Chris Sams

First BATS Class: April 2000 with Barbara Scott
Joined Sunday Players: March 2002
BATS Coach: since January 2005
Other BATS Service: Interim Managing Director Jan. 2007-June 2007; Director of Corporate Programs for Entertainment and Training, Dec. 2004-present; Acting Dean of BATS Improv School, Feb.-Apr. 2006; Sunday Player Rep 2004
Contact: chris@improv.org


Improv actually began for Chris around 1983 with a program entitled Odyssey of the Mind. From age eight to 18, Chris worked with small ensembles writing, acting and performing creative and spontaneous problem-solving. What a great joy to discover improvisational theater which combined all those skills.

Since then, Chris has performed improv in a variety of groups and settings: Aussie Rules TheatreSports, All-Star TheatreSports, Micetro All-Stars, Sunday Player shows (2002-2004), and Rock N' Roll halftime dancers with BATS Improv; hosted Rock N' Roll TheatreSports, Gorilla Theatre, and Summer Games TheatreSports with BATS Main Stage Company; San Francisco Fringe Festival: Bet On the Moment with Theatre Roulette; You Bet Your Improvisor (2005, 2006, 2007), Improv Survivor and The Short and the Long of It with Un-Scripted Theater; CATS (California TheatreSports) Tournament and Laughstock in Ventura, CA, representing BATS Improv.

Teaching is a passion for Chris, and he delights in introducing improv activities to others. In addition to his instructing through BATS Improv School, Chris has taught improvisation skills and games to hundreds of participants in various corporate settings as a trainer/facilitator with BATS Improv's Training Wing. His professional background is in non-profit management.