Workshops

We've taught workshops in Amsterdam, Belgium and Boston, as well as right here in Toronto. Our instructors, as individuals, teach for The Second City and Bad Dog Theatre, and are among the most-popular instructors for both organizations.

Why Improvisation?

Improvisation, as performed and taught by Slap Happy Improvisational Theatre Company, is a group presentational art form, which relies heavily on collaboration, spontaneity, and acceptance of all ideas. The idea is not to develop the individual, but the group.

While its origins are theatrical, the exercises used to teach improvisational theatre have been adapted to suit business needs in many corporations. The Richard Ivey School of Business is just one of the MBA programmes which include an improv component to help their students enhance their creativity and develop the communication skills necessary for modern business.

Each exercise in improvisation has a direct application to your corporate objectives!

"I just wanted to take a minute and thank you for the incredible show you and your colleagues put on for our group last week. It is the one event that I've organized for the firm in the past year where too many people to mention made comments about the great time they had. Everyone agreed that it was simply fantastic...."

Audrey Colterman
Student and Associate Co-ordinator
Aird & Berlis LLP

Slap Happy Improvisational Theater Company offers various workshops to enhance your improv skills and knowledge.

Using Genres To Enhance Scene Work

Connecting with the audience and fellow improvisers on a common level makes improvised scenes more enjoyable and rewarding. One fun and effective way of doing this is to recognize the possible film, television and literary genres that lie within long form scenes.

In this workshop definitions of familiar and not so familiar genres will be found to establish common ground within the group.  These genres will then be used to enhance the long form experience, such as turning the ordinary parent teacher interview into a hard boiled cop drama, or a day at the office into a World War Two army flick. Break out of the standard "talking head" box, and into new realms of possibility in your scene work!

Narrative

Slap Happy Improvisational Theatre Company has earned an international reputation for its narratively driven longform styles, and high-energy group work. Our advanced workshop introduces the two styles we've developed, the Character Slap and the Narratron.

In this three-hour workshop, we'll provide an overview of each style, the ways and "whens" to edit, the importance of strong, recognizable characters, and following the narrative without controlling it. We'll also discuss the value of the Narratron monologues for uniting scenes, and revealing information without avoiding the action. Take your improvisation to a more theatrical place!

The Venus/Mars Workshop

Ever heard these complaints from troupe-mates: "I'm always the wife/mother/whore, never the contract killer!"; or "My offers get ignored all the time!"?

The most common complaint from both men and women in a mixed-gender troupe is that women are often "overwhelmed" or "ignored" by the men of the troupe. For women, this workshop will help them ensure their offers are heard, and for men, to make sure they pick up on the offers being made. Take responsibility for your offers, keep your wants, and incorporate everything into the scene. Improvise gender-Blind, not gender-Specific!

Click on our contacts page, or e-mail us at bookings@slaphappyimprov.com!