Introducing Ignis: Scotland’s New Co-operative Artist Agency
A new artist-led co-operative is shaking up Scotland's performing arts scene, uniting actors, writers, and directors to challenge traditional industry gatekeeping.
Founding members from L-R Annabel Logan, Elissa Grace, Sarah Marie Mooney, Myette Godwyn (Ciran Low not pictured)
For many artists starting out in the Scottish theatre, film, and television industries, the traditional career path can feel lonely and bleak. The conventional model – often hierarchical and distant from the daily grind of making work – doesn’t always serve the realities of working-class or regional talent.
That’s where Ignis Artists Agency comes in, a new artist-led co-operative aiming to flip that script entirely.
Co-founded by five performing arts professionals in Scotland – Cieran Low, Annabel Logan, Myette Godwyn, Elissa Grace, and director Sarah Marie Mooney – Ignis is built on an innovative model where the members run the agency themselves. Rather than separating talent into strict silos, the co-op brings actors, writers, and directors together to share knowledge and resources, and to actively champion one another’s careers.
The seeds for Ignis were planted during the founders' time participating in Lisa Nicoll’s Creative Hub, facilitated by Perth Theatre. That supportive, match-fit environment proved transformative, offering a space to share work, test ideas, and build genuine creative relationships.
"There shouldn’t be one ‘right’ route into the industry, or a feeling that you have to figure everything out on your own," founding member Cieran Low – an actor, director, and facilitator based in Glasgow – reflects. “Being able to build Ignis alongside a group of artists I really believe in is incredibly exciting, and I hope we can make the industry feel that little bit more accessible, connected and possible for the artists we work with.”
That’s what makes Ignis stand out from the traditional booking-house structure of other agencies out there. While the co-operative will put its clients forward for professional roles and build relationships with casting directors and producers across Scotland and beyond, it also functions as an incubator for new work.
By connecting actors with writers and directors under a single roof, the founders hope to spark multi-disciplinary collaborations and provide a sustainable creative home where members can strengthen their portfolios and share industry insights.
Ignis has officially opened its books and is currently welcoming applications from actors, directors, and writers across Scotland who want to join the co-op. The first round of submissions closed on October 7th, but Ignis assures applicants that their books will open again in 2027.
For those who have already applied, interviews and auditions are taking place starting this month, with dates hosted at Perth Theatre and the Utilita Energy Hub in Edinburgh, alongside online options and Glasgow dates to be announced.
With over 70 submissions and five spots to be filled, the response so far already reflects the buzz Ignis has created right out of the gate.
As Ignis launches into its inaugural season, it offers a hopeful blueprint for the future of Scottish arts–one defined not by gatekeeping, but by community, shared ownership, and mutual support.
You can keep up-to-date with Ignis via their website or on Instagram
