About
JANINE grew up with her older brother, Mom, and Dad near the Erie Canal in upstate New York. Although she was always obsessed with the movie The Jazz Singer, Janine believed she would be a lawyer. It wasn't until, at the ripe young age of 3, when her Mom enrolled her in dance classes, that she was bitten by the performance bug and a flame was ignited. As a young girl she studied tap, jazz, ballet, and modern and went on to become the national tap dancing champion at just 10 years old.
In 5th grade, Janine was cast as "Auntie Em" in The Wizard of Oz. From then on, the flame was fanned and she was inextricably hooked to the stage. She continued to develop her talents and landed the lead in many of her middle and high school plays and musicals. At the age of 15, Janine was given a full scholarship to study Classical Voice at The Eastman School of Music and went on to win the coveted Devarian Award of Excellence in vocal performance. That same year, Janine was one of 15 chosen out of 900 to attend the distinguished New York State Summer School of the Arts (NYSSSA) in NYC where she studied with the renowned founders of the Circle in the Square Theatre Company. Two years later, she was voted "Best Actress" by her senior class and awarded the Senior Talent Scholarship from the head of the theatre department. 
Janine's passion for acting, singing, and dancing led her to Chicago where she was 1 of 50 students accepted to DePaul University's Goodman School of Drama conservatory acting program. She successfully completed all 4 years, earning 2 talent scholarships, and received her B.F.A. in Acting, cum laude, with only 19 other remaining students, among them Monique Coleman from Disney's smash hit triple series movie, High School Musical.
After graduation, Janine was cast in I Love, You're Perfect, Now Change and starred in that show for almost 3 years! Looking for a change, Janine headed to New York City where she was immediately cast in The Paisley Sisters' Christmas Special; part of the prestigious New York Musical Theatre Festival. She went on to be the first person to play "Woman 2" Off-Broadway in Pasek & Paul's acclaimed musical Edges. 
Janine was a working professional performing artist in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles for over 10 years when she decided to head home to upstate New York where she continues her work as an actress, singer, dancer, director, and choreographer.
Since returning home, Janine served on the Board of Directors and as the Director of PR for Blackfriars Theatre for 5 years. She was the Artistic Director for the re-launching of Greece Theatre Company for the 2017-2018 Season. Janine opened JAMM Studios in 2018 and coaches acting, singing, and audition technique privately. In 2020, she joined the legendary band Ruby Shooz Other than performing, Janine loves very long walks, kayaking, crocheting, 1980's power ballads, shopping, starry nights, scratch-offs, photography, chocolate peanut butter anything, high-heeled shoes, sweatpants, her true blue friends, and amazing Dad. Janine dedicates all of her work to her beautiful and deeply missed Mama, Andrea Mercandetti, who now watches and cheers her on from the best seat in the house. |
XO
I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being. - Oscar Wilde