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 discuss why they are one of our ones to watch in 2024!

You are one of this years ones to watch! how does that make you feel?

Totally and absolutely humbled. And grateful! I’m so proud of The Coop and everyone in it, and I’m glad that other people will hear about this fun and amazing space.

How was 2023 for you?

I mean, The Cooperative formed in April 2023, so really it’s been spectacular! So many fun and new experiences, so much laughter. OK, a bit of stress and anxiety when starting this up (“Will it succeed?”, “Will people come?”, should there be a hyphen in the word Cooperative, etc) but honestly, this has totally just been an excellent and fun ride!

What was the top 3 highlights for you?

1. When some of our ensemble teams genuinely thanked us for providing them with their first paid improv show.
2.  Running a sold out musical improv workshop
3.  The feeling we get after each show and thinking: Yea, this is great!

What was the key lesson you learnt from last year?

It takes a village to grow a community, and we are so grateful for the enthusiasm and support people have given us.

What are your plans improv wise for 2024?

We’ve got a ton of ideas in the works! I mean, firstly, we want to continue to put on excellent shows, supportive and fun jams, and high quality workshops, as we’ve already been doing. But for extra? We’d like to try and get a whole month of musical improv focused events, we’d like to do more collaborative stuff with our friends at The Big Friendly Improv Collective in Edinburgh, and I think a few of our members would like to try and put on a short series of classes. 

What other improv acts are you looking forward to seeing perform online or in person to this year?

When The Edinburgh Fringe is on, I really want to see Spamilton and Baby Wants Candy. 

What styles do you hope to see more of in improv this year?

There is a total dearth of musical improv in Glasgow, and I’d love for there to be more opportunities for that! Sure, we could get to Edinburgh (and believe me, when The Remix [musical improv] Festival is on, you SHOULD), but it’s a bit of a commute, and Glasgow is totally ready for it.

What improv troupe is your ones to watch in 2024 and why?

Oh, man, well, I am a huge fan of The Big Friendly Improv Collective in Edinburgh! They do very similar stuff to us, and are also in the stages of growing and finding their rhythm. I think they’re going to be the next big break-out for Edinburgh improv! Also I’m fairly confident Looking for Laughs (Glasgow based Love is Blind meets Improv) will explode at some point.

Do you have any new years resolutions? If so what are they?

Do you mean personally, or regarding The Coop? If it’s re: The Coop, just to continue making this as an accessible and supportive place as possible. If it’s personally, well, I’m having a baby, so I guess my new years resolution is to try and still make time for things I enjoy, though I know it will be a bit more difficult to schedule!

Are you on social media? If so how can people find out more about your troupe?

We’re on both Facebook and Instagram and you can find us by searching for @TheImprovCooperative