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.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
- 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 1996-200
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
Pick ‘n Pay Woolworths
BP Mweb
Vodacom Cell C
FNB Standard Bank
Portnet Nando’s
Billabong Pepstores
BAT Gauloises
Lucky Strike Distel
Pernod Ricard Guinness UDV
Chevrolet Toyota
Nescafe Foschini
Cape Talk 5FM
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