The Peoples Improv Theater (PIT), also known as the PIT, is a comedy theater and training center in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, founded by comedian

Ali Farahnakian Ali Reza Farahnakian (born October 26, 1969) is an American actor, writer, and improvisational comedian. He is the founder of The Peoples Improv Theater (The PIT) in NYC and co-starred in the Adult Swim comedy series ''Delocated''. He has been mar ...

in 2002. Shows combine

improvisational comedy Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv or impro in British English, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted, created spontaneously by the performers. In its ...

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...

stand-up Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

, and

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

. Each show is hosted by a combination of "house teams" of comedians hired by PIT and by outside comedians. After closing several of their theaters due to the COVID-19 pandemic, The PIT now only resides in its PIT Loft location in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Notable alumni of the PIT include ''

The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...

'' actress

Ellie Kemper Elizabeth Claire Kemper (born May 2, 1980) is an American actress, best known for her roles of Erin Hannon in the sitcom ''The Office'' (2009–2013) and Kimmy Schmidt in the sitcom '' Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'' (2015–2019). She has also app ...

,house improv team: Big Black Car comedian and voice actress

Kristen Schaal Kristen Joy Schaal ( ,; born January 24, 1978) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Known for her distinctive high-pitched, childlike voice, she voices Louise Belcher on ''Bob's Burgers'' and voiced Mabel Pines on '' Gravity Falls''. ...

, and comedian and actor

Hannibal Buress Hannibal Amir Buress ( ; born February 4, 1983) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He started performing comedy in 2002 while attending Southern Illinois University. He starred on Adult Swim's '' The Eric Andre Show'' from 20 ...

History

The Peoples Improv Theater's Loft location was founded by

and Armando Diaz in 2002. The PIT moved its headquarters to 123 East 24th Street, New York on December 31, 2010. From September 1, 2015, the original location of the PIT became known as The Pit Loft and officially became the third venue of the PIT. Wednesdays were designated as "Super Free Wednesday" in the Striker location, with free shows offered to the public. Musical improv troupe ''Vern'' performed weekly since 2014. Legendary house team Sid Viscous performed weekly for two years in 2007 and 2008, stretching the boundaries of improv with their unique forms including “On Ice” where the group performed on roller skates and their Halloween themed show “Funny Bones” which was performed completely in black lights. In 2018, Farahnakian opened The PIT Chapel Hill, also known as The PITCH, in his home state, at 462 West Franklin Street,

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

. In February 2021, the PIT announced the closure of its Flatiron location, leaving only the Loft open in Manhattan. In June 2021, the PIT Loft reopened, hosting classes, jams, and open mics. The PIT also published comedy sketches to a collective YouTube channel name
PITtv

Notes

References

External links

Video interview with Ali (Reza) Farahnakian
{{coord, 40.74052, -73.98474, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-NY, display=title Performance art in New York City Former theatres in Manhattan Kips Bay, Manhattan Chelsea, Manhattan 2002 establishments in New York City Arts organizations established in 2002 Improv theatre companies in New York City

History

See also

Notes

References

External links