The Peoples Improv Theater Reviews

Shows are affordable and funny and the bar is great. See Astronaut Theater whenever they're in the lineup

I didn t like the improv show I saw. I don t think anyone could relate to his performance so if he was trying to be funny I didn t hear a single person laugh. I was about to walk out in the middle of it but waited to be respectful of the performer. I think I ll give it another chance but not that show.

I admit that I definitely expected a sticky-floor, not well-maintained comedy club but I was impressed by the fast ticket counter service, pleasant staff, comfortable theater (Striker) and the really packed bar that offers really cheap drinks. Decent prices and nice decor.

Cool space, has a bar, seating in the theater is comfortable. Variety of shows and open mics available. Check it out if you are into comedy aka laughing, doing or receiving - for practice and fun.

It's hard to sum up how amazing of an experience Mac and his team were able to create for our employees during my company's 80-person corporate improv training at The PIT this December. Their improv expertise, coupled with impeccable customer service and precise attention to our unique needs, really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a number of our team members. They worked within our budget but sacrificed nothing to ensure we got the training we were hoping for. Mac and his team deserve all the accolades there really is nothing but praise to say about the planning and execution of our training at The PIT. Superb.

The People's Improv Theatre is easily the funniest place in all of Gramercy. I love coming to the Love Bar and catching up with the friendly bartenders before partaking in fresh popcorn and the changing selection of indie draft beers. While the cocktails are still a work in progress, the comedy side of the venue hits its stride easily with free improv shows on Wednesdays and awesome variety acts like "Running Late with Scott Rogowsky" and "Political Subversities". If you're an aspiring performer, there are also plenty of chances to "Follow the Fear", as founder Ali Farahnakian might say, at daily open mics.

I attended an amazing Drop-In Audition Practice taught by Patrick McCartney, and I learned so much!!! Patrick provided amazing feedback that helps me a lot with the monologue I am on working on. I highly recommend attending his workshops, and attending PIT classes in general. Great experience!!! Thank you!!!

(In addition, I also love PIT for their Improv Jams and Open Mics, and I highly appreciate the space in general - such a great atmosphere, and everyone is super friendly! Thank you so much! Keep up the great work!)

Great atmosphere with many different shows going on.

Extremely wide variety of shows, whose producers are given great freedom to express their vision. Friendly staff, beautiful spaces, and a welcoming community.

Not impov
Practiced skit
Drinks min alcohol
Wouldn t repeat

Hilarious - get tickets in advance and get their early

The Pit is the place to go for taking improv lessons. Just had my second lesson of Level 1 and would highly recommend anyone to take a class.

Wanted to thank Mac and his staff who made our off-site team building event such a great experience. The staff were upbeat and taught us may takeaway techniques. I'd definitely recommend them for any event!

Saw "The Optimist" and was quite wonderful. Theater was nearly full for a busy night. After the play the bar was packed and we got to see the actors.

A little crazy trying to attend a show here, but the bar is good while you wait.

I'm GOING to be taking classes. NOT here though. I've had nothing but bad experiences with their website. And call and they're not helpful. Just disgusted and disappointed. Certainly wouldn't take classes at a place so disorganized.

This is a great place to see live comedy without going broke. Great place.... I definitely recommend it.!!!!

I come to the PIT pretty often. It's a funny and inexpensive place to experience live comedy. I've never seen a show here that I hated! Check it out!

If you like improv, you'll love this place. The bar in front was playing Cartoon Network (already my style) and the bartender was personable. They have two stages and a few regular shows with improv and, amazingly, even musical improv. I had a great time and would recommend this place to anyone who enjoys a laugh. Check their website-- sometimes the shows are free!

Great little venue. There were many acts and more than one active comedy room. It is a little cramped but that is to be expected for nearly any place in Manhatton.

Cutting edge comedy! Two theaters and a bar mage this an easy place to hang out, see a show, and keep hanging out.

Great theatre. Amazing space. Drinks are a little pricey but not terrible.

Great comedy club bar combo! Cheap beer, good laughs, good times.

The venue is fine, but let's talk about this unabashed racist statue dressed in a santa suit.

You should be ashamed.

My wife and I went to the show. Perfect place. The presentation was very funny. The actors played great, we really enjoyed the show. Now this is my favorite improvisation show.

Many good shows and the love bar is a solid hang for between.

Excellent spot for improv in NYC. Lots of talent in a small location. I personally am a fan of the superfree night which, as the name implies, are free. Nice bar, reasonably priced, and you can bring drinks into the theater.

Cool, affordable venue for comedy shows with a very fun energy. The bar is a bit overpriced, but that's to be expected in NY. Highly recommended!

Came here just for the night. It was Wednesday so lots of free improv sessions. Everyone friendly and would recommend.

I'll just describe them as very sweet. The prices are fordable and the shows are entertaining. Where they are located you can usually find parking which is great. what I don't like is you have to have cash when you go in because they have an ATM machine but they charge you $5 to use it. But it is New York so perhaps that's why it's that way but I really think it's sad that just to get some cash you have to spend five more dollars to access the AMT in their building.

Intimate space to catch some sidesplitting improv especially on Wednesdays when all the shows are free from 6-11pm. They serve wine and beer too!

I manage a professional networking series called Shapr Connectors Club. We hired the PIT to run a one night improv class for the group. Matt and Jamie were our instructors, and they did an absolutely superb job. As soon as they arrived at the space, which they were seeing for the first time, they quickly worked together to adjust their plans around the strengths of the room and the group, and to come up with fun and easy exercises that got our group moving. Everyone was immediately comfortable and willing to go 150% without any fear of holding back. Through improv, we learned:

1. When you hype someone up and support their ideas, they continue to give more.

2. If the group succeeds, you succeed. Your peers will do better if you cheer them on.

3. Contribute, and continue to build on a great idea.

At the end of the workshop, everyone was raving about the event and feeling so energized. The PIT helped our community to grow and get connected, and it was a pleasure working with them!

Awesome. Definitely a theatre for the people. Bar to drink at after and before. A true modern theatre.

Great spot for improv. Lots of talent in a small location. I personally am a fan of the superfree night which, as the name implies, are free. Nice bar, reasonably priced, and you can bring drinks into the theater.

A lot of political anti-Trump jokes - many made by a self deprivating female comedian. Very conflicting message.

Also, the Tinderella show was only 30 minutes. I thought it would be longer. But all in all I had fun.

I did go back to see another show featuring North Coast and they were really, really good!

Terrific well prepared food. Decent wine list. Friendly staff. Priced so you don't need a second mortgage. Located in the thick of things

People are nice. Space is cool. Drinks will get you on $ but that's okay because the shows (re: North Coast!!) are always so good!

Fun place for improv, sketch, and stand-up comedy! Shows on Mondays and Wednesdays are FREE!

If you came here to see someone you might be fine but...I wandered into this place during early evening happy hour for a drink. I ordered a beer on tap and before I could finish an announcement came on that I had to pay $5 to stay for whatever show. My check came and my "happy hour" beer was $9. I am a fan of comedy but used to going to less rip you off venues with more charm in Brooklyn. Never again.

Come in for an evening of laughs!
The PIT does also organize improv jams twice a week.
And you can try the improv experience yourself by taking a class! Drop ins are $25 and you have a package of 4 classes level 0 for $99!

Venue was fine but I might have barely chuckled once in an hour long show.

Have seen many hilarious shows at The PIT, and held my son s sixth birthday party here last weekend, with an improvised musical about him and his best friend, who he shared the party with. The performers wowed all of us with their voices and sense of humor. All of our guests had a blast. The staff did an amazing job. Planning was easy, and they took care of everything on the day of. Love this place!

Great food and drinks, that has a wonderful service / ambience!

Another hidden gem .I was very impressed saw great play had great experience .Nice staff and actors , bar and snacks available .

The PIT makes me Smile, jump in a conversation and talk about strange things

My favorite place to hang any night of the week. Great crowd, low prices, cutting edge performances, best vibe.

This was my first time seeing improv and I was disappointed. I had gone to see Big Britches, but at 8 (when the show was supposed to begin) my boyfriend and I heard no announcements for the show. So we asked the ticket attendant and he told us it was about to begin downstairs. We went down and had to sit to the side because there was no room in front of the stage. After about 5-10 minutes we found out we were at the wrong show. On top of that i had a hard time seeing the show because the performers would gather around the sides of the stage blocking the show. The show wasn t funny and I m sad I was misdirected even after informing the attendant which show we were seeing and that it was our first time. Luckily it didn t break the bank.

We saw Cry Baby and it was very funny. The show was entertaining and engaging. I would definitely recommend it. It started on the time and the theater was easy to find. Plus, it s very close to Eataly.

Classic improv club. I liked the layout of the place.

A lot of fun... One or the skits were a bit cringy (aka really bad) but overall had a really fun time!

Amazing improv theatre! I'm obsessed and go every Saturday at 9pm for North Coast (hip hop improv)

Loved it. Fun venue with solid comedy lineups. Great place to learn comedy.

Come here all the time. Great NYC comedy institution on par with UCB.

Great small venue to see a show, friendly staff and reasonably priced bar.

I worked with Mac (Director of Corporate Partnerships) to arrange a mini 1-hour improv workshop for me and 2 of my colleagues. Mac helped to make sure the arrangements fit our schedule and budget. On the day of the workshop, Mac was there to greet us with a warm welcome and also took time to show us around and tell us a little more about the theater. Our Workshop Instructor Dana was high energy, knowledgeable and supportive as we experimented with the different improv activities. We enjoyed being able to express ourselves in ways we don't always let out in the office. It was a great experience, and we would recommend this to other groups!

Great spot for great shows, great drinks, and great people!

Super funny and smart :) Loved the experience there. We've had a team outing there where actors made a musical based on our office! So cool!

Fun ,funny. And all out entertainingly engaging time.

Very fun performance spaces (basement and Stryker stage) with a casual, medium sized bar and great comedy acts.

Nice little place with two theaters. One large one and a smaller one on the lower level. I watched both the improv and sketch comedy and it was pretty good. Kind of a hit or miss depending on the show but it's a good experience for a very low price.

My Son performs here and he's AWESOME, FUNNY AND TALENTED!! NOT bcs he's my Son, but they are LUCKY to have him and some of the other SUPER TALENTED IMPROVISERS!! I truly hope that ALL OF THESE TALENTED PLAYERS are APPRECIATED FOR THEIR DEDICATION!! COMEDY IS A GREAT WAY TO LAUGH AT OURSELVES AND HAVE FUN DOING IT!!
Also, the teachers are really cool,, very helpful. unlike some OTHER place(UCB,, VERY DECEITFUL)!!!

Great date night. Lots of different shows each night. Talent can vary but the reasonable cover makes it worth while.

Fun theatre with great little shows for an amazing price recommend if you are looking to spend an hour to go to a show here

The venue is not great, but the level of talent I saw on my trip to improv night was truly impressive

Words can not express the memories this place (the PIT) made for my son s 16th birthday party. We wanted something different. My son loves Broadway and also has autism. Although you do have to provide your own decor/food, I would do it all over again. The staff was amazing from my first phone call. The owners, worked with us to plan out the improv show that my son kindly made himself a part of, lol. The actors were awesome... I highly recommend it!!! Book your next event here!!

Great lineups, Political Subversities is one of the best ensemble shows around.

The improv class is so fun and gets everyone out of their shell. Highly recommend!

I love this place. Great Energy. Great drinks. Delicious food!!! The crawfish mashed potatoes are devine.

The PIT is a great place to grab a drink and see an awesome Improv show. I like to go on Wednesdays because after 6pm, all the shows on the upper level are free 99. Awesome. The shows are pretty funny too. Or awkward, which translates into funny. So, it's all good,

There's a nice bar in the lounge area. They even have a few bar eats too, though I've never tried them. Catch a happy hour special to make your improv sesh even more fun.

It's a good place to hang out with friends, or to take a date!

My least favorite improv theater but you can catch some good stuff there.

I booked a private session with 7 other business owners to help improve our ability to communicate with our clients. Ali was fantastic! I highly recommend improv training for any business team, large or small. Mac and everyone at the Pit were great and easy to work with.

This review is specifically for the Improv Drop in classes. I attended 2 .. although a little pricey, i thoroughly enjoyed the 3 hours. I attended one with Jason Specland, and he was an absolute delight as an instructor. There wasn't a single dull moment. Although it has been over a month, i remember everything he taught. I would definitely recommend taking a class with him. He sure knows his stuff.

I cannot say enough great things about the PIT and their team. We booked a 20 person team building improv session and coming out of it, of all the team building activities that we have done around the city (we do them quarterly), we took more away from this time collectively than any other that we've ever been to.

I worked with Mac at PIT to plan the event and he was amazing to work with. Super responsive and always kind and patient in answering all of my many questions! The session leaders were Matt and Jamie and we couldn't have asked for two better people to lead our teams. They asked what we hoped to get out of the class ahead of time and they based the activities on the our needs. We walked away with a deeper understanding of each other and a whole new set of tools to help us communicate with one another.

I highly recommend the PIT if you are looking for fun, unique and effective team building! Thank you Mac, Matt and Jamie!!