Ivy Austin

Ivy Austin, born Ivy Lynn Epstein on January 19, 1958, in Brooklyn, New York, is an American actress and singer whose career spans Broadway, opera, radio, television, and voice work. She attended New York City's High School of Performing Arts before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Colgate University and a Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Manhattan College.

Austin's professional stage career began in 1976 with a national tour of Hair, in which she played Crissy. A 1979 national tour of They're Playing Our Song, in which she performed the role of Alter Ego, preceded her Broadway work in the same production. Her Broadway debut came in 1986 when she took the starring role in Raggedy Ann: The Musical Adventure, a musical with music by Joe Raposo and a book by William Gibson, directed by Patricia Birch. Her Broadway credits span 1979 to 1986 and include both They're Playing Our Song and Raggedy Ann.

Austin made her New York City Opera debut in 1982 in Candide, playing the Pink Sheep, and remained on the company's guest artist roster through 1989. Her additional NYCO credits include Naughty Marietta as Lisette, The Merry Widow as Zozo, The Music Man as Ethel Toffelmier, The New Moon, The Desert Song, South Pacific, and Sweeney Todd, in which she played the Beggar Woman.

In 1989, Austin performed "The Story of Gloria" on American Radio Company, the program later known as A Prairie Home Companion. Time Magazine noted that the show's funniest sketch, a serial, produced a new star in Austin. She also portrayed the character Babette on the program and performed with Rob Fisher and The Coffee Club Orchestra. Austin has continued to perform regularly at Symphony Space on WNYC radio broadcasts of Selected Shorts and Bloomsday, and has participated in Wall-to-Wall music marathons at that venue, including a performance of "Adelaide's Lament" in Wall-to-Wall Broadway. She has also performed plays with Night Kitchen Radio Theater for XM Satellite Radio.

Austin has recorded extensively for Sesame Street and provides the voices of several characters on the program, including Cereal Girl, Hammy Swinette, Sublime Miss M, Soo-ey Oinker of The Oinker Sisters, and Gloria Esta-worm. Her screen credits include the role of Girl Greaser (Francine) in the 1982 film Grease 2, voice work in The Charmkins (1983), My Little Pony: Escape from Catrina (1985), Snoopy!!! The Musical (1988), and the character Carloota in a 1993 episode of Animaniacs. Additional voice credits include Big Bird's Birthday Celebration (1991), The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1991), Sesame Street Stays Up Late! (1993), The Real Shlemiel (1995), and Elmopalooza! (1998).

As a writer and producer, Austin created holiday programming for National Public Radio, including Christmas at Rainbow Corner (1993, co-produced with Denise Lanctot) and Her Funny Valentine (1994). She also produced a long-running concert series at the World Financial Center, with programs including Women in Cabaret (1994), Women on Broadway (1995), The Tony Awards: 50 Years of Broadway's Best Musicals (1996), The Men I Love: A Centennial Salute to Ira Gershwin and George Gershwin (1997), Happy Birthday New York: A Musical Tribute to the City's Centennial (1998), The Great Songwriters of Hollywood (1999), and Spring Fling (2000). Austin has also served as a contributing lyricist and performer in The Thalia Follies, a political satire presented on New York's Upper West Side.