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Mark Sampson

Mark Sampson’s latest show - MARK SAMPSON FEELS FUNNY is a comic exploration of the ups and downs of life, featuring a giant game of Snakes and Ladders and a metre-wide inflatable dice. It’s a helter-skelter tumble through the kaleidoscopic twists of Mark’s mind, as he reflects on life, from first love to last rites, dodging sharks and stroking whales along the way.

MARK SAMPSON FEELS FUNNY was the highest grossing stand up comedy show at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival during its first year in 2008 and went on to play to packed houses in East London at the Guild theatre. In 2009 Feels Funny was co-produced by Pieter Toerien for the Monte Casino Theatre in JHB and The Theatre on the Bay in Cape Town.

Two quick reviews –
“Always intelligent and entertaining and often unexpectedly touching. This is comedy for the thinking — and participating — man (and woman).” The Weekender 07-09
“Mark Sampson Feels Funny is meer as net goeie gesinsvermaak. Dit is ’n lagfees wat inspireer en wys dat ’n mens nie ander hoef af te breek of te verneder in ’n poging om snaaks te wees nie.” Die Beeld 07-09

Corporate Team Building - Feels Funny’s key message of growth through adversity (with much of the show celebrating life in a developing country) has lead to it becoming a hugely successful team building show for South African companies. South Africa produces some of the most amazing people on this planet. Here in SA we know how to turn any negative into a positive - Remember “The Boer mak a plan” (That plan does, however, usually involve a double brandy and coke…)

MARK SAMPSON’S MISSING LINKS toured for the third and final time to Grahamstown in June 2007, followed by dates at the Guild Theatre in East London, the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town in July and the Liberty Theatre, Jo’burg in October-November.

Mark Sampson has performed Missing Links as part of diversity management programmes nationally for organisations such as Pick’n’Pay and Dept of Science and Technology. While Missing Links is a very funny show, it also imparts a very profound message. Mark Sampson has a white daughter and a black son. As he jokes about the evolution of man paralleling his own evolution as a father, and shares his feelings for both his biological and adopted children, the audience comes to understand how we are truly one giant human family, descended from one great mother, African Eve. By reflecting on how we have far more in common than we have apart, Sampson brings the message of the power of diversity home to the audience: we must celebrate difference – this is what has allowed humanity to survive, together, for over 6 billion years…

Missing Links for corporate diversity management http://www.youtube.com/slumpwaggle

Two quick reviews –
"laugh-till-you-cry one-man show by Mark Sampson, who must be the funniest stand-up comedian in South Africa by some distance." The Star 2007
"Highly literate and extremely funny... an innovative premise and an epic feel...stand-up at its very best." Cape Times 2006

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Feels Funny played to packed houses at the Theatre on the Bay, Camps Bay, during September 2009 and received an unprecedented full standing ovation for each and every performance.
  • Missing Links, Sampson’s hilarious solo show about evolution and South African identity, sold out its opening run in Cape Town at Easter 2005, delighted audiences at the Cradle of Humankind in Sterkfontein and played to packed houses at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. In 2006, Missing Links went on to sell out for the second time in Cape Town, and play to huge critical acclaim at the Liberty Life Theatre on the Square in Sandton, at the Cape Town Festival, at the KKNK in Oudtshoorn, at the Catalina Theatre in Durban, the Guild Theatre in East London and sold out at Grahamstown again.
  • Tour of Missing Links during African Origins month for the South African Agency for the Advancement of Science and Technology (SAASTA) to varsities nationwide in Sept 2006 and to high schools in three provinces in Sept 2005
  • MC’d the Cape Comedy Collective’s Proudly South African tour to the International Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2003 receiving 4 star reviews and "Showing South Africa in all its glory... a breakneck blast through some sharp comedy...a fine change from Brits, Yanks and Aussies at the Fringe”.
  • Mark was spotted by a German scout at Edinburgh and invited to perform at the Maulhelden (Verbal Heroes) Festival in Berlin in January 2004 alongside comics from Britain, Holland, Italy, Austria, Sweden, Turkey, Denmark, Canada and USA as well as Germany.
  • His second radio sketch comedy show promoting Old Mutual’s sponsorship of the Edinburgh tour “Ouma’s Comedy Bites” was broadcast three times a week on SAfm in June-July 2003.
  • “Growing: Auld with Sampson”, a musical comedy show with local guitar legend and surfing buddy Robin Auld featuring stand-up, songs and comedy parodies, played to sell-out houses in Cape Town and toured up the Garden Route to PE and East London in 2003.
  • Appeared on the comedy celebrity edition of SABC3's The Weakest Link in August 2004, plus “Funny You Should Say That” and “Comedy Showcase”.
  • Xmas 2000 season at Artscape with the Cape Comedy Collective, Xmas 2001 season at Spier with the CCC and Irit Noble, Xmas 2002 season at the Baxter Theatre with the CCC’s multimedia show “The Good News” which featured video inserts of a dozen local celebrities including Bobby Skinstad and Pieter-Dirk Uys, and a full gospel choir from Masiphumelele.
  • Token whitey on the national Sprite Soul Comedy Tour 2002.
  • Sampson conceived and produced the first CCC radio sketch comedy show “The Good News” which had a writing and performing team of 10 and ran twice a week on P4 Radio from Oct-Dec 2002.
  • Green’s Spicer Campus Comedy Tour nationwide in 2000.
  • Hosted the first ever Dangerzone at the Smirnoff International Comedy Festival at the Baxter in 1998.
  • Host of the Oppi Koppi and Up The Creek music festivals from 1996-2000

The Cape Comedy Collective –

When crazy blond dreadlocked Mark Sampson arrived in Cape Town on a surfing holiday many years ago, there was no stand-up scene at all in the Mother City.

A passionate believer in the power of comedy to unite people, Sampson was the founder of the Cape Comedy Collective and held free workshops for would-be stand-ups at his Comedy Lab every week from 1999-2002. He was the legendary host of the Cape Comedy Club, packed to capacity every Sunday at the Independent Armchair Theatre in Cape Town for 3 years from 1999. This hothouse of talent produced many of today’s top comedy names such as Kurt Schoonraad, Kagiso Lediga, Stuart Taylor, Riaad Moosa, Tshepo Mogale, Nik Rabinowitz, Tracy Klass, David Newton, Loyiso Gola and Melanie Jones.

He coined the slogan “Comedy - for the people, by the people!” and the CCC delivered just that, at more than 50 venues on their ever-changing 6-nights-a-week circuit around Cape Town from 1999 to 2003.

Corporate clients include:

Old Mutual
Momentum Life
Safmarine
Pick ‘n Pay
Woolworths
Master Builders Assoc.
BP
Mweb
Renault SA
Vodacom
Cell C
Canon
FNB
Standard Bank
Dade Behring
Portnet
Nando’s
Momentum
Billabong
Pepstores
Fridge Foods
BAT
Gauloises
Shell Select

Mark Sampson