Da Bureau
Go Comedy’s 14th Launch Group
The (Da) Bureau was formed in 2019 as part of Go Comedy Improv Theater’s “Launch Group” program, where improvisers audition to be on a house team that performs every Sunday for a year. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, that run ended up getting temporarily stalled, however during the lockdown we continued meeting virtually, and recorded a sketch comedy album during this time. After the state opened back up our run got extended, making us Go Comedy’s longest running launch group in its history. We performed our last weekly Sunday show at Go on June 5th, 2022, but we are not done! Keep checking back on us, because we have more shows and more projects in the works!
Q: What was the group dynamic like?
The main goal when assembling The/Da Bureau was to make a destination group: an improv troupe that people would know they had to see whenever they performed. It's no accident that the best performers for the job turned out to be very nice people who enjoy spending time with one another.
Q: Describe the form the group used.
We never worked with a specific form, per se, but we did experiment with different openings to get the ball rolling. What’s interesting is that callbacks and references to city government seem to arise naturally in their sets without requiring a pre-arranged form. If you woke them out of a sound sleep, I guarantee they would reference The Mayor in their set.
Q: What sets this group apart from the others?
Da Bureau has - and has always had - their own, personal voice. My job as their coach has been to make sure that voice is well-articulated and heard. I have no hesitation in saying that a Bureau show is completely unlike any other comedy show you would see. On a more concrete level, Da Bureau - due to the lockdown - inadvertently had the longest launch group run at Go Comedy.
Da Bureau consists of members Jared Simard, Jenny Haddo, Miranda Fyfe, Lauren Arnett, Devin Jenkins, Jess Nosal, Devin Rosni, Allen Smock, Alex Bergmans
Alex Bergmans
Allen Smock
Devin Jenkins
Devin Rosni
Jared Simard
Jared Simard started taking improv classes at Go Comedy! in 2017. His class troupe, Cougar Den, won the Bits long-form improv tournament in 2018. After graduating improv classes he became a member of Da Bureau, completed the Go Comedy! sketch writing program, wrote and performed in the original sketch show Gorgeous Orphans, performed in the Naughty and Nice: The Best of Go Comedy's! Holiday Sketches, and became a member of Go Comedy's! Resident Company. Then the pandemic happened and Da Bureau dropped their sketch comedy album and Jared did some online improv that nobody talks about anymore. After the pandemic Jared joined the Planet Ant Improv Farm Team, performed improv and murder mysteries with Big Fun Social/Big Fun Murder, wrote and understudied for The Santa of the Opera. He later became a member of Go Comedy's long-form house troupe The Clubhouse and was a member of Planet Ant's One-Act Farm Team where he assistant directed the original show Reflect and wrote/directed the original one-act comedy Dumpland. He also wrote and performed in Go Comedy's! original sketch shows Da Bureau Has Something To Say and Into the Santaverse.
Q: What is a standout memory you have about your time in the Launch Group?
Normally before we'd go on to perform on Sunday night's somebody would fart right before we had to go out but one time Allen told us that he was going to be a dad and that was a lot better than smelling a stinky fart.
Find me on social media @jardsmard
Jenny Haddo
Jess Nosal
Lauren Arnett
I'm a comedian in DA BIG APPLE where I perform improv, standup, and sketch regularly.
Q: What is a standout memory you have about your time in the Launch Group?
I loved our rehearsals. We had a special warmup that grew more detailed every time we did it. Also, Da Bureau has a very famous voice that many others try to emulate but inevitably fail because we invented it and it was not inspired by anyone else, despite accusations. Not a voice as in comedic tone, but a voice as in a literal guy's voice. It sounds like: uh oh, da mayor of da town slept with my wife! why I oughta...
instagram: @laurenjarnett
Miranda Fyfe
Chris Petersen
Da Bureau’s Coach
Chris Petersen is a performer, coach, and teacher in Metro Detroit.
Q: What is a standout memory you have about your time in the Launch Group?
A couple of memories stand out for me. First is the closing night of their run (always a highly charged night for any launch group). In a set that was already going well, they pulled off a couple of large group (six-plus players) scenes beautifully…..no small feat. The second memory is when someone told me they had overheard at an improv gathering “Oh Da Bureau! You HAVE to go see them”. Mission accomplished.
