Christine Barger, Ball State alumna, gives glimpse into Hollywood career

Ball State has many notable alumni, including Garfield creator Jim Davis, John Schnatter of Papa John’s Pizza and David Letterman. Now, Christine Barger is on her way to being added to that list.

Barger is an actress and ventriloquist, living in Los Angeles, Calif. She has appeared in several movies and television shows, including “Made of Honor,” “Along Came Polly,” “90210” and “Dexter” — just to name a few. She is also a member of The Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, Calif.

A native of North Judson, Ind., Barger began doing ventriloquism as a way to cope with the loss of her baby brother. Her first performance was a talent show when she was seven years old. She performed with Freddy, her “big, red furry monster puppet.”

She then began performing in plays at school and church, having decided she wanted to change the world “one smile at a time” through performing.

“The idea of helping people forget their pain and troubles of the "real world" even, if just for a short time, has always appealed to me,” Barger said.

While at Ball State, Barger double majored in theater design and technology, as well as acting. She graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in theater.

“I enjoyed my time at Ball State,” she said. “It's important for actors to have a lot of experiences to draw from for their art.”

Barger remembers spending most of her time in the theater. She even used to camp outside of Strother Theatre with her books, a blanket and Mountain Dew.

She also studied abroad in London, England, noting that one of her favorite classes was a drawing class at an art gallery. While there, she also remembers seeing a play with Matthew Lillard, known for “Scream” and the "Scooby Doo" movies.

Barger recalls meeting him after the show. It was her first experience meeting a professional actor.

“I sat in the front row and had this huge smile on my face the entire show,” Barger said. “Afterwards, I hovered around to try to see [Lillard], and he recognized me, asking if I was the girl with the big smile.”

In 2002, Barger was an exchange student at California State Los Angeles. It was then she went to her first audition and booked her first role in “Along Came Polly.”

After graduating, Barger moved to Los Angeles to start her career as a performer and has lived there since 2003. She said the move was a “big adjustment” from Indiana in the beginning.

“[Los Angeles] was overwhelmingly scary and huge [at first],” she said.

Having lived there for 12 years, she has since come to think of Hollywood as a “big small town.”

“I run into people I know running errands or hanging out a Disneyland all of the time. You see people there that you see on TV,” Barger said. “Gossip spreads in Los Angeles like it does in small towns, too.”

Barger watches the television shows she had a role in before telling others. Scenes she was in will sometimes get cut, and she won’t know until the show airs, she said.

“There’s nothing worse than disappointing your mom by telling her you’re going to be on TV, only to find out your scene was cut,” Barger said.

Many of Barger’s recent roles have been as teenagers — she’s 35 years old and was 28 when she first began booking teenage roles.

One of her most memorable roles as a “teen” was Dana Bukowski on “iCarly.” Barger played the bully, which she said was new for her, having never been the bully in real life.

As far as ventriloquism goes, Barger calls her style “Ventrilo-prov,” describing it as “short-form comedy [improvisation] using audience suggestions and volunteers” on her website.

Barger’s shows are 75 percent improvisation, and she said she doesn’t know any other ventriloquists who do “straight up” improvisation.

She does mostly corporate events and is often called for a company’s annual Christmas party. Barger has also performed at elementary schools and colleges.

During her performances, she brings audience members onstage to use as “dummies.”

“It’s just so much fun. It’s interactive and it makes [the audience members] the stars of the show,”she said. “With the kids, it’s great to take the kid who probably doesn’t get a lot of attention and make them super awesome for a day.”

Throughout her career as an entertainer, Barger has learned to stop worrying about every little detail in her life. The entertainment industry is so picky, she said, the director or producer will either like you for a role or they won’t.

Barger said even though being away from friends and family can sometimes be a challenge, it’s important to push through the bad days.

“You just have to put yourself out there and lay everything you have on the table [at the audition],” Barger said. “You must pursue what you want with all of your heart, because it’s totally worth it when you make it.”

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