The San Francisco Improv Co-Operative

The San Francisco Improv Co-Operative (SFIC) was an all-volunteer production company dedicated to improvisational theater ("improv").

Founded by Sam Shaw and Shaun Landry, the co-operative's main event, "The Monday Night Improv Jam", had been a staple of San Francisco improv since 2000. The SFIC produced master classes by some improv teachers including Charna Halpern (IO), Mick Napier (Annoyance Theatre), David Razowsky (Second City Los Angeles), and Ian Roberts and Matt Besser (Upright Citizens Brigade).

The SFIC favored low-cost drop-in workshops, including the "Longform Lab", "SkillShop", and "6 Harolds". Another improv jam, "The Night of 1000 Games", which focused on shortform improvisation, was debuted in 2004.

The SF Improv Co-Op produced the "2004 & 2005 The San Francisco Improv Festival", which, at 12 weeks long, was the longest-running improv festival. The San Francisco Improv Festival now runs seven weeks under The San Francisco Improv Alliance.

In 2006 The SFIC produced Matt Besser's one man performance [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/06/04/PKGAIJ2FQR1.DTL&type=performance Woo Pig Sooie!] "'June 4th 2006 Sam Hurwitt SFgate:"'

We definitely try not to be dogmatic or try to embrace any particular form or school," agrees SFIC co-founder Sam Shaw. "Sometimes it seems like we do lean toward one or the other, but we go back and forth."

Shaun Landry left the SFIC in June 2005 to form The San Francisco Improv Alliance, giving all rights and entities of the name and business of The San Francisco Improv Co-Operative to Shaw.Sam Shaw left the SFIC June 2006 to form the troupe Crisis Hopkins. (first performance February 2007) with the organization disbanding. The Monday Night Improv Jam continued in 2007 under the auspices of Combined Artform Entertainment until it disbanded Spring of 2007.