Anna Frangiosa
Anna Frangiosa ("Annie A-Bomb") is a Philadelphia-based theater artist, costume designer, burlesque performer, director, instructor and model.
Education and Early Life
Frangiosa went to Lower Merion High School and graduated in 1993. She then studied design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and Anthropology at Temple University.
Costume Design Work
Frangiosa has designed and built costumes primarily for new plays. Including for InterAct Theatre Company, B.Someday Productions, Brat Productions, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Lantern Theatre Company, and many other theater and dance companies.
Performance History
Frangiosa began her burlesque career with the Peek-A-Boo Revue and performed with them from 1998 to 2005. She founded the troupe Revival Burlesque in 2007. Revival is known for its sketch comedy mixed with sexy strip tease. Revival has been called "Saturday Night Live with boobs" by the Philadelphia City Paper.
Frangiosa was the co-director, with Peter Gaffney, of the agit-prop and politically charged Cabaret Red Light, a vaudeville, burlesque and puppet theater company. She was a writer, performer, puppeteer, director and designer for Cabaret Red Light from 2008-2011.
In 2013 she founded The Cabaret Administration which has produced "F.T.L.F. or Free Think Love Frankenstein" a dance theater piece about Percy and Mary Shelley. In 2014 the Cabaret Administration produced the "Fin" series and is developing a Wizard of Oz adaptation.
Modeling
Frangiosa is also a pin-up model. She has been painted by illustrators Boris Vallejo, Julie Bell, and was pictured in their 2008, 2009, and 2010 fantasy art wall calendars. She was in Heavy Metal Magazine with illustrations by Dave Palumbo. She was a model for Dr Sketchy's Anti-Art School Philadelphia chapter in 2008, and 2009.
Other Information and Projects
Frangiosa founded the Philadelphia School of Burlesque in 2009.
She is known for her political involvement and often participates in demonstrations and direct actions including with Axis of Eve in 2004, and Occupy Philadelphia in 2011. In 2013 she marched from Philadelphia to Harrisburg with Decarcerate PA, a group focused on bringing attention to prison expansion in Pennsylvania.
References
- Philadelphia Inquirer
- South Philly Review
- Philadelphia Weekly
- NBC Philadelphia
- Weekly Press
- The Daily Pennsylvanian
- Article about the Philadelphia School of Burlesque (City Paper)
- Article on Revival Burlesque (City Paper)
- Article on Anna Frangiosa in Philadelphia City Paper (City Paper)
- CBS News on Annie A-Bomb's Burlesque class with Cabaret Red Light footage