“Sam’s workshops have been engaging and enjoyable to all who have attended; both those who come with an interest in puppetry as well as those who’ve never been exposed to it. The puppetry class provides students with yet another way in which they may put their improv skills to use in performance, as well as just for the experience. ”
-Jennifer Estlin, Owner The Annoyance Theatre
Mouthing Off (Puppet Improv)
Mouthing Off focuses on the operation of hand puppets as tools for characters/character changes in improvisation, and the method for creating an improv scene through puppetry/between puppeteers.
The workshop has been taught at the Annoyance Theatre as well as the Alaska State Improv Festival and the Gatlinburg Improv Festival
What People Are Saying:
“Sam Locke is an absolute delight to work with. His vast knowledge of improv, sketch and puppetry makes him a dynamic and strong force in the classroom. His puppetry course at the Annoyance is one of our highest rated courses and consistently continues to get great feedback. I can’t recommend him enough.”
-Charley Carroll, Managing Director of The Annoyance Theatre/ Business Development & Education“Mouthing Off is a great introduction to improv puppetry. Sam is very skilled at showing improvisors the basic puppet technique they need to start bringing puppets into their work and how giving a puppet presence can help the audience forget there is a hand within that felt. I strongly endorse Mouthing Off for the aspiring improvising puppeteer.”
– Eric Caldwell, Producer, Alaska State Improv Festival“Sam Locke teaches a great introduction to improv puppetry class. Folks had so much fun taking the class at the Gatlinburg Improv Fest that they brought their own puppets back to perform in shows the following year. Bring more characters into your repertoire with puppets! Lip sync skills make all the difference and Sam has the skills to share. Enjoy this terrific class!”
– James Newport, Producer, Gatlinburg Improv Festival
(Pictures from Capital City Weekly and reporter Mary Catharine Martin)
In Mouthing Off, Sam teaches basic puppet posture and proper lip synch techniques, as well as eye contact (for both the puppet and puppeteer).
(Pictures of Mouthing Off being taught in Nashville, TN at the Bongo Java After Hours Theater with members of the Nashville Improv Co. and The Gatlinburg Improv Festival)
To book the Mouthing Off workshop, please contact booking@samclocke.com
Building Character: a crash course on Improv and Puppetry.
Improvisation and Puppetry are two of the oldest forms of storytelling. The roots of which are based on colorful characters, relatable scenes, and physical movement. By studying the core ideals of each art form you can expand your own abilities as a performer.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
“We had Sam and Peter out for our improvised puppetry festival and they were wonderful…Sam went in depth bringing out the best in the participants …
Their humor and knowledge… [made] participants feel comfortable learning this brand new skillset…”
~ Elizabeth Westermann, Unexpected Productions; Seattle, WAThis workshop aims to provide you – the performer – with a specific set of techniques that will help you develop more robust characters, create more compelling scenes, and perform improv with puppetry in a powerful, confident manner. After more than a decade of performing around the country these are the same techniques that Underhanded Improv focuses on in every single show and has found to be effective in front of audiences.
Peter Robards will lead you through some short intensive scene work, help you discover ways to quickly snap into character, and offer some personal feedback on how you play. Sam Locke will focus on the operation of hand puppets as tools for characters in improvisation and methods for creating powerful scenes via Puppetry. He’ll also cover methods for bringing the puppet to life using movement, posture, and your voice.
To book the Bulding Character workshop, please contact underhandedimprov@gmail.com