It's a fun local theater, very welcoming. And to the girl who complained about loud singing, welcome to New York City. There are several bars in the area and I am fairly sure that the singing comes from drunken people, not actors.
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Friendly staff, great beer selection, intimate setting, excellent shows. Met one of the owners and the performers after the show. Can't say enough great things about this place. Apparently they have classes too. I'm going too have to try one out when I visit next.
I took Sketch Writing Level 1 with Armando Diaz and had a tremendous time. Armando is very attentive and has a great intuition with writing. He emphasizes that everyone has their own unique writing style and encourages his students to hone it.
The energy at the magnet is unparalleled. I've attended classes and drop ins at multiple improv schools, but there is just something about this place.
I came by for a Monday improv night show in which the team's form was based around creating Wikipedia entries that in turn inspired their scenes. While it's ridiculous to rate an entire theater by one set on a given night by one team, I had fun. It was cool to see the team's form, and I would definitely return to the theater.
I came here to enjoy a show called Premiere: The Improvised Musical. I was thoroughly impressed by the actors and musicians skills because they made it all look so easy. The best part is that I laughed from start to finish.
This business is a public nuisance that regularly disturbs tenants living nearby with outside singing by groups of people and disturbances sometimes for hours at a time, especially Wednesdays and Weekends during the day. It is not being mindful of the neighboring people and businesses and should be taking the singing inside. I had to listen to people repeatedly singing Smash Mouth very loudly outside of my door while studying for my final exam. This is enough to make someone go nuts. Also, some of this behavior occurs after 10PM. I don't know how this business can get away with disturbing the sleep and peace of the nearby people. Please, be mindful before someone not as nice as me decides to make a formal complaint. I am not the only tenant in this nearby building that has brought up this place as a problem and disturbance.
Edit: Evan, if your theater cannot hold that many people, maybe its time to consider moving to a larger space instead of being nasty to everyone near the business. Your business has disturbed my sleep and quality of life greatly. Being a theater or having more popularity than you can handle does not exempt you from being a bad neighbor.
We had a great time on MegaWatt Wednesday. We got there at 6 for the free mixer and show, and started until the 9:00 show was over. We didn't realize until we went to buy our tickets, but buying a ticket for any show lets you stay for as many shows as you want! Great evening, especially for $7. My friend with me was new to improv and really enjoyed it too. * I didn't know until i was booking at 4:58pm, but same-day ticket sales end at 5. I couldn't place my order and had to get to the theatre early to buy in-person. That caveat isn't revealed until it's actually after 5 and too late. *
The Magnet theater has regular classes and shows here every day. For this class our host Megan walked the whole group through some warm up exercises and some basics of Improv. She was very nice and welcoming. With her help (and tiger beer), everyone loosened up and got comfortable on stage.
I love the performers and style at The Magnet. They are what drew mento study and perform there. Consistently great shows within a wonderful community.
The improv shows are absolutely hilarious. I've been there 4 times, and Friday night confessions are absolutely the best. I 100% reccomend every time. 100% will return with friends.
At Magnet, you'll learn to do original, honest, and ridiculously funny work through games and exercises in class, and through performances on the Magnet stages.
This was one of the most fun experiences I have ever had in a long time, I laugh a lot in this event, I loved the way, me and my friends were the star in the stage, we organized in small groups of 2-6 people, and did improvisations in different games.
I decided to give it a shot and so glad I did, with 4 others we were saying to the public "How we meet". I enjoyed every minute of it!
At first I noticed that most of the yelper were a little shy, but after a few minutes, everybody want to do it.
It's alright. Pretty small and can get crowded at times. The shows themselves aren't that bad. Some need better writing. The audience laughed at most of the jokes though. I did like the audience interactions.
Magnet Theater is a place where you can see some form of improvisational theater every day of the week. Be warned that this is considered the "Mainstage" theater, as the Magnet Theater Training and Rehearsal Center is located about 3 blocks north and an avenue west of the theater.
I attended a show on Thursday, which was filled with audience members. Shows generally lasted for an hour and featured an improv troupe that would create characters, then bring their newly created characters into other scenes. A really interesting form of improv
The theater offers a few different kinds of wine and beer, including a cider for those will anti-gluten issues. They also sell apparel with the Magnet Logo.
If you are looking for an affordable night of quality entertainment in Midtown Manhattan, I recommend the Magnet Theater!
No rating on visible sustainable business practices. But, I assume some exist!
In my opinion, Magnet Theater is, by far, the best comedy theatre in NYC. There's a very intimate, welcoming vibe to the place. The shows are consistently great. And, the improvised musicals are incredible! Always top notch! Their classes are all taught be patient, encouraging, and extremely talented instructors. So, if you're considering taking an improv class...Magnet is it. If you're considering seeing an improv show...Magnet is definitely it!
Today I went to a free Intro to Improv at the Magnet Theater, I registered a week ago on a whim. I got there early so I wouldn't be late. The class started at 12:15 pm or so be warned that the entire building is 259 not just the shops, The class was full about 15 people mixed with women and men of all ages. We went through several exercises to build up our understanding of Improv. All the exercises were fun and challenging and a riot. Armando is a great teacher as well as his co-teacher. I've never been to an improv class so I wasn't sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. If you want to try an improv class I would highly recommend that you give Magnet Theater a call. There is no pressure to get you to sign up for advanced classes and plus you get a free ticket to a show. And all of this for F-R-E-E what a deal in NYC. I'm thinking about going back for some more classes.
Saw Hallmarked (improv-ed Christmas movie) the other evening. It was a lot of fun, the actors were funny, the drinks were reasonably priced, and it wasn't crowded at all!
Amazing shows 7 nights a week. A great variety, always funny, always interesting. Lots of shows taking a more patient, theatrical approach to improv than other theaters in the city.
Hilarious improv, musical improv, and sketch comedy. Affordable classes and shows, 7 bucks can get you an entire 3 hours of amazing live entertainment.
Came here to see Mike Birbiglia perform Improv tonight and it was a BLAST!! Not only was he funny, but the other improv talents included Keegan-Michael Key (from MadTV & The Key and Peele Show!!!), Gillian Jacobs (from Community!!), Kate Micucci (from Scrubs!!), and Tami Sagher (she was a hilarious star all on her own!!)!!! Let's just say that having all of this wonderful talent on one stage was incredibly hilarious and their ability to think on the spot was fantastic!! My cheeks still hurt from laughing so much, and the tickets were only $5; plus it helped that we made a reservation beforehand (ty Twitter for that lol)!!!
Definitely a great place, and we'll be going back tomorrow for their Improv Poetry night!! Can't wait!!
We had the pleasure and thrill of seeing The Cast at the Pittsburgh Comedy Festival. What an incredible show! It was improv at it's finest and funniest. Every trip to NYC will now include a visit to the Magnet.
Came here for their improv musicals on Friday evening. My partner found this place and the tickets were only $10. What a steal!! when you get there they have drinks for sale so if you want a beer or wine you can get it there. This was my first time going to an improv place and I was so happily surprised! I loved it! The performers were amazing and the 1 hour went by so quickly. They have other shows on different nights so will have to come back here to check them out!
I came for the Friday night improv. I was completely satisfied and laugh the entire time. I love the diversity of the staff and characters portrayed. It's a quick place to stop in and have a great time. Check them out!
Came with a friend for an Improv show. We has a blast! The theater is pretty small (~50 people) so I highly recommend making reservations earlier in the day. There're no assigned seat, so come early!
I thoroughly enjoyed the intro to improv class at The Magnet Training Center led by Megan Gray! I had no idea what to expect and she managed to take the very large group of 23 through several exercises that were funny and challenging. Minus one star because it was an old building, a crazy hot day and the AC in the room was not cutting it. I would recommend arriving a bit early to chat with people before class, the group was inviting and friendly.
Absolutely adore the Magnet Theater. I have taken Level 1 Improv, am currently in Level 2. Was hooked after taking their free intro class. The teachers are great and the improv is not about churning out laughs or jokes. It's more about authentic storytelling and allowing the humor to develop organically, which is the kind of comedy I appreciate.
As a tourist, this place pretty much blew me away with its improv and sketch. Everything feels extremely organic. The theatre is not huge, so do come earlier to get your tickets before they run out.