INTRODUCING CHRISTINE LEAVES

Christine's Story

So, when did Christine’s passion for storytelling begin and what is driving her to now achieve this goal of a TV Drama Series?

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It began when she was 4 years old when her sister who shared the same bedroom used to suffer earaches at night. Christine would kneel beside her sister’s bed and make up lovely stories to help her sister go back to sleep.

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But Christine showed the skills of an entrepreneur at a very young age raising monies for the Red Cross or find ways to help look after animals.

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Christine produced her 1st show when she was about 13 years of age and taught children to sing and dance. She was studying acting and dancing, but her love was ‘producing and directing’.

Christine did become a professional singer and actor but changed her name because no one could pronounce her Polish name.  She worked in various medical admin fields to subsidize her income and was trained in accounting which proved beneficial when she had to establish budgets for future productions.

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Producing and Director was Christine’s aim in the late 1970’s so she started creating productions for organisations to raise funds for particular needs. Christine was also called on to direct, so she studied with the best people to help her fine tune her skills, people such as Betty Williams from NIDA, Amber May Cecil, Lynne Murphy and Brian Syron, the Aboriginal Director, to name a few.

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Whilst studying with Brian an opportunity was offered to Christine that enabled her to bring people together, from all walks of life, into this huge Production. The chance to also work with Tommy Tycho, Pro Hart and other amazing performers was a highlight for Christine at the unique venue of the Sydney Entertainment Centre in 1986.

To be a successful entrepreneur requires many skills and finding ways to raise funds in the entertainment industry, to back good ideas for a film or a movie or live show can be tiresome, frustrating and overwhelming.

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The rules and the industry change so quickly. Christine has found over the years that singers really do have the most challenging career, no matter what genre of music they choose as she has mentored, managed and financed singers in the country, opera, jazz, gospel and musical theatre.

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Christine has set up talent quests, judged talent quests, set up workshops and showcased various musicians and even designed a ‘El Pez Fine Arts Academy’, (on her bucket list), that could be self funding.

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Brian Syron in 1987 introduced his class to Sean Scully and through that introduction there was another inspiring project for Christine to create, ‘a TV Drama Series’. She hired Annie Marshall to write the series and 7 years later footage was shot to create a pilot. Liz Mullinar was to play Maggie. Sean’s mother Margaret Christenson was in the pilot.

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Penny Chapman, Head of Drama ABC was looking at the Series, when aggregation came in and changed TV programming. The canned film footage went into the filing cabinet.

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Christine joined WIFT (Women in Film & Television) and started gaining a lot of experience in achieving the visual ‘Story through the Lens’.

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Christine had also joined MEAA and acquired work as an Actor to gain more knowledge of what happens behind the scenes. She also was asked by Clifford Warne to design choreography for a Channel 9 Children’s TV Series.

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In 2017, Christine found the film in the can of the TV Drama Series and the journey began again.

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In 2018, Christine had to re-brand herself and she had been asked to sing again. She launched The Inspired Tour at the Dural Country Club in September 2019 and planned a Tour to find the singers that she wanted to incorporate into the TV Series. Christine had met many talented young singers when she produced the Christian Rock Eisteddfods at the Hills Centre for 10 years, 1998-2008. 10,000 high school students were connected with the productions and Christine wanted to reconnect with any of them that she could find. However, COVID kicked in and touring was cancelled.

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Instead, Christine was asked to make an album, so in memory of her late husband Barry, she chose ‘Gospel Music’.

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So, what is driving her to make this Series? WATCH THIS SPACE