Greg Walloch
Encyclopedia
Greg Walloch is an American comedian
, actor
, author
, and monologist
.
Walloch is best known for his autobiographical performance
monologues, which deal with events from his own life, in a style characterized by humor, poignancy, and sex
uality. Walloch has cerebral palsy
.
Walloch was a member of the experimental theater ensemble Theater of Life from May 1986 to April 1989 in Southern California. Walloch often collaborated on works combining movement and spoken word
with fellow Theater of Life alum and noted author Gayle Brandeis.
His first solo performances were developed at Highways Performance Space and L.A.C.E - Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions from July 1990 to August 1992 in Los Angeles, California
. Walloch moved to New York in the summer of 1992 and continued to explore his work at the heart of New York's East Village experimental performance
scene appearing at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
in Soho, P.S. 122, Dixon Place, and Knitting Factory
.
From November 1997 to February 2000 Walloch was the featured emcee and a founding member of the popular comedy
troupe Living Room Live. Walloch received notice and praise for his comedic turn from Village Voice critic Michael Musto
and continued to gain mainstream popularity after appearing on The Howard Stern Show on E! Entertainment Television in August 1998.
Walloch is possibly most noted for his live one-man show "White Disabled Talent". "White Disabled Talent" extensively toured Europe and the United States. The show was featured with Lily Tomlin
’s "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe" at The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in October 1999 and appeared Off-Broadway at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater in New York City
in April 2001.
In July 2001 the concert/documentary film "F**k The Disabled" starring Greg Walloch, Stephen Baldwin
, Anne Meara
, Michael Musto, Deborah Yates, Michael Lucas, and Jerry Stiller
premiered in Ireland at The Galway
Film Fladh. Walloch was also featured in the November 2002 television
series "The Moth" on Trio: Pop, Culture, TV.
Several anthologies and newspapers feature Walloch's writing
. Walloch has appeared in Moscow
, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Australia
, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Tel Aviv and across the United States.
In popular disability culture, Greg Walloch is widely admired as a very talented artist and entertainer with a successful career inclusive of his disability.
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, and monologist
Monologist
-Monologist:A monologist is a solo artist who recites or gives dramatic readings from a monologue, soliloquy, poetry or work of literature for the entertainment of an audience...
.
Walloch is best known for his autobiographical performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
monologues, which deal with events from his own life, in a style characterized by humor, poignancy, and sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
uality. Walloch has cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
.
Walloch was a member of the experimental theater ensemble Theater of Life from May 1986 to April 1989 in Southern California. Walloch often collaborated on works combining movement and spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
with fellow Theater of Life alum and noted author Gayle Brandeis.
His first solo performances were developed at Highways Performance Space and L.A.C.E - Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions from July 1990 to August 1992 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Walloch moved to New York in the summer of 1992 and continued to explore his work at the heart of New York's East Village experimental performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
scene appearing at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
in Soho, P.S. 122, Dixon Place, and Knitting Factory
Knitting Factory
The Knitting Factory is a music venue and concert house with locations in Brooklyn, Boise, Reno, and Spokane. The club originally specialized in jazz and experimental music and has expanded to showcasing all genres of music, performing arts and comedy....
.
From November 1997 to February 2000 Walloch was the featured emcee and a founding member of the popular comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
troupe Living Room Live. Walloch received notice and praise for his comedic turn from Village Voice critic Michael Musto
Michael Musto
Michael Musto is an American columnist for the The Village Voice, where he writes La Dolce Musto. Musto was born in Brooklyn to an Italian American family. He attended Columbia University graduating in 1976. During his studies, he was a theater critic for the Columbia Spectator...
and continued to gain mainstream popularity after appearing on The Howard Stern Show on E! Entertainment Television in August 1998.
Walloch is possibly most noted for his live one-man show "White Disabled Talent". "White Disabled Talent" extensively toured Europe and the United States. The show was featured with Lily Tomlin
Lily Tomlin
Mary Jean "Lily" Tomlin is an American actress, comedienne, writer, and producer. Tomlin has been a major force in American comedy since the late 1960's when she began a career as a stand up comedian and became a featured performer on television's Laugh-in...
’s "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe" at The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in October 1999 and appeared Off-Broadway at Joe's Pub at The Public Theater 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...
in April 2001.
In July 2001 the concert/documentary film "F**k The Disabled" starring Greg Walloch, Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Baldwin
Stephen Andrew Baldwin is an American actor, director, producer and author. One of the Baldwin brothers, he is known for his roles as William F. Cody in the western show The Young Riders and as Stuart in the movie Threesome...
, Anne Meara
Anne Meara
Anne Meara is an American actress and comedian. She and Jerry Stiller were a prominent 1960s comedy team, appearing as Stiller and Meara, and are the parents of actor/comedian Ben and actress Amy Stiller.- Personal life :...
, Michael Musto, Deborah Yates, Michael Lucas, and Jerry Stiller
Jerry Stiller
Gerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
premiered in Ireland at The Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
Film Fladh. Walloch was also featured in the November 2002 television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series "The Moth" on Trio: Pop, Culture, TV.
Several anthologies and newspapers feature Walloch's writing
Writing
Writing is the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols . It is distinguished from illustration, such as cave drawing and painting, and non-symbolic preservation of language via non-textual media, such as magnetic tape audio.Writing most likely...
. Walloch has appeared in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Toronto, Vancouver, London, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Tel Aviv and across the United States.
In popular disability culture, Greg Walloch is widely admired as a very talented artist and entertainer with a successful career inclusive of his disability.
See also
- Famous monologistsMonologist-Monologist:A monologist is a solo artist who recites or gives dramatic readings from a monologue, soliloquy, poetry or work of literature for the entertainment of an audience...
- Well-known people with disabilities