Ivy Austin (born Ivy Lynn Epstein; January 19, 1958 in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York) is an American actress, singer, and

voice-over artist Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

, known for her performances on

Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radio ...

's ''

A Prairie Home Companion ''A Prairie Home Companion'' is a weekly radio variety show created and hosted by Garrison Keillor that aired live from 1974 to 2016. In 2016, musician Chris Thile took over as host, and the successor show was eventually renamed ''Live from He ...

'' and her ''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...

'' voices. She also starred on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

as ''

Raggedy Ann Raggedy Ann is a character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938) that appeared in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and a triangle nose. Gruelle re ...

''.

Biography

Early life and education

Ivy Austin is an alumna of NYC’s

High School of Performing Arts The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984. In 1961, the school was m ...

, has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

, and a Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from

Manhattan College Manhattan College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts university in the Bronx, New York City. Originally established in 1853 by the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) as an academy for day students, it was la ...

Career

Austin's stage career began with national tours of ''Hair'' (as Crissy) in 1976 and ''

They're Playing Our Song ''They're Playing Our Song'' is a musical with a book by Neil Simon, lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, and music by Marvin Hamlisch. In a story based on the real-life relationship of Hamlisch and Sager, a wisecracking composer finds a new, offbeat ly ...

'' (Alter Ego) in 1979. She made her

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

debut in 1982's ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

'' (Pink Sheep) and remained on the guest artist roster through 1989. Other NYCO credits include '' Naughty Marietta'' (Lisette), ''

The Merry Widow ''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt t ...

'' (Zozo), ''

The Music Man ''The Music Man'' is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and ...

'' (Ethel Toffelmier), ''

The New Moon ''The New Moon'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Frank Mandel, and Laurence Schwab. The show was the third in a string of Broadway hits for Romberg (after ''The Student Prince'' (1924) and ...

'', ''

The Desert Song ''The Desert Song'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonia ...

'', '' South Pacific'', and ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial ''The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London urban legend, legend. A barber fr ...

'' (Beggar Woman). Austin's Broadway debut in 1986 was as the starring role in the

Joe Raposo Joseph Guilherme Raposo, OIH (February 8, 1937 – February 5, 1989) was an American composer, songwriter, pianist, singer and lyricist, best known for his work on the children's television series ''Sesame Street'', for which he wrote the theme ...

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ...

musical '' Raggedy Ann: The Musical Adventure'', directed by

Patricia Birch Patricia Birch (born October 16, 1934) is an American dancer, choreographer, film director, and theatre director. Early life Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Birch began her career as a dancer in Broadway musicals, including ''Brigadoon (musical), ...

. In 1989, Austin performed "The Story of Gloria" on American Radio Company (now known as ''

''). According to

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Mar ...

, "The show's funniest sketch, a serial, produced a new star, actress Ivy Austin." She also played the crusty-voiced French lady Babette, and sang with Rob Fisher and The Coffee Club Orchestra. Austin has recorded countless songs for ''Sesame Street'', and is the voice of Sesame Street characters Cereal Girl, Hammy Swinette, Sublime Miss M, Soo-ey Oinker of The Oinker Sisters, and Gloria Esta-worm. As writer/producer, Ivy Austin created holiday programs for

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

and a long-running concert series at The World Financial Center. Ivy Austin appeared in numerous television commercials and has an impressive list of theatrical and concert credits. Austin is in her sixth year as a contributing lyricist and performer in The Thalia Follies, a

political satire Political satire is satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where Political discourse analysis, political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing ...

in on New York's

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper West ...

. Austin performs regularly at

Symphony Space Symphony Space, founded by Isaiah Sheffer and Allan Miller, is a multi-disciplinary performing arts organization at 2537 Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Performances take place in the 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theatre (also called Pe ...

WNYC WNYC is the trademark and a set of call letters shared by WNYC (AM) and WNYC-FM, a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations located in New York City. WNYC is owned by New York Public Radio (NYPR), a nonprofit organization that di ...

radio broadcasts of ''

Selected Shorts Selected Shorts is an event at New York's Symphony Space on the Upper West Side, in which screen and stage actors read classic and new short fiction before a live audience. The stage show began in 1985 and continues today at Symphony Space's Pete ...

'' and ''Bloomsday'', and has participated in years of "Wall-to-Wall" music marathons. She appeared in ''Wall-to-Wall Broadway'' singing "Adelaide's Lament". She has performed several plays with the Night Kitchen Radio Theater for

XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable television. Its s ...

Selected credits

Discography

*''Sing! Songs of Joe Raposo'' *''Big Bird Discovers the Orchestra'' *''Sesame Road'' *''Born to Add'' *''Splish Splash: Bathtime Fun'' *''Sing-Along Travel Songs'' *''Silly Songs'' *''Hot!/Heat! Hot!/Heat! Hot!/Heat! Dance Songs'' *''Sesame Street Platinum-All Time Favorites'' *'' Elmopalooza!'' *''We Are All Earthlings'' *''I’m Green and I’m Proud'' *''Signs of the Times from Moo-town Records'' *''Sesame Street Kids/Kid Favorite Songs'' *''Sesame Street Best'' *''Cheap Thrills'' *''New York City Opera Candide'' *''Lady Be Good!'' *''Wall to Wall Richard Rodgers'' *''A Prairie Home Christmas'' *''A Prairie Home Companion 25th Anniversary Collection'' *''Selected Shorts: A Night at the Office''

Filmography

*''

Grease 2 ''Grease 2'' is a 1982 American musical romantic comedy film and the sequel to the 1978 film ''Grease'', adapted from the 1971 musical of the same name by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Originally titled ''More Grease'', the film was produced b ...

'' (1982) – Girl Greaser (Francine) *''"The Charmkins"'' (1983) – Skunkweed (voice) *'' My Little Pony: Escape from Catrina'' (1985) – (voice) *''

Snoopy!!! The Musical ''Snoopy: The Musical'' is a musical comedy with music by Larry Grossman, lyrics by Hal Hackady, and a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. The characters are from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip ''Peanuts''. This sequ ...

'' (1988) – (voice) *''

'' – Cereal Girl, Hammy Swinette, Sublime Miss M, Soo-ey Oinker of The Oinker Sisters, Gloria Esta-worm, Additional Voices *''High Strung'' (1991) – Contestant *'' Big Bird's Birthday Celebration'' (1991) – (voice) Oinker Sister *''

The Tale of Peter Rabbit ''The Tale of Peter Rabbit'' is a children's book written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter that follows mischievous and disobedient young Peter Rabbit as he gets into, and is chased around, the garden of Mr. McGregor. He escapes and returns ho ...

'' (1991) – (voice) Flopsy/Bluejay *''

Animaniacs ''Animaniacs'' is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, unti ...

'' – Carloota, "Garage Sale of the Century/West Side Pigeons" (1993) *''

Sesame Street Stays Up Late! ''Sesame Street Stays Up Late!'' is a 1993 ''Sesame Street'' New Year's Eve television special with guest appearances of characters from the international versions of ''Sesame Street''. The special was produced by the Children's Television Wor ...

'' (1993) – (voice) Tita *'' The Real Shlemiel'' (1995) – (voice) The Lantuch *'' Elmopalooza!'' (1998) – (voice) Oinker Sister *''Kids Favorite Songs'' (1999) - (voice) Oinker Sister

Theatre credits

Artistic direction and producing

*''Christmas at Rainbow Corner'' (co-producer Denise Lanctot) 1993, National Public Radio *''Her Funny Valentine'', 1994, National Public Radio *''Women in Cabaret'', 1994, World Financial Center *''Women on Broadway'', 1995, World Financial Center *''The Tony Awards, 50 Years of Broadway's Best Musicals'', 1996, World Financial Center *''The Men I Love, A Centennial Salute to Ira Gershwin & George Gershwin'', 1997, World Financial Center *''Happy Birthday New York, A Musical Tribute to the City's Centennial'', 1998, World Financial Center *''The Great Songwriters of Hollywood'', 1999, World Financial Center *''Spring Fling'', 2000, World Financial Center

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Ivy 1958 births Living people American voice actresses Colgate University alumni People from Brooklyn Actresses from New York City Jewish American actresses Jewish singers American women singers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women