Christine Weatherup

In the words of Tim Gunn: Make It Work

2010-09-10T16:29:00.001-07:00

I love the Muppets. Everyone does, right? (If you don't that probably means you have no heart...I'm only half kidding). So, when I stumbled upon this video, I was very excited. I'm a big fan of Jim Henson and I was eager to hear his puppet-making tips:

What really struck me was how inventive Henson was. If you've watched any of his work this is surely no revelation. But watching him turn an ordinary wooden spoon into an impressive puppet was really exciting to me...

As artists we so often complain that if only we had the right resources we could make things work. And, sure, having the deep pockets of a studio would certainly help get our artistic endeavors off the ground. But much of the time, financial limitations force us to think outside the box. Greater creativity often results from these limitations.

I remember when Frida came out, Julie Taymor was interviewed in Moving Pictures Magazine. (sorry, I couldn't find the link to the article...go figure, it must have been in 2002!). One of the standout elements of the film are the visuals and in this article Taymor discussid the montage/scrapbooking transitions she utilized in the film (particularly when Diego & Frida move to NY). This sequence was not part of her original concept, but when she found the budget limiting her this is what she came up with. She later agreed that the financial constraints really pushed her to discover new ways to tell her story, and ultimately these ways worked even better than what she had originally planned.

So, the moral of the story is to embrace all the limitations that are thrown at us. And, hey, when all else fails, you can still make a puppet out of a spoon.

Web TV Week & the Streamy Awards 2010

2010-04-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

As you may know, this last week marked "Web TV Week" in Los Angeles. Culminating in the Streamy Awards, the week was aimed at celebrating the thriving community of Web Television here in LA. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this community and am so glad I could take part in these events.

Mountain Man, a webseries I have a recurring role in, was nominated for three Streamy Awards (Cinematography, Art Direction and Sound Design). Here is a picture of the Mountain Man team at the Streamy Craft Awards:

And from the Streamy Award Ceremony on Sunday:

SceneStageLA gives a "WOW" to Seascape!

2010-02-02T13:32:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest review for Christine in Seascape with Sharks and Dancer
from StageSceneLA's Steven Stanley:

A young man pulls a young woman out of the ocean and brings her back to his rundown Provincetown beach house. He says she was drowning; she says she was dancing. From the get-go, romantic sparks seem to be flying between them. Their repartee recalls those screwball comedies of the 1930s, but the year is 1975 and there are hints that the young woman’s playfully argumentative nature hides a darker side. There’s also the engagement ring she finds hidden in a desk drawer that suggests that the young man too may carry emotional baggage.

Meet Ben and Tracy, the hero and heroine of Seascape With Shark And Dancer, Don Nigro’s unconventional romance, now playing at Studio/Stage. First-rate performances by Matthew Hannon and Christine Weatherup and a fresh directorial take on this regional theater favorite make for an entertaining and touching production.

Director Benjamin Haber Kamine has wisely opted to keep the mood light and flirtatious from the start, the better to help us see and feel the instant attraction between rescuer and rescuee. On paper, Tracy may come across as merely irritating in her refusal to tell Ben her name, her misuse of the English language (she calls marshmallows “mushrunes”), and her general cantankerousness. On stage, Weatherup and Hannon have such natural chemistry that we immediately buy their attraction. The actress is simply too darn cute and the actor too darn sincere for the audience to find themselves anywhere other than on both their sides, even when things get serious in the second act with Tracy doing everything in her power to push Ben away.

The Bianca Chen/Hannon-produced production is a prime example of just how much fine work is being done “under the radar” in 99-seat Los Angeles theater. Running mostly on off-nights and put together by two trained, experienced young actors looking to move beyond acting class scene study, this midweek production can stand up very nicely indeed against higher budget, bigger name weekend shows.

Weatherup and Hannon give such real, spontaneous performances that you may find yourself forgetting that you are watching actors. No matter how rapid-fire the dialog, neither performer ever appears to be waiting for a cue. Physically and vocally, they are a terrific, opposites-attract match. Weatherup has the sparkle of a classic stage comedienne and Hannon says as much with his eyes as he does with his deep, resonant voice. On paper, one might wonder why Ben puts up with Tracy. Performances here make it a no-brainer. He simply adores her, and has from the moment he dragged her from the waves.

Matthew Brian Denman’s lighting is particularly fine, reflecting the various times of day and night and subtly underscoring scenes. Scenic designer/props master Geronimo Guzman has created a simple but believable Cape Cod beach house with appropriately mid-70s stereo set and typewriter. Make Believe, Inc.’s costumes and Kamine’s sound design complete the 70s mood with a bit of polyester and snatches of Cat Stevens and Jim Croce.

Seascapes With Sharks And Dancers makes for a quirky, fast-paced ninety minutes of romance, comedy, and a dollop of drama thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Studio/Stage, 520 North Western Ave., Los Angeles. Through March 5. Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8:00. Sundays February 21 and 28 at 2:00. Reservations: 800 838-3006 www.sharksanddancer.com

--Steven Stanley
January 28, 2010

Review: http://www.stagescenela.com/html/seascape_with_sharks.html

Seascape - Review from The Tolucan Times

2010-01-27T23:54:00.000-08:00

The Tolucan Times reviews Christine's production of Seascape with Sharks and Dancer (playing at LA's Studio/Stage Theatre until March 5th). Critic Mary Mallory calls Christine "extremely provocative, sexy and vulnerable" and says she has an "attractive naturalness"

Check out the full review here: http://tolucantimes.info/2010/01/27/%E2%80%9Cseascape%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D-examines-stormy-relationship/

Seascape with Sharks and Dancer

2010-01-05T12:07:00.000-08:00

A new year is upon us and I intend to jump in feet first! An acting teacher of mine in college used to talk about "feet first" acting--no dipping your toes in, you must commit. And that's exactly how I want 2010 to be.

On that note, I've been busy rehearsing for a production of Seascape with Sharks and Dancer that will open late January (and run through early March). The play was written by Don Nigro in 1974 and is two-hander. I can't wait for the show to go up!

For information on tickets, go to: http://www.brownpapertickets.com /event/93401

Cheesesteak Latkes - An Original One Act

2009-10-13T23:51:00.000-07:00

Christine stars in Cheesesteak Latkes, opening this weekend at the Moth Theatre...

Cheesesteak Latkes is a one act by Philadelphia-area playwright Matt Ocks. The first of his three "Cheesesteak Plays," it starts the story of the Brooklyn-born, Jewish rocket scientist, Henry Zimmerman and his reason for being, the cute Italian Catholic from South Philly, manager of Marv's Triangle Diner, Jo Ellen Di'Palermo. The first obstacle to their love is Henry's mother, Masha, whose sudden appearance at Marv's is anything but welcome. Starring Matthew Hannon as Henry, Christine Weatherup as Jo Ellen, and Francee Efron Shapiro as the meddling Masha, this zany one act will be an hour of insanity you won't soon forget.

For more information: www.moththeatre.com/cheesesteak-latkes

Headshots with Dana Patrick

2009-10-13T23:42:00.001-07:00

Streamy Awards 2009

2009-03-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday March 28th marked the inaugural Streamy Awards, an event honoring achievement in Web Television. Matt Enlow & I were excited to attend this exciting event. Hey, Doogie Howser was in attendance!

The after party was held at Hotel Palomar in Westwood.

Mountain (Wo)Man

2009-03-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

Well, folks, last week I shot my first day of Mountain Man. As some of you know, this is an exciting new webseries launching on StrikeTV on March 19th. The shoot was a blast! There was a chance of rain, but we lucked out. There were, however, a good number of mosquitos waiting to prey on unsuspecting victims. Fortunately, I was well lathered in bug repellant and escaped unscathed.

Stay tuned for more Mountain Man adventures and excitement...!

Superpages Commercial

2009-02-04T00:18:00.000-08:00

Exciting news: I booked a commercial!

It's a national commercial for Superpages. I shoot this Thursday. I'm not quite sure what the spot will be like...You see, I originally auditioned for the role of Pet Groomer. I'm still happily surprised that my fake blow dry of a pound puppy warranted a callback (and booking), but can't complain! The crew has been incredibly nice and I'm so excited to film the spot.

I'll keep you posted with details (and perhaps pictures...if you're lucky)

2009-01-15T14:01:00.000-08:00

In my continued effort for shameless self-promotion, I offer you information on The Streamy Awards. Finally, a way to recognize web content! As you know, this past year Matt & I have developed and produced Engaged the Show. It's been a great project. Earlier this year it was recognized by NewTeeVee.com when it was awarded second place for Best Pilot.

You can nominate your favorite web content now (til January 23rd). Take the time to nominate Engaged (http://www.engagedtheshow.com/) for the following categories:

Best Comedy Web Series
Best Directing for a Comedy Web Series - Matt Enlow
Best Writing for a Comedy Web Series - Matt Enlow & Christine Weatherup
Best Male Actor in a Comedy Web Series - Ted DeVirgilis
Best Female Actor in a Comedy Web Series - Christine Weatherup
Best Ensemble Cast in a Web Series - Christine Weatherup, Ted DeVirgilis, Ashley Palmer, Rachel Bar-Gadda, Sabrina Roark, Whit Hertford, Jason Karkut, Nick Coles, Elissa Kerhulas & Dennis LaFollette
Best Cinematography - Robert Lam
Best Original Music - Mike Miller

Nominate for the Streamys: http://www.streamys.org/nominate.shtml

2009-01-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

ADR Adventuring!

2008-11-08T13:57:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the year, I did ADR on an episode of Medium. Basically, ADR is voiceover work in which you voice the background actors or off-stage (unrecognizable) voices. You may remember the LA Times ads which aired before movies where they described "Walla", and this is it. As a kid, I remember thinking how that "work" seemed cool and was a side of the business I had never known existed (which is part of the point--it really helps make the scenes more seamless). When I had the chance to do it this year, I really had a wonderful time! Since then, I've recently been working on ways to do more of it...

To that end, on Thursday, I observed a session for Private Practice. The people were great (many of the same I met when I did the Medium episode) and the work is really fun!! It's interesting seeing this "other side" and understanding how it fits into shows we love to watch. I'll keep you posted as I get the opportunity to do more ADR...!

New Theatrical Representation

2008-10-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

Exciting news:

This last week I signed with new theatrical representation: Angel City Talent. I'm really excited to start working with them!

NewTeeVee Pier Screening

2008-08-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to announce that Engaged won second place at NewTeeVee's Best Pilot competition!

The panel of judges included George Strompolos (Content Partnerships Manager, YouTube), Martin Sargent (Host of Revision3's Internet Superstar) & Marie Drennan (Assistant Professor at San Francisco State University).

While I wasn't able to go to San Francisco for the screening, there was a live feed online. It was a bit surreal to hear the judges analyze our show, but I was thrilled with their positive critiques.

All in all, it was a great honor and I was so happy that Engaged got recognized!

You can read more about the screenings here:

http://newteevee.com/2008/08/01/pier-screenings-pilots-park-bench-wins/

http://events.newteevee.com/screenings/08/SFJuly

Review of Engaged

2008-07-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Really encouraged by a review of "Engaged the Show" from NewTeeVee.com. I especially liked their tag line:

"A fake reality show made by a real couple about a fake couple who have trouble
facing reality on their way to the alter".

Spot on!

And here's another excerpt:

"Engaged is worth taking a look at just for the two lead performances alone. The chemistry between DeVirgilis and Weatherup is spot on, and by the third episode, I almost forgot that I was watching actors"

Click here for the full review: http://station.newteevee.com/show/engagedtheshow/

Engaged Shoot May 31 & June 1

2008-06-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

As the title of this post suggests, we shot our next installment of "Engaged" this weekend. I was really excited to be back with our cast and crew. We had a lot of fun and I can't wait to see how they turn out...

Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Chrissie & Ted study the script intently

Ready to go...

Kevin (sound) & Bobby (DP) ready to shoot!

Matt Enlow (director) and Melinda before a shot

Our wonderful crew, hard at work

Insightful direction

Nikon Spot

2008-05-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine sent me the link of my Nikon spot...

Enjoy!

Engaged the Show

2008-05-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

Matt Enlow and I are working hard to get the next episodes of Engaged out. We're finishing up the next few scripts and are planning to shoot the last weekend of May.

For more information on the show, check out: www.engagedtheshow.com!

Matt Enlow makes some changes to the script...

Our fearless crew:

Engaged the Show: Quick Tips

2008-05-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

Along with the episodes, we taped some segments called "Quick Tips". These are basically snippets of advice from Chrissie & Keith--who are always willing to dish it out! There will also be some bits with interviews from their friends....

Engaged the Show: Episode 3!

2008-05-12T19:36:00.001-07:00

Engaged the show: Episode 2!

2008-05-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

Nikon

2008-05-12T12:27:00.000-07:00

Some recent news:

Look for me in a Nikon commercial!

A few weeks ago, I shot the most recent Ashton Kutcher Nikon spot. It takes place at a wedding, and I'm a bridesmaid that he poses with. Ironically, the commercial was shot at the Huntington Gardens. Why is this ironic, you ask? Well, the lovely location will not allow weddings! Nonetheless, it was a perfect location & I had a blast shooting the spot!

One other exciting thing about the shoot (Ashton aside), it was directed by Bennett Miller (academy award nominated director of Capote) and shot by Guillermo Navarro (academy award winning cinematographer of Pan's Labyrinth)! Clearly, an all star shoot!

I'll post a link to the spot when I get it...

Starburst

2008-04-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

Here's a youtube link to the commercial I did for Starburst:

Headshots by Kathy Cooley

2008-03-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

I recently did a session with Kathy Cooley. Here are some of my favorites:

Engaged - the show!

2008-02-12T00:25:00.000-08:00

So, aside from getting married recently, Matt and I have been very busy on another project. The weeks leading up to the wedding were filled with the last minute details of seating arrangements and the like as well as another very big endeavor: a webseries! And, as my wedding obsession has admittedly taken over most of my life, it was very fitting to bring it into my work...

The series, "Engaged", features a fictional couple as they face the ups and downs of engagement...

We're busy working on more episodes, but here's the first one:

Matt and I had a blast making this together and we've really been looking forward to sharing it with the Weddingbee community!! I'd love to hear any ideas for future shows, especially ones based on your own experience...

Welcome!

2008-02-01T14:30:00.001-08:00

Resume

2008-01-14T10:31:00.000-08:00

CHRISTINE WEATHERUP

SAG/AFTRA/AEA

FILM

Star Kid --- Supporting --- Trimark Pictures

In Between Days --- Supporting --- Independent

Blink --- Lead --- Independent

Stand & Deliver --- Lead --- Independent

TELEVISION

Engaged : The Show --- Lead --- Webseries

Grounded For Life --- Guest Star --- FOX

General Hospital --- Recurring --- ABC

COMMERCIALS

National Commercials for Most Major Advertising Agencies. List and Conflicts Available Upon Request

THEATRE

Intruders on Campus --- Improv Team --- Various L.A. locations

Hotel Chicago --- June --- Complex Theatre, Dir. Nick Thurkettle

Independence --- Kess --- Odyssey Theatre USC Showcase

Big Night --- Julia --- MFA Workshop

Betrayal --- June --- BADA Showcase

Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe --- 1 woman show --- Caswell Theatre

Chamber Music --- Osa Johnson --- Caswell Theatre

Crucible --- Sarah Good --- Caswell Theatre

TRAINING

Acting: Marnie Cooper, Lesly Kahn, Kris Kyer, Debbie McLeod

Improv: Upright Citizens Brigade – 4th year

BADA – Jane Howell, John Gorrie, Bill Homewood

USC – Charlotte Cornwell, Andrew Robinson, Michael Keenan, Jack Rowe

Dance: Ballroom (Arthur Murray)

Voice: Timothy Bruneau, Patrice Bulber

SPECIAL SKILLS

Swimming, Volleyball, Basketball, Soccer, Ice Skating, Badminton, Tennis, Voice, Improv

Instruments: Flute, Piano, Guitar.

Accents: British, Cockney, Southern, Brooklyn, New York, Midwestern

About Me

2008-01-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

I am an actress committed to creating rich, complicated characters. I love to delve into why people are the way they are and why they do the things they do. I began acting at a young age. I wanted to be an actress for as long as I can remember—even begging my parents for an agent for my 7th birthday! While they didn’t grant my wish, a few years later they let me attend an open casting call for a new Touchstone Pictures movie. When I was the only one from my school to get called back, they realized this was something I wasn’t going to budge on and they would help me pursue it. By the time I started middle school, I booked my first professional job playing a supporting role in the film Star Kid. I balanced a demanding school schedule while auditioning and taking acting classes after school. In my senior year of high school, I put on the one-woman show, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. I directed and starred in the show and was thrilled to get the chance to show what I was made of as both an actress and director. I then went on to college at USC where I triple majored in Cinema-Television, Theatre & Political Science. I received recognition from the faculty when I was selected to perform in the Senior Showcase as well as becaming a finalist for the Ava Greenwald Scholarship and David Dukes Scholarship. While in college, I did a summer abroad at the British American Drama Academy where I learned to appreciate classical theatre (and classical training!) from top notch working British Artists. In the three years since I’ve graduated, I’ve done a number of major national commercials, performed improv around Los Angeles as well developed and starred in my own webseries, Engaged the Show. Engaged has garnered attention from NewTeeVee when it was awarded second place in their best pilot competition as well as from YouTube when it became a featured video (to put it in perspective, every minute, ten hours of video is uploaded onto YouTube, so it’s very exciting to be noticed!)