It is the new year which only means one thing, it is time to celebrate acts that you should be keeping an eye on this year! All this month we are speaking to Glasgow based The Improv Cooperative which only started in May in 2023 and is about to take 2024 by storm. Every Wednesday morning of January, we are speaking to Shari to find out all about it. Today we are going to find out all about the two house teams – Skip Intro and Three Act Sluture (3AS)

How long have you been a team for?

Skip Intro: Since May 2023. Judy and I had taken a class on musical improv and thought – we could do that!

3AS: We formed in February 2019 under a different name and an extra member, but it’s still the same team.

In that time, what have you learnt about each other?

Skip Intro: I kind of feel like we’re learning how to do musical improv together by virtue of just doing it. We went into it with some experience and a heck of a lot of enthusiasm, and now we’re also figuring out how we work as a team, and what makes for some good long form / non-narrative musical improv!

3AS: I mean, basically these ladies have turned into some of my closest friends, so we’ve learned a heck of a lot about each other personally. And that totally helps us do better improv together. 

All Made Up sounds like a fun night – tell us all about it!

Oh gosh, where to start! We have three teams who have up to 30 minutes each to do whatever improv format they’d like. We usually have one “house” team, one “outside” team, and one ensemble team. We are super duper proud of our ensemble teams, and feel like this is one of the best aspects of The Improv Cooperative.

We believe it’s important to provide opportunities to perform not just for established improvisors and teams, but also to those starting their improv careers. To this end, people apply to be on an ensemble team, we create the team based on availability and preferred improv styles, and then either myself, Judy, or David give two free coaching sessions.

We’ve provided opportunities for people to perform in their first paid improv show, and form long lasting bonds with their teammates. And our audiences are brilliant and get this. All Made Up isn’t just about doing excellent improv, it’s also about being supportive of each other, and I think people really feel that at our shows. 

Where can people find out more information about it?

You can find All Made Up on The Improv Cooperative socials (facebook & Instagram @theimprovcooperative), or on What’s on Glasgow, or on Eventbrite!

Tell us about your rehearsals – what are they like?

Skip Intro: They’re actually quite perfunctory! We live pretty close by to each other, we warmup for half an hour, do a couple of sets to try things out, and then call it a day. We’re all really good friends, so no need to gossip while we’re there, when we know we’ll have ample time to do that before and after shows.

3AS: On the other hand, we’re also all really good friends, and spend the first half an hour chatting with each other and catching up. Then we do warmups, practice our structure (we almost always do some form of narrative), do a run through or two, and then have more coffee or tea and go home.

Favourite warm up game?

Skip Intro: David created one called Rhyme on Rhyme off that he loves, but everyone else hates it. (It’s where you do a scene, and then someone calls rhyme on, and each sentence has to rhyme with the last one. After someone calls rhyme off, you go back to normal.)

3AS: Alien, Tiger, Pig

How do you wind down after a show?

Skip Intro & 3AS: Pints and gossip!

Best compliment you have received about your team!

Skip Intro: Laura Hall said we were good after she saw us perform at The Remix Festival in October 2023. Her husband, Rick Hall, said, and I quote, “I like Skip Improv, too…”, and if we ever get t-shirts made, those quotes are going on there!

3AS: “That was soooooooo funny!”

There are many improv teams out there, how do you stand out from the rest?

Skip Intro: Well, I’m pretty sure we’re the only musical improv team in Glasgow! There’s one other I know who uses musical backing tracks to add flavour to a scene, but we actually make up songs. 

3AS: We’re a narrative led team, who absolutely love storytelling. Our team has trained actors, avid role-playing gamers and scriptwriters, and our passion for creating stories really shines through. We like mixing up genres, creating new characters and just having fun.

How did you come up with the name of your team?

Skip Intro: David suggested it and Judy and I were like… OK!

3AS: We each brought a list of five names, whittled it down, and then voted. Quite democratic!

Where do you see The Improv Cooperative in 5 years time?

Doing exactly what we’re doing now – providing a space to do great improv, try out new things, and supporting each other on our improv journeys.