Christopher Sommers

Christopher Grantley Sommers (30 June 1977) is an Australian actor born in Brisbane Queensland.

Education

He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) from the Queensland University of Technology (2000-2002). He undertook Master Classes at the 16th Street Studio (Melbourne) in 2012 with Ellen Burstyn, 2014 with Carl Ford and with Larry Moss in 2014 and 2016. He also attended a Masterclass with Ivana Chubbuch in Los Angeles in 2016.[1]

Acting career

While undertaking his degree Sommers acted in several stage productions, starting in 2001 in Uncle Vanya. Following his graduation he acted with several major companies mainly in Queensland although he did travel interstate with touring productions.[2]

His first role was in a short film, The Machine, in 2002 and he has since appeared in short film, television series and feature films.[3]

He has worked with Russell Crowe in The Water Diviner (2014), with Ethan Hawk and Sarah Snook in Predestination (2014) and John Cusack in Drive Hard (2014). Sommers stars in a feature film a zombie western Bullets for the Dead (set for release 2016) the first film for a joint venture between a Brisbane-based Cathartic Pictures and UK sales agent Stealth Media Group. It is intended to film a number of low budget genre films to be sold internationally.[4]

Sommers has played diverse characters including a scientist, a bush bashing yokel, a soldier and comedy and says that growing older and changing your appearance allows you to play different roles.[5]

Teaching

Sommers is a co-creator of the 21 Day Actors Challenge. Together with Angela Olyslager and Tanya Schneider they have put together a program to assist actors. The program is online and it includes acting exercises that will help participant be better prepared for stage and film roles.[6] They also run Weekend Workshops[7]

Reviews

In the 2010 production of Fat Pig at the Bille Brown Studio he was described in a review by ABC radio as, " the always interesting Christopher Sommers" and "In fact all performances were of the very highest quality. Sommers was likewise wonderfully sensitive".[8]

In the production of Beautiful (2008) the review in Stagediary stated,

... Christopher Sommers, as the mysterious almost sinister left-behind school friend, is the best example of this, and his triumph in this performance is to make his character almost seem like a bad actor who hasn’t learned his lines, until we notice the utter control he has over his movement and his voice. Stage presence doesn’t have to shout “Look at me acting!” – in this case, it’s all done by understatement.[9]

Nathanael Cooper in the Courier Mail review of Orphans (2011) wrote of Sommers,

The play is not easy to watch. It is troubling and harrowing and one particular scene sees Christopher Sommers absolutely own the audience as he describes, in gruesome detail, some of the darkest sides of life.[10]

Awards

2006 Matilda Awards Emerging Artist[11]

2010 Matilda Awards nominated Best Male Actor in a Leading Role[12]

Films[3]

Year Title Role Year Title Role
2002 The Machine (Short) Scarred Man 2007 Counter (Short) James Dalton
2007 All my Friends are Leaving Brisbane Kane/Negative Man 2007 Unfinished Sky Mike Potter
2008 The Horseman Pauly 2008 The Prams (Short) Earl
2010 Jucy Nate 2011 Attached Michael
2012 Silver Stilletto(Short) Trevor Fenton 2012 Jacob Fights Giants (Short) Neil Rockford
2013 Cough (Short) Brett 2014 Predestination Mr Miller
2014 Drive Hard Gas Station Attendant 2014 Letter to Annabelle (Short) James
2014 Inverse (Short) John 2014 The Water Diviner Tucker
2014 Power State (Short) Martin Andrews 2014 Ouroboros (Short) Linden Connor
2015 The Fear of Darkness Detective Constable Gardiner 2015 Actor's Apocalypse Social Services Officer
2015 Bullets for the Dead James Dalton 2015 Brothers (Short) Police Officer
2016 The Insect & the Alien (Short) Owen 2017 Emporium (Short) Kent
2013 [2016?] A Guide to Dating at the End of the World Ken 2015 [2017?] The Girlfriend (Short) Steve

Television[3]

Year Title Role Year Title Role
2004 Love Bytes (Series) Neal 2006 Monarch Cove (Series) (Ep. 1:11) Mechanic
2007 The Starter Wife (Hour 3) (Mini-Series) Clarity Harbor Staffer #2 2008 The Strip (Ep. 1.9) Barry Barrington
2011 Sea Patrol (Series) (1 Ep.) Jason Merritt 2011 Terra Nova (Series) (Pt. 1, Pt. 2)) Earl
2012 Fatal Honeymoon (TV Movie) Inmate 1 2013 Reef Doctors (Series) (Ep. 1.5) Liam
2014 Parer's War (TV Movie) Dr Bill McLean 2015 Texas Rising : The Lost Soldier (Mini-Series (Ep. 1.1) Settler
2015 Mako: Island of Secrets (Series) (1 Ep.) Mr Johnson 2016 Wanted (Ep. 1.5) Dirk (Series)
2016 Hunters (Series) (2 Eps.) Sterling Martinez 2017 Dirty, Clean and In between (TV Movie) (Ep. 1.5) James 2018 The Bureau of Magical Things (Series) Professor Maxwell

Theatre[2]

Christopher Sommers as actor unless otherwise stated

Year Title Venue Year Title Venue
2001 Uncle Vanya QUT Gardens Theatre, Brisbane 2001 (25 Oct-23 Nov) The Merchant of Venice QUT Gardens Theatre, Brisbane
2002 Song of the Yellow Bittern QUT Gardens Theatre, Brisbane 2002 (7-23 Mar) The Jungle Woodward Theatre, Kelvin Grove
2002 (23 May - 1 Jun) Building The Wall QUT Gardens Theatre, Brisbane 2003 (10 -13 Dec) Stained Darlinghurst Theatre, Darlinghurst
2004 (24 May-26 Jun) Proof Cremorne Theatre, South Brisbane 2004 (3-5 Nov) Sleeping Around Belvoir Street Downstairs Theatre, Surry Hills
2005 The Oracle Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm 2005 (8 -13 Feb) Trance Newtown Theatre, Newtown
2005 (Apr-Aug) Zigzag Street Touring Qld, NT, NSW, WA, Vic 2006 Trivia Metro Arts, Brisbane
2006 (24 Jan -4 Feb) Omon Ra Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm 2006 (8 May) Hoods The Studio (Sydney Opera House),
2007 (8-18 Aug) Closer Sue Benner Theatre, Brisbane 2007 (23 Oct-3 Nov) The Laramie Project Visy Theatre, New Farm
2008 (Apr/May) Hoods NSW, Qld, SA 2008 (22 - 23 May) The People Next Door Metro Arts Studio, Brisbane
2008 (26 Nov-6 Dec) Anatomy Titus Fall of Rome Merlyn Theatre, Southbank 2008 (29 Nov-8 Dec) Beautiful The Loft, Kelvin Grove
2009 (18 Mar-4Apr) The Pillowman (Producer) Sue Benner Theatre, Brisbane 2009 (13-22 May) The Exception and the Rule Bille Brown Studio, Brisbane
2009 (Jul/Aug) The School of Arts Touring Qld 2009 (18-20 Sep) My Night with Harold (Assistant Director) Metro Arts Warehouse, Brisbane
2009 (26 Oct-14 Nov) The Crucible Playhouse, Southbank, Brisbane 2010 (6 Feb-14 Mar) Hamlet Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove
2010 (7-25 Apr) Blackbird (Producer) Roundhouse Theatre, Kelvin Grove 2010 (31 May-26 Jun) Fat Pig Bille Brown Studio, Brisbane
2011 (6-23 Apr) The Ugly One (Assistant Director/Producer) Metro Art Galleries 2011 (23 Jun-9 Jul) Orphans Bille Brown Studio, Brisbane
2011 (7-27 Nov) Pygmalion Playhouse, Southbank

References

  1. ↑ "Christopher Sommers Resume". IMDb. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Christopher Sommers". AusStage. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Filmography". IMDb. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  4. ↑ "Bullets for the Dead heralds Oz-UK co-venture BY Don Groves 24 May 2013". if. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  5. ↑ "Filmmaking in Brisbane : an interview with chris sommers By Willem Whilfield 19 Jan 2016". The Creative Issue. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  6. ↑ "Ten top tips - Christopher Sommers 5 August 2015". MEAA. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "Workshop/Resources". 21 Day Actor Challenge. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  8. ↑ "Fat Pig reflects the audience By Nigel Munro-Wallis 9 June 2010". ABC Radio Brisbane. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  9. ↑ "Beautiful by Alison Cotes [28 November 2007]". StageDiary. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  10. ↑ "Review: Orphans at Bille Brown Studio By NAthanael Cooper 28 June 2011". Courier Mail. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  11. ↑ "Emerging Artists 2006". Matilda Awards. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  12. ↑ "2010 Awards". Matilda Awards Archive. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
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