Penny Orloff was a working actor and dancer in Los Angeles when a Juilliard scholarship took her to New York. She sang more than 20 Principal Soprano roles in seven seasons with New York City Opera; and created featured roles in original casts on Broadway, working for directors Harold Prince and Joseph Papp. Her theater roles have ranged from the classical—Shakespeare’s Katherina, Cleopatra, Gertrude, and Richard III’s Lady Anne and Queen Margaret—to Antigone and Medea, to 20th century greats Miller, Shaw, Simon, Williams, and O’Neill, to world premieres of 21st century masterpieces. 
 
In a career spanning over 50 years, she starred in 100+ productions off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally. Symphony, theater, and opera engagements have taken her all over the US, Europe, and the former Soviet Union. She has recorded for Vox-Turnabout, Warner-Nonesuch, Protone, and Original Cast Records. Her first solo show, Jewish Thighs on Broadway (based on her award-winning novel, available on Amazon.com) toured the US for a decade, including a successful off-Broadway run in 2005. Her 2nd solo show, Songs and Stories from a Not-Quite-Kosher Life, premiered in Seattle in 2019.
 
She is the author of "Art as Lifework, Life as Artwork," a creativity seminar and workbook offered nation-wide since 1991; and is currently procrastinating on her new book, "Who Would You Be If You Had Nothing to Bitch About?" She is a regular contributor of stories to the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. More at pennyorloff.com