny Arcade is known for her association with
underground art Underground art is any form of art that operates outside of conventional norms in the art world, part of underground culture. This can include essentially any genre of art that is not popular in the art world, including visionary art and stre ...
s and culture.


Early years

Susana Ventura was born in
New Britain, Connecticut New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. The city is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol ...
, and grew up in a
working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
Italian immigrant family. Her father fell ill from a severe beating he endured at Ellis Island in 1946 and in 1953 he was committed to Connecticut Valley Hospital in
Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...
, where he died 12 years later of a heart attack at age 50. Arcade and her three siblings were raised by Arcade's mother, who worked as a seamstress in local sweatshops. The family was presided over by her maternal grandparents, both born in the 19th century in a remote Southern Italian village of
Picerno Picerno is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the ''comuni'' of Balvano, Baragiano, Potenza, Ruoti, Savoia di Lucania, Tito, and Vietri di Potenza. References
...
,
Basilicata Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...
. As a child, Arcade did not plan to become a performance artist. In her working-class Italian-American family, there "just wasn't a format for that," she explained. Of her early social experiences, Arcade described, "I was perceived to be this girl that everyone had slept with when I was 12 -- no one anyone knew, but they had heard." At age 13, she ran away from home and spent 4 weeks homeless in
Old Saybrook Old Saybrook is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 10,481 at the 2020 census. It contains the incorporated borough of Fenwick, an ...
, Connecticut. During this time, she was brought to juvenile court and sentenced to two years at the Sacred Heart Academy for Wayward Girls, a reform school run by the semi-cloistered Sisters Of The Good Shepherd. It was there that Arcade wrote her first play at age 14. At age 16, Arcade left home and spent the summer of 1967 homeless in
Provincetown Provincetown () is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States census, Pr ...
, Massachusetts, before ultimately moving to New York City.


Early career

Arcade adopted the name "Penny Arcade" after an LSD trip with her mentor Jamie Andrews, who took her into his home when she moved to New York. It was Andrews who introduced Arcade to John Vacarro. Ventura's association with
avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
performance began at age 17, when she became a member of John Vaccaro's Playhouse of the Ridiculous. In 1968, she appeared in painter Larry Rivers film ''T.I.T.S.'' In 1969, she starred in the
Jackie Curtis Jackie Curtis (born John Curtis Holder Jr.; February 19, 1947 – May 15, 1985) was an American underground actor, singer, and playwright best known as a Warhol superstars, Warhol superstar. Primarily a stage actor in New York City, Curtis per ...
play ''Femme Fatale'' at
La MaMa La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club (sometimes abbreviated as La MaMa E.T.C.) is an Off-Off-Broadway theater founded in 1961 by African-American theatre director, producer, and fashion designer Ellen Stewart. Located in the East Village neighborho ...
Etc. with Curtis,
Mary Woronov Mary Woronov (born December 8, 1943) is an American actress, writer, and Figurative art, figurative painter. She is primarily known as a cult film star because of her work with Andy Warhol and her roles in Roger Corman's cult films. Woronov has ...
,
Jayne County Jayne County (born Wayne Rogers) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, and visual artist whose career has spanned six decades. Under the name Wayne County (inspired by Wayne County, Michigan), she was the vocalist of infl ...
and
Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...
, followed by a small role in the
Paul Morrissey Paul Joseph Morrissey (February 23, 1938 – October 28, 2024) was an American film director, known for his early association with Andy Warhol. His most famous films include ''Flesh (1968 film), Flesh'' (1968), ''Trash (1970 film), Trash'' (197 ...
/
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...
film, ''
Women in Revolt ''Women in Revolt'' is a 1971 American satirical film produced by Andy Warhol and directed by Paul Morrissey. It was initially released as ''Andy Warhol's Women''. The film stars Jackie Curtis, Candy Darling, and Holly Woodlawn, three superstar ...
''. In 1970, Arcade was featured in her first interview in ''Rags Magazine'', an alternative fashion magazine.


Time in Europe

At age 20, Arcade left New York for Europe, where she lived for a decade. In 1971, Arcade turned down a role in the London production of Andy Warhol's play ''
Pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...
'', choosing instead to join Vaccaro and The Playhouse of the Ridiculous in Amsterdam. After eight months in Amsterdam, she moved to the island of
Formentera Formentera (, ) is a Spanish island located in the Mediterranean Sea, which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community (Spain) together with Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza. Formentera is the smallest and most southerly island of the ...
in Spain's Balearic Islands. She has described her time in Europe as fodder for a "...great and scandalous memoir...drinking with sailors as a bargirl, starting a school for the children of drug smugglers, befriending and being befriended by
Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were b ...
at the end of his life... well, it goes on."


Return to New York

Arcade returned to New York City in 1981 to appear in The Playhouse of The Ridiculous's remounting of their 1970 hit ''Night Club'' by
Kenneth Bernard Kenneth Otis Bernard (May 7, 1930 – August 9, 2020) was an American author, poet, and playwright. Bernard was born in Brooklyn and raised in Framingham, Massachusetts; he lived his adult life in New York City. He married Elaine Ceil Reiss ...
for LaMama's 20th anniversary at Ellen Stewart's request. She worked with underground theatre artists, including Jack Smith,
Charles Ludlam Charles Braun Ludlam (April 12, 1943May 28, 1987) was an American actor, director, and playwright. Biography Early life Ludlam was born in Floral Park, New York, the son of Marjorie (née Braun) and Joseph William Ludlam. He was raised in ...
, and the founder of The Cockettes and Angels of Light,
Hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the Malva, mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising List of Hibiscus species, several hundred species that are Native plant, native to warm temperate, Subtropics, subtropical ...
. In the spring of 1982 she improvised her first performance piece in Hibiscus’s show ''Tinsel Town Tirade'' at
Theater for The New City Theater for the New City, founded in 1971 and known familiarly as "TNC", is one of New York City's leading off-off-Broadway theaters, known for radical political plays and community commitment. Productions at TNC have won 43 Obie Awards and the P ...
, receiving her first writer's credit. In February 1985, Arcade presented her first full-length evening of original improvised work, ''While You Were Out,'' at the Poetry Project, and then presented it at Performance Space 122 in June later that same year. ''While You Were Out'' then moved to University of The Streets in November 1985 and continued to run for an additional four months. Penny Arcade was featured in 1988 ''Vogue Magazines "People Are Talking About" issue, the first mention of performance art in a national fashion magazine. 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 ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' 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'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first Alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, ...
''. Premiering in 1990 at Performance Space 122, and running off broadway at The Village Gate 1992-1993 Arcade began touring internationally in 1993 with her most presented show, '' Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!'', an opinionated commentary on
sexuality Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
and
censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...
that features a chorus of professional erotic dancers and strippers which created the international neo performance burlesque movement In 1998 she performed at the first
Gay Shame Gay Shame is a movement from within the queer communities described as a Radicalization, radical alternative to gay mainstreaming. The movement directly posits an alternative view of gay pride events and activities which have become increasingly Co ...
event at DUMBA in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
; she appears in the
documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
of the event by Scott Berry, entitled ''Gay Shame '98''. She co-starred with
Quentin Crisp Quentin Crisp (born Denis Charles Pratt;  – ) was an English raconteur, whose work in the public eye included a memoir of his life and various media appearances. Before becoming well known, he was an artist's model, hence the title of h ...
in the long-running performance/interview piece, ''The Last Will and Testament of Quentin Crisp'' Arcade's 2002 performance ''New York Values'', which also toured abroad, addressed the loss of cultural identity in New York during the Giuliani years. The
Village Gate The Village Gate was a nightclub at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Streets in Greenwich Village, New York. Art D'Lugoff opened the club in 1958, on the ground floor and basement of 160 Bleecker Street. The large 1896 Chicago School structu ...
marquee in New York is still adorned with her name and the title of her performance piece ''Politics, Sex & Reality'', although the nightclub no longer exists. Arcade is a co-founder of the
Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...
Biography Project, "Stemming The Tide Of Cultural Amnesia, with long time collaborator Steve Zehentner, a video production and
oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information from people, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people who pa ...
that began as a workshop that trains participants in documentary filmmaking and preserves the stories of
Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan, also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York City, is the southernmost part of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The neighborhood is History of New York City, the historical birthplace o ...
artists and activists. profiled individuals have included Judith Malina, Lee Breuer, Tom O'Horgan, Sarah Schulman, Betty Dodson, Quentin Crisp, ], Jayne County,Danny Fields and Marty Matz, among others. In 2002 Arcade ran for the New York State Assembly as a candidate of the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
. She received 1,054 votes out of 32,976 in the 74th Assembly district, losing to incumbent and anti-rent control advocate Steven Sanders. In January 2011 Arcade had an on-stage spat with performance artist
Ann Liv Young Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie and Ana. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in ...
while she was hosting an evening of performances and Young refused to respect the artists who were waiting to take their turn on stage . In 2012 she took up residence at London's Arcola Theatre for a 22 performance run of her show ''Bitch! Dyke! Faghag! Whore!'' which went on to run for 48 performances in London with 48 standing ovations. In 2013 Arcade starred along with
Mink Stole Nancy Paine Stoll (born August 25, 1947), known professionally as Mink Stole, is an American actress from Baltimore, Maryland. She began her career working for director John Waters, and has appeared in all of his feature films to date (a distin ...
in a revival of
Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...
one-act play, ''The Mutilated''. The production was directed by Cosmin Chivu with music by Jesse Selengut, and previewed at the eighth annual Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival in Massachusetts, prior to its six-week run in New York at the New Ohio Theatre in the West Village where it was nominated for a Drama League Award as Best Revival.


Personal life

Penny Arcade has been married three times. Her third marriage in 1998 was to singer-writer-composer
Chris Rael Chris Rael is an eclectic American musician, singer, composer, and songwriter. He 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 ar ...
, with whom she collaborated artistically. The couple lived together until January 2008. Arcade identifies as bisexual.


Works

Selected works include: *''While You Were Out'' (1985) *''Invisible on the Streets'' (1986) *''Bid for the Big Time'' (1988) *''Bringing It All Back Home'' (1988) *''Operating Under The Influence'' (1988) *''Quiet Night for Sid and Nancy at the Chelsea Hotel'' (1989) *''True Stories'' (1989) *''Based on A True Story'' (1990) *''The Beginning of the End of the World'' (1990) *''La Miseria'' (1991) *''State of Grace'' (1991) *''Bitch Dyke Faghag Whore'' 1990 *''Sunday Tea With Quentin Crisp'' (1993) *''Love Sex and Sanity'' (1995) *''An Evening With Penny Arcade And Quentin Crisp'' (1995) *''Sisi Sings The Blues'' (1996) *''Bad Reputation'' (1997) *''The Last Will And Testament Of Quentin Crisp'' (1999) *''Lady Fest'' (2000) *''Virtual Arcade Cyber Performance And Interview Show'' (2000) *''Alive and Kicking'' (2001) *''Sex. Politics. Reality.'' (2001) *''New York Values'' (2002) *''Penny Arcade At The Warhol Museum'' (2002) *''Artist Survivor'' (2002) *''Working My Way Down'' (2003) *''Rebellion Cabaret'' (2004) *''Escape From The East Village Ny Ny'' (2004) *''Penny Arcade in Motion'' (2005) *''Old Queen'' (2009) *''Longing Lasts Longer'' (2011) *''The Etiquette Of Death'' (2012) *''The Girl Who Knew Too Much'' (2013)


References


Further reading

*
doollee.com listing of Penny Arcade's works written for the stage
*A
interview
given to the newspaper I/O Gazette in 2018


External links

*
Penny Arcade's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arcade, Penny 1950 births Actresses from New York City 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights American stage actresses American film actresses American LGBTQ dramatists and playwrights Living people Bisexual dramatists and playwrights LGBTQ people from Connecticut Performance art in New York City American performance artists Artists from New York City People from New Britain, Connecticut American writers of Italian descent 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American bisexual actresses American bisexual writers