Glasgow Improv Theatre

Founding (April 2016)

Martin James founded Glasgow Improv Theatre in April 2016, launching the first Harold Night at The Griffin pub after training at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles at the end of 2015. John McInnes joined as co-leader of the organisation.

The Old Hairdressers

As the company outgrew its original pub venue, shows moved to The Old Hairdressers on Renfield Lane in Glasgow city centre, where weekly shows continue. Harold Night has run every month since April 2016, pausing only during the pandemic.

Programming

The GIT offers a full training curriculum from beginner Improv 101 drop-ins through to advanced performance-focused courses. Weekly shows include Harold Night and Perfect Improv, the latter featuring acclaimed guest monologists. The company participates in the Glasgow Comedy Festival.

Glasgow Improv Theatre is Scotland's primary improv organisation, founded in 2016 by Martin James on the Harold format and UCB tradition, offering a full weekly training and performance programme at The Old Hairdressers.

Glasgow Improv Theatre's recurring Harold Night, which began at The Griffin pub in April 2016, remains the organization's flagship show and the vehicle through which GIT first established an improv performance culture in Glasgow. Perfect Improv, another regular series, has featured established comedians including Josie Long and Zara Gladman as guest performers alongside house ensembles. Bounce House Solves Everything, an ensemble piece in which performers resolve audience-submitted disputes using improv comedy, appeared at the 2026 Glasgow Comedy Festival. Spread Under the Covers, described as improvised comedy inspired by print media, is a further recurring production the company performs. The Glasgow Improv Marathon is an annual extended-format event that showcases the breadth of the GIT community.

The Glasgow Improv Theatre was founded in 2016 by Martin James, a graduate of the Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles, who launched the organization with a monthly Harold Night at The Griffin pub in April of that year. The GIT moved to The Old Hairdressers on Renfield Lane and grew into Scotland's primary improv institution, now co-led by James and John McInnes, offering a full four-level training curriculum from beginner drop-ins through Harold-focused advanced work, with visiting guest instructors drawn from UCB Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago, including Suzi Barrett, Billy Merritt, and Casey Feigh.

The GIT's scholarship program, which provides free training to new and underrepresented performers, reflects an explicit commitment to broadening access to improv in Scotland. Annual house team auditions give advanced students a coached performance track, and the organization's participation in the Glasgow Comedy Festival has extended its visibility within Scotland's broader comedy community. By anchoring Scotland's improv scene in UCB methodology while building a locally rooted ensemble culture, the GIT has served as the primary gateway through which Scottish performers have engaged with North American long-form improv traditions.