NEWS

ANOTHER ROUND OF BOAT BINGO!
This time, Tabetha Wells AND Sandy Jobin-Bevans are off to tour the Caribbean.
[February 8, 2010]

SLAP HAPPY LOSES A CAR!
Congratulations to Kerry Griffin on joining Second City's Mainstage! Second City's gain is our loss, not only because Kerry will be unavailable for Slap Happy performances, but also because he was the only member of the troupe with a vehicle! Kerry becomes our second Mainstager after Sandy Jobin-Bevans...way to go Kerry....can we have a ride?
[May 7, 2008]

TOO DAMNED BUSY!
Sorry we haven't been around (or updating this site), but everyone's been working so much we've barely seen each other. Dave and Tab were on the ships (Tabetha until May, 2008), Kerry was off in Saskatoon performing for 6 weeks, and Sandy's been writing for the CFL Awards, the Geminis, and various other projects! Stay tuned for details on our 10th anniversary show, though!
[January 28, 2008]

EVERYONE'S IN TOWN!
Kerry Griffin and Sandy Jobin-Bevans are both performing at the Toronto Fringe Festival, Tabetha's shooting a reality show, and Dave's...well, back!
[July 10, 2007]

DAVE'S GONE AGAIN..BUT WAIT...TABETHA'S BACK!
Slap Happy's Dave Pearce returned from a stint on Norwegian Cruise lines, but if you blinked you missed it because he's gone again for another four months. However, the good news is Tabetha's finally back! After 8 months at sea she's returned to the big smoke and is getting her non-sea legs back. She'll be making her return-debut with Slap Happy on March 15th at the Bad Dog Theatre - check itout! ...and you can catch Dave's continuing cruise adventures atDave's Blog for updates on their caribbean adventures!
On the home front Sandy is enjoying lots of Tim Horton's breakfast sandwiches and Kerry sold his soul to GM at the Autoshow for two weeks. Not as exciting as cruising perhaps, but life goes on!
[March 1, 2007]

DAVE & TABETHA RETURN
Slap Happy's Dave Pearce & Tabetha Wells have been at sea performing with Norwegian Cruise Lines since early November but they're both on their way home soon. Dave just for a week though as he's decided to skip the Canadian winter and head BACK on a cruise ship for another four month stint. Both Dave and Tabetha will soon be back on the stage with Slap Happy (although Dave only briefly!) Check out Dave's Blog for updates on their caribbean adventures!
[February 7th, 2007]

CONGRATS TO KERRY GRIFFIN!
Kerry was named Best Male Improviser at this year's Canadian Comedy Awards! Other winners in the improv category included Lauren Ash as Best Female Improviser and Edmonton's Die-Nasty as a well-deserved Best Improv Troupe! Check out the Canadian Comedy Awards for full details!
[October 29, 2006]

SIX-PEAT!
We've JUST received our record-setting SIXTH straight nomination as Canada's best improv troupe! Check out the Canadian Comedy Awards for full details, and don't forget to vote for both us, and Kerry Griffin as best male improviser!
[September 19, 2006]

DOWN TWO
Tabetha's re-upped with Norwegian Cruise Lines, and now Dave's joining her for four months! Starting November 1st, Slap Happy will be a duo. Expect a full cast show in October, but then you won't see the whole crew together until March 2007! Still, we'll be available for corporate performance and training.
[September 17, 2006]

TABETHA'S BUSY
Once again, the troupe's a trio, albeit for four months, as our distaff member hops on board a Norwegian Cruise Line ship to perform with The Second City. It's a sweet gig, sailing down to the Caribbean and performing best-of sketches. Congrats to Tab!
[May 18, 2006]

MUSIC MOVES ON
Congratulations to long-time Slap Happy collaborator Matt Reid, who has been hired as the new musical director for the Second City Mainstage. Matt, with whom we started working in 2000, replaces 25-year Mainstage director, Bob Derkach. Matt, a strong improviser himself, is also one-half of sketch duo Reid Along With Browning.
[March 21, 2006]

Chicago Redux!
For the first time since 2003, we went back to Chicago for the Chicago Improv Festival, April 24-30, 2006! On Friday, April 28 at 7:30, we opened for the Horatio Sanz All-Stars, with Mad TV's Mo Collins as host.
And, there was a strong Toronto contingent...including The Williamson Playboys, Rudy, Me Likey, The Bad Dog Theatre, plus fellow Canucks Die Nasty, from Edmonton. (May 17, 2006)

THREE-PEAT!
For the third time, our peers and fans have voted us the best Improv Troupe in the country at the Canadian Comedy Awards!
We're thrilled to have won, although any of Iron Cobra, Monkey Toast, Urban Improv, or The Williamson Playboys were equally deserving. Special congratulations to best male improviser Doug Morency and best female improviser Lisa Merchant! (October 23, 2005)

FIVE-PEAT!
We've been nominated for our record FIFTH straight Canadian Comedy Award for Best Improv Troupe.
Voting commences September 12th, so please head to The Canadian Comedy Awards website and vote for anything you've seen and liked. Just make sure it's us! (September 9, 2005)

Lots of stickers!
We went to San Francisco...and Lindsay! Slap Happy performed as part of the San Francisco Improv Festival, June 23-25 (Pride Weekend, as it turned out). For full details, check out the San Francisco Improv Fest site. Then, for a little variety, we performed in Lindsay, ON at the Academy Theatre as part of Globus Theatre's summer season. Check their site for details as they emerge. (August 30, 2005)

Consolations and Congratulations
No CCA wins, but NOW loves us, and we were on the radio! Congratulations to Canadian Comedy Award winners Monkey Toast (for which all four of us have performed) and Paul Bates, who respectively won the CCA for Best Improv Troupe and Best Male Improviser...well-deserved awards for both!
As consolation, we were picked by NOW magazine as a Critics Pick for 2004, and November 3rd, we were on CBC radio improvising our way through Canada's take on the U.S. election results! (November 4, 2004)

Going for the Three-Peat
Slap Happy Receives its Fourth Straight CCA Nomination
For the fourth straight year, we've been nominated for "Pretty Funny Improv Troop" (hey, not our spelling) at the Canadian Comedy Awards...AND...our own Kerry Griffin has been nominated as "Pretty Funny Male Improviser". We're going for three straight wins here! So...if you like our work and are eligible to vote, please visit the CCA website (link above) starting September 20! (September 8, 2004)

Star-making Time
Sandy Jobin-Bevans steps up in the public eye.
SJB, founding member and current Second City Mainstage performer, will be making his big-screen debut in the forthcoming comedy, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, opening July 30th across the country. Check it out, make it a hit! [July 27, 2004]

LA, Baby!
Slap Happy performed at the Los Angeles Festival of Improvisation
Slap Happy performed at the 2nd Los Angeles Festival of Improvisation, which ran June 6-13 at Improv Olympic West. Other performers throughout the week included the Upright Citizens Brigade (including Amy Poehler from SNL), Jeff Garlin from Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Andy Dick.
For full festival details, check out their website! [July 26, 2004]

Hamilton's best sketch vs. Toronto's best improv
Slap Happy vs. The Imponderables! One Night Only!
We've decided to put our rep, and that of the Big Smoke, on the line...by lining up a show with the pride of Steeltown, The Imponderables! They just finished a run as the first troupe EVER booked to play the Second City Mainstage outside of the Second City cast itself. Check out us...and them...and make up your mind...what's better? May 13-15, Tim Sims Playhouse! (March 30, 2004)

Not once the Yanks see the show!
Congratulations to Sandy Jobin-Bevans on opening his FIFTH Second City Mainstage revue, Invasion Free Since 1812! Check out the Second City website for details and reviews as they arrive! (April 29, 2004)

Half Slap Happy Goes Silent on Space
Kerry and Dave Appear on the Spacey Awards, April 18
Based on our sterling reputations as physical performers (cough), Kerry and Dave were asked to help develop and shoot five 30-second segments for the Spacey Awards. The fan-voted awards for sci-fi, fantasy and such-like film and television were broadcast April 18. Be warned though...we played MIMES! [April 18, 2004]

Happy New Year and welcome to the Mother Corp
We were performing at Accent on Toronto 2, The Danforth Music Hall, on Thursday November 27

Featuring ourselves, stand-up Sabrina Jalees, Derek Edwards, musician Nathan Caswell and more, clips from the show were featured on CBC Radio, 99.1 over subsequent weeks, and a full(er) version of the show was broadcast on Here and Now, Friday, January 2nd, 2004! (January 3, 2004)

Leuven! The Belgian home of Stella Artois played host to its second international festival of improvisation. Along with the local troupe, this event over the last week of October featured top troupes from Norway, Columbia...and Slap Happy Improvisational Theatre Company! All because we went to Amsterdam last year! If you want to get invited to a festival...you've got to go to festivals! (October 24, 2003)

Award-Winners...again! For the second straight year, we came home with the Canadian Comedy Award for "Pretty Funny Improv Troupe". Again it was an honour to win, especially when so many deserving troupes are out there. For details on all the categories and the winners, please check out The Canadian Comedy Award website. (September 14, 2003)

Cover Art! In celebration of Jamboree 2003, we were made the feature article, and cover, of this week's Now Magazine! (August 16, 2003)

Slap Happy Went to Boston!

Following Improv Boston's trip to T.O. during Jamboree 2002, and our mutual performances in Memphis, Slap Happy went down to Boston to perform with Improv Asylum and Improv Boston June 12-15. Special thanks to our hosts/limo drivers/all-around caretakers, Will Luera and Sharon Leckie of IB. Another big thanks to everyone who came to our shows, workshops, and generally hung out with us. (June 16, 2003)

We're #8!

Now Magazine has named Slap Happy's January 2002 show as one of the top 10 comedy shows this year! Here's the actual article, if you're interested! [December 26, 2002]

Slap Happy Goes Overseas!

We've just returned from the International Improv Festival in Amsterdam. You can see photos from the festival at the site...and learn more about some great troupes with whom we'll be working in the future! Thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts for making the trip possible! (November 18, 2002)

Slap Happy's been named Best Improv Troupe in Toronto!

Check out the Best of Toronto list in NOW Magazine! (October 30, 2002)

Slap Happy gets some face time!

NOW Magazine, Toronto's answer to the Village Voice, had a nice little profile on our fabulous foursome in its May 30th edition. Check it out! (May 31, 2002)

So Many Festivals!

The Slapsters continued their festival ways throughout the year...in June (26-29) we were in New York with GOGA, then in August, we headlined our night at Toronto's first ever improv festival, Jamboree 2002! September 6-8, we were in Memphis for the 2nd Memphis Comedy Festival, and October 10-13 we were in Winnipeg! (October 14, 2002)

Slap Happy wins a Canadian Comedy Award for best improv troupe!

Check out the Canadian Comedy Awards website for a list of categories and nominees...and thank you to everyone who voted for us...and to the other, equally worthy nominees for helping raise the bar for improvisational theatre across the country! (April 5, 2002)