This Arundel resident is about to make her comedic dreams come true

By Liz Gold
Staff Writer

Christine O'Leary had a strange experience while traveling along Rte. 111 toward Sanford recently.

"I met a character," O'Leary, an Arundel resident, explained. "A local named Skippy. We had a brief conversation on the side of Rte. 111. I was going to buy a wood pellet stove in my rag top convertible. Skippy didn't have anything nailed down in his truck, so I was avoiding being impaled."

"So I pulled over and he pulled over because he lost enough stuff out of his truck to be concerned," O'Leary continued. "All this wood comes flying off and out comes the pig. The pig comes flying out of the trailer. I'm annoyed with him and say, 'what is going on?' He says, 'you gotta help me find my pig.' And I say, 'I'm not a pig looker.' Anything can happen on Rte. 111."

It may be a classic story those who live in the country may find familiar, but it's just the type of material that O'Leary plucks from her everyday life to create a comedic bit.

O'Leary, who lives on Old Alfred Road, has many stories like this, little pieces of life that she twists into laughs. And it's apparent, from her audience's responses that she's got the beat.

And that's probably the reason why, along with her "divalicious" stage presence, that O'Leary was crowned the winner of Portland's Funniest Professional contest in May, a year after her debut in stand up comedy at the Comedy Connection in Portland.

As a graduate of Comedy Connection producer Tim Ferrell's comedy class, O'Leary was chosen by judges out of 100 contestants, 20 semifinalists and six finalists—five of whom were men.

"Mama took it home," O'Leary joked about the $1,000 cash prize and radio interview with WMGX.
It's a title she takes seriously, as she recently left her job with the Red Cross as director of community involvement to pursue comedy full-time.

And with a new one-woman show called, "ChristineO'Leary. com," opening this weekend, June 24 at 8 p.m. and June 25 with shows at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Booth Theater in Ogunquit, she is well on her way.

O'Leary, originally from Needham, Mass., landed in Maine after some friends challenged her to withstand a Maine winter.

"Once I did, there was no turning back," she said adding that she had always summered in Wells but first lived in Kennebunkport when she first came to the area.

"I love Arundel," O'Leary said. "I love that it's small, and I get concerned about the development because I live off of Rte. 111. The fact that there are three Dunkin Donuts in a four-mile radius, built in less than two years. I just don't get it."

Before diving into comedy full-time, O'Leary made use of her bachelor's degree in social work from the University of Southern Maine. She worked for almost seven years in Portland at the Preble Street Resource Center as the teen center coordinator. "My job was to build the program, hire staff and serve the kids," O'Leary said of that experience.

She also worked with refugee immigrant boys at PROP in Portland, where she concentrated on self-esteem, empowerment and sense of self programs.

O'Leary also worked as an environmental educator for the UMaine Cooperative Extension.
"We took 15 kids, two canoes and a bucket of food to an island off of Kennebunkport [Vaughn's Island]," O'Leary recalled. "We would get a new set of kids, like, every week. It was supposed to be very focused on marine biology, but I made it so we sang show tunes and ate chocolate."

But perhaps her most esteemed work is through the United States Global Leadership Campaign.

O'Leary, who said she was approached by organizers to join based on her international work with the Red Cross, is lobbying Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Olympia Snowe to not make any cuts to the international affairs funds, which according to O'Leary is 1.5 percent of the federal budget.

Right now, however, O'Leary is living the opportunity of a lifetime. With shows seven nights a week at 6 p.m. in Ogunquit, she is making the transition from full-time social worker to full-time comic. And it's a switch she's ready to take on.

Here we catch up with O'Leary hot off the stage from a Southern Maine Pride show and gearing up for turning Ogunquit into the next Provincetown.

How did you celebrate after your win?

"The following day was Mother's Day. Mom and Nana were here. We had a great time. This is my dream. So I quit my job and I rented a theater in Ogunquit because Mr. Booth [Rick] is giving me the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Within the Betty Doon Motor Hotel is Booth Theater. It's the crown jewel in Ogunquit. Fifty three seats, black velvet chairs, two dressing rooms. I went to him and give him my material. I hadn't heard from him.

"I went down Friday after the show. I go down and I just wanted to know, today. Everything rode on him saying yes. He said yes. You can have the six o clock time slot seven days a week."

What kind of material can we expect?

"Singing, crowd work. I look to be the sweetheart of Ogunquit. People don't have to get scared for sitting in the front row. Clean, smart stuff. The show is called ChristineO'Leary.com.

"It's about how I see the world and the world sees me. My family, what I love, what I can't stand. Sort of the day to day."

Will there be improv?

"Oh yeah, I call that crowd work. I don't really even tease. I come from a really open heart when I interact with the audience. I believe there's enough for everybody."

How do you deal with that moment on stage when everybody's staring at you, wondering what you will do next?

"It doesn't feel like pressure. It feels like this is what I was put on the planet to do. Comedy is a way to tell the truth. You have to be smart to be funny and you have to be smart to understand funny."

What do you hope your audience walks away with from one of your shows?

"One of the biggest compliments I get is [when people say], 'I don't remember when I laughed that hard.' Getting to know themselves though my characters. [It's like an] escape and release. When people laugh it's like a fresh start. Everybody feels renewed."

On your Web site [ChristineO'Leary.com] there's a photo of you and Rosie O'Donnell in conversation. What is she telling you?

"I met her before that show [a fund-raiser for the Somerville, Mass. school literacy program]. I was completely starstruck. I was an idiot. I said [to her] 'oh my god, I'm shaky.' And Rosie said, 'Hi Shaky.'

"The whole show I was pissed, I blew it. I wanted to ask her if she would look at my stuff for her cruise line. My sister is like, 'let's get it together and go up again because she'd doing book signing.'

"I have my flowers. I say to her can we start this again? I explained to her that I got starstruck.

"She said to me I'm honored that I was the person who starstrucked you.

[According to O'Leary, O'Donnell later revealed during that converesation, that when she was first starting out as a new comedian, she was in awe of Bette Midler. The two were sharing a limousine and O'Donnell was stunned the entire time during the ride, prompting Midler to ask her driver, 'who is this person, I thought she loved me?']

"She promised she would review my material. I think she will call anytime."

To purchase tickets for ChristineO'Leary.com call 646-8142.