Glen and Vinny are the kind of clowns who make chaos look like choreography. This December, the unpredictable duo — brought to life by Toronto theatremakers Ben Kopp and Calvin Rea — will bring that exquisite disorder to The Second City, where they’ve been selected for the Comedy Spotlight on December 9 and 10, 2025. It’s a fitting milestone for two multidisciplinary performers whose work thrives on risk, surprise … and the way a stumble can yield opportunity.
Kopp and Rea’s collaboration began when they met at Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) theatre program. “Part of our training was working with an incredible clown teacher, Leah Cherniak,” they explain. With Cherniak’s support, Rea and Kopp developed a clown duo, and have been performing at Toronto venues ever since, albeit in a smaller capacity than Spotlight. The name “Glen and Vinny” was a thoughtful later arrival: as they explain, “clowns are always true to a small part of your own personality, so we wanted their names to be connected to us somehow, and finally landed on Vinny (from CalVIN) and Glen (from BEN).”
At the same time, both performers have built vibrant solo artistic careers. Kopp has appeared in Bad Hats Theatre’s Alice in Wonderland and Soulpepper’s Dora Award–winning Alligator Pie. He also wrote the music and lyrics for Iris (says goodbye) at the 2025 Toronto Fringe Festival, winning both the Adams Prize for Musical Theatre and TO Live’s Best of Fringe award. Meanwhile, Rea recently starred in the Canadian premiere of The Comeback at Globus Theatre, wrote the music for Murder at the Blue Moon Saloon, and developed his play Everything You Did For Me in a workshop at Tarragon Theatre.
Clowning is a home where their individual creative drives intermingle, and their complementary skillsets combine into something greater than the sum of their (abundant) parts: “It’s fun to perform as Glen and Vinny because we get to use everything in our toolkit to bring them to life,” they explain. “Ben has infused his musical skills into Glen. And Calvin can burp on command – which has proven more helpful than we thought. Having a theatre background is an asset, too, because Clown bridges the gap between multiple styles of performance.”
Creative synthesis – amplified by the unpredictable space of live performance – is why they’re excited to debut a longer-form Glen and Vinny show at Spotlight at The Second City. “We’ve always performed smaller acts, so building a longer show has been challenging, but rewarding.” And it provides delicious scope for unexpected discoveries. “Some of our fondest memories are when things have gone wrong during a performance, and Glen and Vinny had to navigate through that,” they say. “A wonderful thing about Clown is that anything unexpected is a chance to discover new ways to play and riff in the moment. Happy accidents are always welcome!” One routine, they add with mock secrecy, “requires a secret apparatus that sometimes has a mind of its own (no spoilers!).”
Spotlight, hosted and produced by Taylor Hreljac and Gabe Meacher, features two premiere comedy troupes each month, each performing a 30-minute show. It’s an incubator for standout Toronto talent, and Glen and Vinny’s inclusion signals a growing recognition of the duo’s offbeat brilliance. “Second City and Spotlight have showcased “some amazing and hilarious groups, so we feel honoured to be included in the same conversation,” they aver. But they make clear that they won’t be playing it safe. “Spotlight typically features traditional sketch comedy, so you can expect something totally different this time,” they tease. “Our show will feature live music, heightened emotional stakes, and will leave you wondering, ‘Why did they do that?’ Additionally,” they wink, “most Toronto audiences haven’t been exposed to Clown. So Glen and Vinny are excited to expose themselves to you.”
Their official show blurb leans into the same irreverence: “Clown duo Glen and Vinny got their start as grips on The Johnny Carson Show, and after sleeping their way to the middle, booked a Disney Cruise and are thrilled to be making their Second City debut. Catch them for one night only, December 9th and December 10th!” It’s a tongue-in-cheek mythmaking that mirrors the alchemy of their practice— rigorous clown training draped in gleeful absurdity.
As for what follows Spotlight, Kopp and Rea serve up just one word: “Space.” Whether that means creative exploration, new projects orbiting beyond the horizon, or simply more scope for Glen and Vinny to run wild, the answer feels promising. After all, these clowns thrive in the in-between: the “space” where precision meets chaos, where virtuosic musicianship meets strategic burping, and where two performers let the seeds of themselves bloom into something unguarded, whimsical and delightfully unexpected.
Glen and Vinny will perform in Spotlight at The Second City on December 9 and 10, 2025. Tickets are available at secondcity.ca.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2025
