BY LUCIA MAURO
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Words like versatile and chameleon can easily be applied to Stephnie Weir, whose seemingly endless range of acting abilities have bounded across the stages of Second City and ImprovOlympic, along with the popular televised comedy series, "MADtv." But this respected writer-performer-improviser does not aim for showy character transmogrifications. Instead Weir plumbs the depths of her own life experiences, then intelligently transforms them into humorously recognizable human truths tinged with darkness and empowerment.
A major comedy presence in Chicago for most of the 1990s, Weir married fellow writer-improviser Bob Dassie last summer. The pair now lives in Los Angeles, where Weir has been a cast member-writer for "MADtv" on Fox Network since 2000. They have returned to Chicago to perform their well-received original show, WeirDass, which evolved into two versions: a long-form improvised piece based on one audience suggestion; and WeirDass: Unmentionables, the scripted incarnation, which includes thoughtful musings on taboo topics and the current state of the world.
The couple–who met at the ImprovOlympic–will be back here in the summer to perform and visit colleagues who influenced and inspired their careers.
"Looking through my wedding photos," says Weir, long-distance from Los Angeles, "I’m overwhelmed by the number of people I’ve come to know and love–all from pursuing improvisation. My friend, Mary McCain, sang at Bob’s and my wedding, and she was also in the first improv class I ever took. I met my husband in class, as well as my best friend, Liz Edwards.
"I adore these creative, eccentric and insane people. I realize, thus far, I’ve taken a good part of my personal and professional life’s journey with them. I owe much to the art of improv."
Weir also underscores the familial and collaborative nature of improv. Her art and life were bound to be entwined. In a strange way, all the quirky things she experienced growing up in West Texas have shaped her career in comedy.
"A lot of my humor is very dark," explains Weir, 34, in a seemingly incongruous warm Texas drawl. "It also comes from my dad and my family."
She then goes on to relate a story about a pretty terrifying joke her father played on her. Weir, who was about four-years-old at the time, was eating breakfast alone in the kitchen when the lights suddenly went out. As she stumbled around in the darkness to find the light switch, her dad–who had been crouching down with a nylon mask over his face–jumped up and roared like a monster. Admitting to being scared out of her wits, the aspiring actor-comic later used this scenario as fodder for a grotesquely witty bit in Second City’s mainstage revue, The Psychopath Not Taken, in which she portrayed a female werewolf who devoured unsuspecting men on dates.
"I had an untraditional childhood," Weir continues, without the slightest tone of irony. "My dad was a car salesman who also had a junkyard. We would take our vacations to repossess cars."
But her dad, whom she describes as "a man’s man," also cultivated an artistic side. He acted in community theatre, too.
In fact, Weir wanted to be an actress from an early age. Her initial experiences were in traditional theatre. It wasn’t until 1993 that she stumbled upon improv and comedy.
While living in Texas, Weir worked as a mail carrier and studied theatre and broadcast communications at Odessa Junior College. She played Ado Annie in Oklahoma!, Minnie Fay in Hello, Dolly and a firefighter in The Firebugs at Odessa’s Globe Theater.
"One of the biggest influences in my life was a theatre professor from Odessa," shares Weir, "Dr. Paula Thompson, who was insistent that I move to Chicago and pursue an acting career. Her unconditional faith in my abilities has had a long-lasting impact on me."
In 1989, Weir moved to Chicago with her then-husband Sean Benjamin (a member of the Neo-Futurists) and began auditioning for off-Loop plays. But Weir felt overwhelmed and was her own worst critic. She and Benjamin then relocated to Edwardsville, Ill., where they attended Southern Illinois University. Weir took classes in women’s studies and anthropology, with the latter topic seeping into her comedic routines addressing cultural perceptions. At SIUE, she also performed in theatre productions, including Steel Magnolias.
Early on, she auditioned for the Second City touring company but did not get called back. On the train ride home, however, Weir admits to having "a real sense of clarity" about envisioning a career on the stage. Back in Chicago, Benjamin enrolled Weir in her first improv class in 1993.
"Improv helped open the door to writing," explains Weir, who is now devoting more time to the scribe side of the business. "You realize you just 'wrote’ a scene in five minutes by letting it flow out of you. Improv also helped me with auditions; it made me a better listener."
After going through the Second City Training Center, she had a chance to perform and test new work at the ImprovOlympic on teams like Armando Diaz, the all-female JANE, two-person improv Naked, and three-person improv Trio. Weir went on to perform at various comedy and fringe festivals, including Aspen, Montreal and Edinburgh.
Improv instructors and directors Noah Gregoropoulos and Mick Napier recommended that she audition for the Second City mainstage. Weir served as a writer-performer in Promise Keepers, Losers Weepers (1997), The Psychopath Not Taken (1998) and Second City 4.0 (1999).
"Second City was such a great training ground," she notes, "because you had to adapt to so many varied audience reactions at each show. It also conditioned me to be true to myself on stage.
"And it’s such a collaborative effort. You don’t bring a written script to rehearsal. You come in with an idea and improvise together. You also learn so much when you bomb. You have to be fearless and willing to try something new again. I learned a lot about the arc of a scene and gained an internal understanding of the rhythm of a scene."
These lessons have carried over to her collaborative work as part of the ensemble of "MADtv." Interestingly, in June 2000, Weir was planning to branch out and considered moving to New York when the executive producer of "MADtv" (a Second City alum) invited her to audition. She was flown to LA and can’t stress enough the support and respect she received from the show’s producers and other actor-writers during the audition process.
At the audition, Weir was asked to present the standard three characters and three impersonations. But, instead of doing isolated interpretations, she "wove them into a little herald, with no break in between the characters–like they were performing in a play." She points out, "The impersonation is less about nailing the person and more about writing something creative."
At "MADtv," she enjoys the best of both worlds: stage and screen. Some of the shows are filmed before a live audience, so the cast can feed off that live energy. But she also acknowledges the benefits of filming a few programs without an audience–"you’re not distracted or trying to get a laugh," she says.
What are some of the key differences between the two mediums?
"On TV," Weir responds, "you have to hold longer for camera shots and replay scenes. At Second City, you would do a scene once. Here it’s a little more piecemeal."
She has written sketches for "MADtv" or presented an idea to the writers. Overall, scenes are generated in different ways–from precisely mapped out to improvised on the spot.
When we spoke, Weir was wrapping up her second season with "MADtv" (they are in production from mid-August through mid-March). The ensemble typically does a table read of 20 to 25 scenes on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday are devoted to rehearsals, fittings and re-writes. And that schedule varies. Weir has had weeks where she rehearses the whole time or may not have to go in until 5 p.m. on a Tuesday. The show is taped on Thursday and Friday. She works three weeks, with one week off every month.
In LA, she finds that improv has been approached as "an individual thing"–i.e., as a showcase vehicle. But, with the newly opened ImprovOlympic LA and other improv opportunities, Weir is finding that more performers realize the importance of the ensemble and how that teamwork can benefit them in sketch comedy or on a sitcom.
She still thinks that, despite "Whose Line Is It Anyway?," long-form improv is a struggle to convey on screen.
"There’s no room for improv to fall flat on TV," she says. "I think elements of improv can be applied to TV and film–for example, the wholly improvised [Christopher Guest] movies, Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. The game-like nature of improv would have to be downplayed, and it’s going to be about using the form in a more artistic way."
Weir has a few independent films to her credit, as well as an appearance in "Cupid" and a role in the Goodman Studio Theatre’s production of Schoolgirl Figure.
She applauds her improv training for giving her the confidence and skill to tackle other disciplines. Short-term goals include her ongoing comedy work, writing, the one-person-show genre and more traditional theatre. Weir talks about more of her influences.
"I’ve found extraordinary inspiration surrounding myself with other creative women," she says. "I was part of a writing group, 8 oz. Bette, in Chicago and, here in LA, I’m slowly discovering a similar outlet of supportive, fearless women.
"Along with Sean Benjamin, Charna Halpern and ImprovOlympic, an endless number of improvisers have influenced me–Kevin Dorff, Jimmy Carrane, Paul Grondy, Amy Poeler, Lily Frances, Abby Shachner, Dave Koechner, to name a few. It’s not about molding yourself into the person you admire, but following their lead in finding and embracing your own unique voice. Improvisation, like life, is about discovering yourself and playing well with others."
At this point in her life and career, Weir is listening more acutely to her inner improvisational voice.
"I’ve often been so hard on myself," she admits. "But what has stuck with me were those moments of non-judgment and going with the flow. That’s what improv is all about.
"Improv has taught me a lot about improvising my life. Don’t get upset if someone throws you a curve. Run with it. Enjoy the ride."
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