FRISCO directors and instructors are veteran improvisers who have performed with and directed improvisational comedy groups in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and elsewhere.
Marc Hershon
Co-founder / Co-director
In addition to working with FRISCO’s Steve Smith in Seattle's TheatreSports and forming the Fabulous Gooey Ducks touring improv duo, Marc has performed with, directed and/or founded a number of improv comedy groups. These include the Comedy Underground and the Riffingtons in San Francisco; the Bargain Basement Players and An Unpleasant Smell in Los Angeles; and the Oxymorons in both Santa Fe and San Carlos. Marc has used his improvisational skills — in the corporate world — as both the director of corporate improv troupe the Startups.comedy and as a key component in his work as a branding professional, which have helped him to created such well-known brand names as BlackBerry, Swiffer, Dasani and nüvi. He is also the co-author of I Hate People!, the new business book with attitude from Little, Brown & Co.
Sammy Wegent
Co-Director / Artistic Director
Sammy Wegent has done improv at festivals and venues all over North America, including the Chicago Improv Festival, SF Sketchfest, the MLB All Star FanFest, the Toronto International Improv Festival, the NBA All Star Jam Session, and even on an airplane at 39, 000 feet as part of YouTube Live. He is a member of the improv and sketch group, SPF 7, and has been teaching improvisation at SFCC since 2004. Sammy is the winner of the 2005 Battle of the Bay Comedy Competition and the title of "The Funniest Person In The Bay Area." He holds a BFA in Theatre from Shorter College and an MFA in Acting from Catholic University. Sammy is an actor, writer, and comedian.
Chris Hayes
Instructor
Chris Hayes is founding member of the following Improv groups, past and present: Crisis Hopkins, Revolution AllStars, Three is a Magic Number, Bucket, and others. In the past Chris has performed and trained with I.O. West Los Angeles, Theatre Sports Atlanta (Dad's Garage), The Empty Stage Los Angeles, San Francisco Improv Cooperative, and more. Chris has taught Improv in classrooms and corporations for the last 11 years, and is a memeber of the Acting unions SAG, Actor's Equity, and AFTRA.
Nick Leonard
Instructor
Nick Leonard has been performing and teaching improv for 10 years, He's a founding member of Too Many Larrys, Dojo Fabuloso, Thorougly Modern Nellys, The Escape Artists and the improvised soap opera "Desperate Improvisors". He performs with Bay Area Theatresports, The Karen Ripley Players, and many other groups. He taught Sketch Comedy and Improv at the Hyena Comedy Institute, and has performed sketch comedy, stand up and his solo show at the Marsh Theater, NYU, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and the Vancouver International Comedy Festival. He uses his improvisation skills and knowledge every day in writing sketches, comic books, performance, stand up comedy and historical walking tours.
Steve Smith
Co-founder
Steve has been doing Improv since birth. His first words were "...And scene." Founding member of the first touring improv duo The Fabulous Gooey Ducks with fellow Frisco instructor Marc Hershon. Steve started with TheatreSports in Seattle and, after taking the coveted Rubber Chicken award away from Ryan Stiles and the Canadian team, Steve moved to Los Angeles where he co-directed two Improv groups: The Bargain Basement Players and An Unpleasant Smell to rave reviews. Both groups were the very first improv groups to have a regular night at Budd Friedmann's world famous Improv. Steve studied with the Groundlings and has improv-ed many times on stage with the likes of Robin Williams, Ryan Stiles and Rick Overton to name a few. Steve is an actor, writer and currently a touring comedian.