Christine Heneise, Executive Director | Improv Instructor
Christine's family has been steeped in theatre and radio for the past 3 generations. Her grandfather was responsible for launching the careers of radio DJs across the country and was a popular radio DJ himself on many stations. Her grandmother was a makeup artist in the theatre and her mom was a singer and stage actor in community theatre. Her first production was a play she co-directed and starred in for her 5th grade class. When Christine first thought of seriously being involved in theatre in high school, she felt too scared to audition. When she was 14, she sat for 2 hours, watching others audition for Funny Girl. She wanted to audition, but ultimately didn't and ended up joining the set design crew and painted backdrops for the play, using her fine arts skills. Since then, she earned AAS in Merchandising and BS in Marketing (with a large emphasis on psychology, consumer behavior and communications) and has spent 29 years, as a Creative Director, helping companies put their best foot forward. She has written, storyboarded, casted, directed and edited commercials appearing on network television and for video.
In 2011 Christine finally mustered the courage to audition for her first plays. Since then, she has performed in It's a Wonderful Life, Music Man, Christmas Carole. She was the Player Queen in Hamlet, Rose Lennox in A Secret Garden, Olivia in Mysterious Murder of Madeline LeMar and starred as Vivienne in Legally Blonde, The Musical, her favorite role to-date.
In 2012, she was art director, production manager and co-producer on the film short, The Victor, which was honored with an award at the Sandpoint Film Festival that year. She was script supervisor on the film short, Nothing's Sacred. In 2012, she co-wrote, co-directed and casted a series of commercials for Gebardi Foods in Sandpoint. In 2014, Christine was the production manager, casting agent, editor and co-starred in The Long Road, music video for the band Free From Gravity, based in the UK.
In 2012, Christine signed on with and was represented by Mitchell Artist Management. She acted in commercials and national promotional videos in Spokane.
In 2014, Christine co-wrote and appeared in a film short named Pin Pals entered the Spokane's 50 Hour Slam. The film was voted in the top 16 entries and appeared on KSPS and was honored at the Film Festival.
In 2013 Christine developed two programs for Sandpoint Acting and started teaching improv and acting to young students. In fall of 2014, she took the model framework she developed while teaching there and started Vital Northwest, with the goal of integrating a neurodiverse community and helping people learn how to better connect with each other through improv, acting, creative writing, life skills and other creative areas of interest.
Christine has traveled with and supervised large groups of high school vocalists over the past four years. She has been a student support mentor for high-schoolers at Sandpoint Christian School and a Community Based Rehabilitative Services worker at North Idaho Community Mental Health, helping autistic children develop coping, self-advocacy and communication skills.
Since 2015, Christine has served on the costuming team with Growing Dreams Productions and designed posters for 3 productions as well as many others over the years.
In 2016, Christine was assistant director on Peace Among Black Hills with Planted Roots Productions. The shooting took the crew on location to a ghost town in Montana, as well as untamed land in North Idaho. Christine was responsible for creating explosion and fire lighting effects in that film. In addition, Christine served as acting advisor in key dramatic scenes.
In 2017, acted in a scene in the movie, Rodentia (still in production in Spokane), where she was featured with her daughter.. The two appeared as an arguing mother and daughter.
Since 2018, she has co-led Improv Sandpoint...Sandpoint's only improv troupe. Each week, she and other teens and adults meet to develop their skills in the art of improvisation.