Jennifer Barnhart
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Barnhart is a puppeteer
, American
actress and voice-over
talent, with a portfolio of television
and theatre
performances. She is one of the very rarely seen left-handed
puppeteers.
with a Bachelors of Fine Arts
in acting with a concentration in puppetry
.
debut in 2003 and is a featured performer in the Tony Award
-winning musical Avenue Q
, in which she also appeared Off-Broadway
and also continues to play the roles that she originated on the said musical. She also stars as Cleo on PBS's literacy education series, Between the Lions
, and performed the puppetry for Kanga on Disney Channel
's The Book of Pooh
. Barnhart is a Sesame Street
Muppet performer who took over the roles of Mama Bear in 2001 and Gladys the Cow in 2002.
Barnhart also worked as a puppeteer in Johnny and the Sprites
, a Disney Channel children's show created by her Avenue Q co-star John Tartaglia
.
, she played the angel in Angels in America
(Gallery Players), and Olivia in Twelfth Night and Cassie in Rumors (Connecticut Repertory Theatre). In 2011 she appeared as the police officer Randy Osteen in Tracy Letts's new play "Superior Donuts" at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia .
Puppeteer
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and voice-over
Voice-over
Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...
talent, with a portfolio of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
performances. She is one of the very rarely seen left-handed
Left-handed
Left-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. In ancient times it was seen as a sign of the devil, and was abhorred in many cultures...
puppeteers.
Biography
Barnhart graduated from the University of ConnecticutUniversity of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
with a Bachelors of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
in acting with a concentration in puppetry
Puppetry
Puppetry is a form of theatre or performance which involves the manipulation of puppets. It is very ancient, and is believed to have originated 30,000 years BC. Puppetry takes many forms but they all share the process of animating inanimate performing objects...
.
Puppetry career
Barnhart made her BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 2003 and is a featured performer in the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning musical Avenue Q
Avenue Q
Avenue Q is a musical in two acts, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. The book was written by Jeff Whitty and the show was directed by Jason Moore and produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, and Jeffrey Seller...
, in which she also appeared Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
and also continues to play the roles that she originated on the said musical. She also stars as Cleo on PBS's literacy education series, Between the Lions
Between the Lions
Between the Lions is a PBS Kids' puppet show designed to promote reading. The show is a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, in Mississippi. The show has won seven Daytime Emmy awards between 2001 and...
, and performed the puppetry for Kanga on Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
's The Book of Pooh
The Book of Pooh
The Book of Pooh is an American television series that aired on the Disney Channel. It is the third television series to feature the characters from the Disney franchise based on A. A...
. Barnhart is a Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
Muppet performer who took over the roles of Mama Bear in 2001 and Gladys the Cow in 2002.
Barnhart also worked as a puppeteer in Johnny and the Sprites
Johnny and the Sprites
Johnny and the Sprites is a musical television show aimed for preschoolers that airs every weekend on the "Playhouse Disney" program of The Disney Channel. The show was created for, is produced by, and stars John Tartaglia . The show's theme song was written by Stephen Schwartz...
, a Disney Channel children's show created by her Avenue Q co-star John Tartaglia
John Tartaglia
John Nicholas Tartaglia is an American singer, actor, dancer, puppeteer.Tartaglia was born in Maple Shade, New Jersey, U.S.. He joined Sesame Street's puppetry team at the age of 16 part-time, performing as a right hand and many minor characters, including Phoebe and being the backup for Kevin...
.
Acting career
She appeared on screen as a puppeteer in Law & Order: SVU in May 2006. In regional theatreRegional theatre in the United States
Regional theaters, or resident theaters, in the United States are professional or semi-professional, theater companies that produce their own seasons. The term regional theatre most often refers to professional theatres outside of New York City...
, she played the angel in Angels in America
Angels in America
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is the 1993 Pulitzer Prize winning play in two parts by American playwright Tony Kushner. It has been made into both a television miniseries and an opera by Peter Eötvös.-Characters:...
(Gallery Players), and Olivia in Twelfth Night and Cassie in Rumors (Connecticut Repertory Theatre). In 2011 she appeared as the police officer Randy Osteen in Tracy Letts's new play "Superior Donuts" at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia .
TV Credits
- Johnny and the SpritesJohnny and the SpritesJohnny and the Sprites is a musical television show aimed for preschoolers that airs every weekend on the "Playhouse Disney" program of The Disney Channel. The show was created for, is produced by, and stars John Tartaglia . The show's theme song was written by Stephen Schwartz...
, 2007 - Law & Order: SVU, 2006
- Exposing the Order of the Serpentine, 2006
- Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
, 2001- - OobiOobiOobi is an American children's television series. Based on an award-winning short-form series, the show is directed toward preschoolers. It currently airs on Nick Jr. . It was created by Josh Selig and produced by his company Little Airplane Productions.It is currently shown at 2:00am and 2:30am...
, 2003 - The Book of PoohThe Book of PoohThe Book of Pooh is an American television series that aired on the Disney Channel. It is the third television series to feature the characters from the Disney franchise based on A. A...
, 2001 - Between the LionsBetween the LionsBetween the Lions is a PBS Kids' puppet show designed to promote reading. The show is a co-production between WGBH in Boston and Sirius Thinking, Ltd., in New York City, in association with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, in Mississippi. The show has won seven Daytime Emmy awards between 2001 and...
, 2000 - Bear in the Big Blue HouseBear in the Big Blue HouseBear in the Big Blue House is a television program for young children produced for the Playhouse Disney channel by Mitchell Kriegman and The Jim Henson Company. It first aired in 1997, and re-runs of the show continue to air on Playhouse Disney . It is produced by The Jim Henson Company and Shadow...
, 1997