What is RaaaatScraps?
RaaaatScraps is the World’s Best Improv Show.
Cool story, asshole…what is it??
It’s a fully improvised show where a guest monologist tells true stories from their life and the performers use them as inspiration to make up scenes on the spot.
Previous monologists have included Gloria Steinem, Mark Hamill, Kevin Bacon, Meredith Vieira, Daniel Dae Kim, Iliza Schlesinger, Rian Johnson, Chloe Fineman, Alan Alda, Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer, Keegan-Michael Key, Aubrey Plaza, Jessica Williams, Bradley Whitford, Bowen Yang, Jonathan Groff, Sarah Cooper, Maya Hawke and so many more.
Our rotating cast of improvisers have been seen on Broad City, Marvelous Ms. Maisel, Severance, Somebody Somewhere, High Maintenance, Search Party, Crashing, 30 Rock, The Other Two, The Blacklist, Succession, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, WeCrashed, Black Mirror, Fallon, John Oliver, Colbert, in multiple Marvel movies, and many more. The cast is STACKED, as they say.
Why does it exist?
For over two decades, the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre was the king of comedy theatres in New York City. Its flagship show was called ASSSSCAT and it was the most popular improv show in all of NYC. Then a bat shit in someone’s mouth* and Covid destroyed the East Coast’s UCB Theatre.
While the body was still warm, long-time member and host of the show, Shannon O’Neill, started to plan the return of ASSSSCAT, or a new version of it, with her son, producer Patrick Cotnoir**, as early as April 2020. The people need this show, they said! I also need this show, she said!
And…..?
Wow, pushy much?
In early 2021, Shannon and her baby boy, Patrick*** were brainstorming hard…so hard that Patrick got hemorrhoids! To continue the Sunday Night Tradition, they would need to think of a new name, (ASSSSCAT rightly belongs to UCB) find a new venue but put on the same awesome, magical, and chaotic show with the old gang…plus include more people from around the improv community.
They didn’t want to ignore the loins that the show was born from. So, with a tribute to the bonkers medusa name that is ASSSSCAT, they came up with RaaaatScraps - see the similarities?
It’s an homage to our previous mommy…but, now we are your new mommy.
And your new mommy contacted The Caveat Theatre to see if they had space for the show and they did!
This is boring
Well, the show isn’t, so we hope you’ll come to watch it. Check out the rotating cast.
We are your mommy now, and you should let us know when you’ll be home for dinner.
*Please double check with your Doctor on how Covid-19 was created.
**It’s true!
***He is mommy’s big boy!
Note: Headliner Shows for the Hartford Improv Festival are ticketed separately from other shows. Full-Festival Passes, Saturday Day Passes, Sunday Day Passes, and Performer Passes are do not include Headliner Shows. Performers will be issued a discount code for Headliner Shows.