Behind the Mic: Glasgow Improv Theatre

Tell me about Glasgow Improv Theatre...
The Glasgow Improv Theatre is the home of improv in Scotland and one of the largest improv theatres in the UK. We run a packed schedule of shows and teach improv classes, all the way from beginners to advanced courses. Last year we had a record-breaking number of shows and students. Our mission is to bring the artform of improv into the Scottish mainstream!

How did it come about?
It started when I studied improv at the legendary Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre (UCB) in Los Angeles at the end of 2015. I returned to Glasgow to discover there wasn’t much of an improv scene here, or many other teams or performers to do shows with. I started a Harold Night – essentially an improvised sketch show – and ran that monthly in Glasgow pub The Griffin, then Blackfriars, and now finally in The Old Hairdresser's. Eventually we started running jams and teaching classes, then opened auditions to put our own house teams together.

What was the first GIT night like?
The first Harold Night was in The Griffin in April 2016. It had two teams performing, the Improv Ninjas and Improv Killed My Dog. I remember being surprised that there were people in the audience! We were enthusiastic but it’s fair to say we didn’t know what we were doing yet! I had only studied UCB 101, and I would then make an annual pilgrimage to LA to complete their curriculum – learning The Harold format in full. My notes from those classes formed what Glasgow Improv Theatre teaches today.

Who would be your dream GIT guest?
We would LOVE to have Limmy on. He is Scotland’s comedy genius in my opinion and a masterful natural improviser. I think he could walk right in and 'get it' and do amazing in any of our shows. Improv has the feeling of joking around with your friends – everyone trying to pitch a funnier joke: “What if THIS happened,” “What if THIS GUY came back” etc. And if you’ve watched Limmy before, you’ll know his style of comedy would fit perfectly into longform improv.

What's been your best takeaway from running GIT?
That it’s more fun to work with people than trying to do everything yourself! Improv builds such a wonderful and supportive community. Other comedy artforms, like standup, though I love it, can feel quite lonely and competitive. Improv has a much more 'team sports' mentality. So my advice would be: find your people. Seek out people who you connect with and speak your language, and work with them.

Who on the comedy scene do you think we should look out for? 
Our hidden gem team at the moment is probably Bounce House. They are doing incredible work at their monthly show. They look up Reddit posts from the Am I The Asshole subreddit, and then do improvised sketches based off that. It’s a great show for audience interaction, and their team is stacked with some of the sharpest improvisers at the GIT.

What’s the funniest improv gig you've seen and why?
I feel incredibly lucky to have seen so many improv legends perform in LA, including Jason Mantzoukas, Ben Schwartz, and Amy Poehler. The funniest improv show I’ve seen, and one of my favourite teams, is called Convoy (Alex Fernie, Alex Berg and Todd Fasen) – who broke my brain. They made a 'meta' move, almost breaking the 4th wall, but would commit extremely hard to the bit, and keep heightening and exploring it til it reached its breaking point. I love watching very smart people put all their brainpower into very stupid comedy!

How do we make the Scottish comedy scene better?
I’d love to see more cross-pollination. Standup, improv, and sketch are all very siloed at the moment. I think these groups tend to look down on each other or treat each other with suspicion. I think all three artforms are great fun, and it would be cool to see them mix more!

What's next for GIT?
April 2026 marks our ten year anniversary! Much like that annoying friend that has a 'birthday week', we’re having a 'birthday year'! We have the first ever Glasgow Improv Marathon in May, ten hours of non-stop improv at The Old Hairdresser's, then in April, we have Harold month, where we will have teams performing the Harold every week, to celebrate ten years of that show.

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Glasgow Improv Theatre, The Old Hairdresser’s, every Tuesday

Perfect Improv, The Old Hairdresser’s, 17 Feb, 7pm

Glasgow Improv Marathon 2026, The Old Hairdresser's, 30 May, 1-11pm

Full list of Glasgow Improv Theatre workshops and shows can be found at improvglasgow.co.uk

@improvglasgow on Instagram and Tiktok