Improv with Marcus

I’ve been training with Marcus in his Two Play class for about 8.5 months now and will continue to do so because I value his encouragement as well as his helpful, personalised comments about everything I need to work on to improve my improv craft. He’s very good at honing in on what individuals need to focus on, whilst also relating it in a way that is helpful for the rest of the class. Additionally, I’ve been to some of his Sunday School workshops (Improv Gym and Characters Intensive) and they also reflect that commitment to personalised feedback. He really cares about his students and helping them get better.
I also particularly like how much he focuses on improv as it relates to creating grounded characters and working from a place of emotional truth, which has helped not only with my improv but also made it easier for me to transition to other acting. Working with Marcus has really encouraged me to keep improving and pursuing this craft further, and the feeling I get when I see his pride when I demonstrate the skills I’ve learned from him is so rewarding.

I’ve taken three of Marcus Sams’ workshops and I learn exponentially every time. He is positive, inspiring, encouraging, and my favorite workshop to attend. No ego with Marcus. I can’t recommend him enough.

The improv scene in SF is exploding these days! So many yummy flavors of this art form to choose from and… Marcus Sams is seriously one of the best improv teachers in the Bay Area. I highly recommend any improvisor who wants to take their craft to the next level to sign up for Marcus’ classes. He has these great 4 hour intensives or «Sunday Schools» which focus on different topics of improvisation, as well as a duo performing program. The two person scene is the foundation of great improv, so if you want to become a great actor/​improvisor and really hone your skills– his Two Play class is fantastic! Marcus has a wonderful tough love approach where you will get honest, critical feedback to improve your craft always coupled with compassion, love, and genuine care for you as an artist and human. Plus… he’s a ton of fun and an extremely talented improvisor. Just watch him perform– the proof is in the puddin’. I dunno… maybe I’m biased… I’ve been his duo partner for almost 10 years and I know that improvising with him has improved my skills exponentially as both an improv performer and teacher. As Shia LeBeuf would say, «DO IT!»

I’ve trained for almost one year in Marcus «Two Play for Improv Duos» class. It was my first experience in an improv duo, and when my partner and I decided to give it a try we had no idea where this was gonna go. Marcus helped us developing a format, and strenghtening our improv skills, both as individual performers and as stage partners. Today our duo, Euro Trash, is regularly performing in San Francisco and has been selected in major improv festivals (L.A. Improv Comedy Festival, SF Improv Festival, Improv Festival Ireland.)
The Two Play class can give a lot to duos, both to beginners and experienced ones. On one hand, Marcus great teaching experience in different improv areas (from space objects to deep-​tissue listening and scene work) provides a great workout for the individual actors. On the other hand, there’s the specific focus put on each duo: looking for the best format for a show, taking the best out of the actor’s strengths and doing serious work on the weaknesses. The structure of the class allows duo’s to practice a lot together, getting tons of constructive feedback. Performing full sets in front of the class provides and extremely valuable experience that, together with very specific notes from the teacher, give the duo an amazing opportunity of growth.
Either you are in a duo and you are looking for some good coaching, or you’ve been thinking for a long time that you’d like to try the duo experience, the Two Play class is a highly recommended journey!

My improv duo, Off One Letter, has been studying with Marcus Sams in his «Two Play» class for a year, during which time he helped transform us from a couple of fledgling improvisors into a seasoned duo. Thanks largely to Marcus, were accepted into the 2015 San Francisco Improv Festival based on our first-​ever show!
Marcus has been performing and teaching improv for years, and is undeniably passionate about the craft. His expertise allowed him to instantly identify areas where we needed to work, both as a team and as individuals, and he created targeted activities to solidify techniques and concepts. His feedback is honest and direct, but also supportive and genuine. He truly wants all his students to succeed and have fun, and invests his boundless energy into his classes. You will have fun and laugh until it hurts in Marcus’s classes and workshops!
In addition to the top-​notch improv training, he helped us develop our format, produced shows for us, and provided industry pro tips and advice to help us succeed. Marcus is the best!

Marcus Sam is a wonderful instructor and I keep finding myself taking his classes over and over again for the last three years. He has a way with words that makes his lessons easy to comprehend. He has great energy and enthusiasm that makes his classes so much fun! And he’s hilarious! He has a lot of passion for the craft and it shows in his teachings. He is definitely one of my favorite improv instructors because I like how organized and structured his lessons are. In addition to his teaching at Sunday School, he also teaches classes at Leela and Endgames. Look for him. He’s fantastic!

I met Marcus about 5 years ago when I took his inaugural «Create Your Own Environment» workshop. I was blown away by the organized method he had developed to help improvisers bring a fully developed set of scenery and props to a completely blank stage.
Last year I had the pleasure to take a follow-​up workshop Marcus had created to help actors fully integrate and commit to the environments they formed. Even though it had been years since the first workshop, all of the elements came right back because they had been so fully ingrained in my consciousness and part of my work on stage during the interim.
I’ve also had the pleasure of taking several other of Marcus’ workshops. The common threads in all of them are the following.
1. Well organized and fully developed content
2. Each participant is encouraged to thoroughly engage and to ask questions as needed
3. Marcus offers separate notes and recommendations for each student
4. While the work is rigorous, fun is encouraged and pretty much mandatory
5. The most basic ground rule is to be positive and to support each other
6. Class sizes are capped to provide as much participation and feedback as possible
I’ve had the pleasure to both have Marcus as a teacher and to perform with him on stage. His approach to truthful and honest interactions and reactions both in the classroom and on stage make it easy to trust his input. He is also extremely open to discussion and sharing of opinions, even if they don’t always agree with his own.
I strongly recommend Marcus’ workshops to any improviser at any stage in their development. He is frequently developing new content, so there are many opportunities to sign up for something new. Most improv schools offer a series of classes and expect even experienced actors to start at the beginning to «learn their style». While some of Marcus’ workshops have prerequisites, most are open to all.
So, check out his web site and give his workshops a try. Who knows, you may end up a regular participant and forming a duo with him as director. Or, you may just go once and learn some skills that you can apply both as an actor and as a person. In any case, I think you’ll find that both your money and time were very well spent.

Had a great time in the space objects class and deep tissue listening class!

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Marcus as my Director for over a year. I first knew him as a talented improvisor having watched him perform numerous times. I took a drop in class he was teaching and found his energy and enthusiasm for the art to be contagious. I had the luck of being cast in a troupe he was directing and couldn’t believe my luck! I’ve become a more confident improvisor. I’ve learned to trust my scene partner, to be a better listener, to react truthfully and use my environment. Prior to working with Marcus I didn’t know what to do with my hands. I would stand in scenes and rarely move. Now I feel confident in creating and interacting with the «world» I find myself in and even trust in grabbing for something and it will appear. Marcus is an excellent coach and note giver. Marcus is skilled at seeing what you need and by providing specific feedback and skill building exercises get you past the fear and self-​imposed barriers. I’ve taken all his workshops (some twice) and always come away with something great. If you get a chance to work with him, DO IT!

My wife and I had a great time taking Marcus Sams improv workshop. It was both of our first times taking an acting class, and Marcus was a great instructor. He was patient, answered all of our questions, and helped us get out of our comfort zone with some fun improv exercises! I would recommend Marcus if you want to take a fun and informative class, we can’t wait til the next one!