Magnet Theater in New York
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New York, New York County, New York, US
I love the performers and style at The Magnet. The performers and teachers are what drew me to study and perform there. Consistently great shows within a wonderful community.
A great small local theater with improv classes and more
Friendly staff, great beer selection, intimate setting, excellent shows. Met one of the owners and the performers after the show. Cant say enough great things about this place. Apparently they have classes too. Im going too have to try one out when I visit next.
Fun idea for an inexpensive night of comedy. Beer, wine and soda sold at the theater and there is a very nice bar next door to get drinks or small plates, before or after a show. Friendly community. There are shows six nights a week. Musical Improv teams perform on Tuesday nights!!!
Improv comedy theater. $7 entry, cheaper than par prices. Cold bottled beer and wine by the glass that is fairly priced (see pic). Friendly staff. Nice location. Well air conditioned theater. Two troops performed for the show. Always nice to see young inspiration. Thanks for a nice night!
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. Its more about authentic storytelling and allowing the humor to develop organically, which is the kind of comedy I appreciate.
Honestly, I love bringing people to come see shows because they are never short on amazing. I am away for college and without fail, always go for a show or 3 when I am back home. This is one place I hope to never stop raving about. They are incredible! I dont have a favorite group to specify but just letting my love out there.
In my opinion, Magnet Theater is, by far, the best comedy theatre in NYC. Theres 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 youre considering taking an improv class...Magnet is it. If youre considering seeing an improv show...Magnet is definitely it!
Great improv show tonight (The Friday night sh*w). Its great to see the differences between improv in the USA and improv in Europe (which is based on Canadian improv). The comedians were great and able to adapt to any ideas.I preferred here than at the UCB Theater because the comedians were not seating all the time and were creating an environnement with objects and furnitures...However, in both places I thought there were to many laughing and not enough emotions...
We had the pleasure and thrill of seeing The Cast at the Pittsburgh Comedy Festival. What an incredible show! It was improv at its finest and funniest. Every trip to NYC will now include a visit to the Magnet.
Great shows at a great price
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. Therere no assigned seat, so come early!
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.
The improv shows are absolutely hilarious. Ive been there 4 times, and Friday night confessions are absolutely the best. I 100% reccomend every time. 100% will return with friends.
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.
Its more of a meetup or an overt social environment than a place where you learn techniques for improv. I was more impressed with UCB and the PIT. I made my complaints to the director but her response was what I expected. She probably gets emails with complaints like this all the time. Spend your money elsewhere for learning improv and if you are looking to meet someone, invest in a dating app.
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 improvThe 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!
I always take any overseas visitors to this improv club. Tuesday nights are Megawatt musical improv and they create half-hour full musicals on the spur of the moment -its such a great night out. exceptionally skilled improvisors. There are four one-hour shows for the price of $7 in total! Best theater bargain. The rest of the weeks shows are also fantastic -I am just a big magnet musical improv fan.
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 wasnt crowded at all!Ill definitely be back.
Magnet theater is one of the best places in all of new york city. its comedy is consistently experimental, playful and fun; the people are as friendly as it gets; the community is welcome. you can learn improv, musical improv, sketch, character, and storytelling. cant recommend enough.
Its alright. Pretty small and can get crowded at times. The shows themselves arent that bad. Some need better writing. The audience laughed at most of the jokes though. I did like the audience interactions.
At Magnet, youll 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.They also sell beers and drinks.
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.
My favorite improv theater in the city. $7 gets you in for as many shows as you like during the week. Trike on Saturdays at 9 is by far the best improv show Ive ever seen.
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 dont 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.
This theater has some of New Yorks best up and coming comedy performers! Cheap shows at $5 or $7 definitely beat out the price of UCB and others.
I came by for a Monday improv night show in which the teams form was based around creating Wikipedia entries that in turn inspired their scenes. While its 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 teams form, and I would definitely return to the theater.
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. Its a quick place to stop in and have a great time. Check them out!
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 wouldnt 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. Ive never been to an improv class so I wasnt 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. Im thinking about going back for some more classes.
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!!)!!! Lets 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 well be going back tomorrow for their Improv Poetry night!! Cant wait!!
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.
Ive seen a few shows here and its always a good time! Except when people tell you to shut up and stop laughing. Cool shows, rude guests.
The best improv in the city hands DOWN! Everyone is friendly and they even offer FREE INTRO CLASSES! you cant beat that! Rick Andrews and Louis Kornfeld are genius in their show Kornfeld and Andrews if you have time 9pm Sunday nights check them out! And every Wednesday and Thursday the Magnet theater has a FREE mixer where you can go up on stage and perform a 2 minute 2 person scene... 6pm wed nights and 7pm Thurs. nights! Theyve helped me get over my stage fright! So if you wanna save a buck and learn from the best Magnet is the way to go!
Like the magnet better than UCB in every way. Seating is great, you always have a great view. Shows are hot or miss just like all improv.
The comedy is good, but heres the thing - the elevator has a tendency to be overcrowded from other businesses in the building, and even though we were waiting over 30 minutes to go down and the elevator kept malfunctioning, the people who work here wouldnt let anyone take the stairs, which seems pretty dangerous and illegal tbh!Honestly, I thought about signing up for classes, but I probably wont now that I see Ill be trapped in the 10th floor of a midtown building for eternity.
Magnet is an awesome theater and community! One cool thing they do is have shows that feature underrepresented voices in the comedy community, like the LGBT focused show Thank You For Coming Out.
Staff is rude and deceitful. I went in with my wife and asked a staff member if they had seats available, they said “absolutely”. I bought my tickets, and as I walked in I was told I could not seat with my wife. When I asked why did he not mention it before he completely ignored me. Not having seats is fine, just be upfront with your customers.
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.
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. Ive attended classes and drop ins at multiple improv schools, but there is just something about this place.
Went for an improv show, great place, friendly staff, cool crowd. Youll definitely have fun here. The place needs some updating..
What a great and funny place. The events are intellectual high standing and beautifully made. Further, the service is warm welcoming and supportive.
Great place to learn improve comedy. Every Friday evening they put on a great show called made-up musical. Great attraction for out of towners!
One of the best places in the city to see great live comedy. Hilarious improv, sketch, musical improv, and storytelling shows 7 nights a week.
Hilarious improv, musical improv, and sketch comedy. Affordable classes and shows, 7 bucks can get you an entire 3 hours of amazing live entertainment.
A great place to see live improv shows. The theatre personnel are fantastic too.
Fantastic comedy theater! If you want to see great New York improv, sketch, or storytelling, Magnet is the place to go.
Really exciting shows on at this little theatre. The improv was awesome and a great way to spend an evening I. nYC without breaking the bank
One of the best theaters to learn and watch improv comedy in the city. Everyone treats everyone like family and youll always leave with a smile on your face!
Great space for improv comedy! Located in Chelsea and super easy to get to. They also have classes!
Great place to check out improv and sketches. Havent seen a bad show and really affordable.
Great comedy shows!
Favorite NYC entertainment! Megawatt is the best bang for your buck fun you can have in town.
My best friends both perform here. I really like Inspirado: The Only Improv Competition in the World.
Been here multiple times to see my friends improv show. Nice small theater.
Always a great place to see a funny show.
Such a fun environment. Love this place!
Awesome classes, even better shows. Really great place to learn and watch improv and sketch comedy.
Best classes in all of NYC and solid shows 7 nights a week. You should become a part of it!
Very nice they could use an upload seats are old compared to the recliners some theatres have now
Great shows, great talent, great community. Just saw another heartwarming and hilarious thanks for coming out
Pretty funny improv. Its relatively cheap too. Very similar to UCB, which I think is slightly better. Would recommend.
Great venue and entertainment. Went for an improv show and had a great time.
Wonderful evening of improv and laughs. Hope to make another show!!
Not yet well known, but getting there, very cozy and friendly theater. I like it way more than ucb.
Watched Trike on Saturday night - two funny guys who know how to spin a story well. Would recommend!
My favorite spot for comedy in New York City!
Great musical improv! Check it out while youre in town.
Small and intimate theater location. Good sound system. Too bad there is only one bathroom.
Great venue. Conveniently located near mass transit, parkin lots & restaurants.
Ok.
Best place for improv training and great rehearsal/training space too!
Best comedy you can find in NYC! Such a friendly environment.
Great performances. Good place to take a date. Consider taking the classes...
I am a big fan of the magnet. I like the way some of the teachers teach improv.
Great shows, great classes. You cant go wrong at Magnet!
Wonderful place, tons of funny talented creative people. My happy place
Great teaching, hilarious shows. a wonderful destination for improv in the city
Had a lot of fun watching improv musical shows there
Top notch improv, the best place in the city to make you laugh with real heart
You can catch great improv shows for a small fee.
Earnest, fun cheap entertainment in NYC.
Great improv comedy, had me and my friends in stitches
This place is the worst. The shows are bad (i.e., not funny, not interesting, lame) and the people are weird.
Pretty small, but really funny once they get you going.
Awesome spot for fun comedy. Cheap prices and tons of shows!
Best improv in town 7 days a week!
I get to feel the class out for free. Other days will cost money.
There’s no place quite as magical as the Magnet Theater for quality improv and gut-busting laughs.
A great opportunity to see where it all starts. Nice little theater
Was very pleasantly surprised at how great the show I saw was.
Check out an improv class, you will have a ton of fun.
My favorite destination for improv and musical improv!!
Best musical improv in the city!
Easy to get to, inexpensive and quality improv.
The best improv theatre experience ever!!
Unexpectedly enjoyable with high quality talent and fresh acts.
Fantastic show, lovely welcoming community
Diversity REMIX offers opportunities to Sketch writers.
Top-notch comedy at an incredibly affordable price!
It’s not just a Theatre... it’s a community of free minded artists.
Great place to watch improv!
Great shows every day of the week
Great experience!
Went on my own wonderful nights entertainment!
Love the Magnet. Great improv and sketch.
Great performances from some really talented people!
Best musical improv in the city.
Nice intimate little theatre, serves pabst!
Always a great experience very enjoyable .
Very inviting I never felt like I was competing.
Love the Friday night show!!
Great show! Great actors!
An amazing community of immensely talented performers
Fun improv that didnt suck.
Fun shows very cozy space
Amazing place to do anything comedy related.
Small but good entertainment
Cozy, wonderful improv venue!
The cast was wonky but funny.
Love the shows here!
Never been here. Must be an error
It was great performance 👍
Great comedy shows
Great theatre great actors
Dont expect the same experience.
It was 😎
Good place for improved and sketch
Nice place and shows!
Horrible.
Pretty roomy inside!!
I love Trike!
Fun, homey comedy theater.
Without a doubt, the best improv theater in Chelsea.
Pretty cool
Good
Good experience
This place is cool
Went for improv
Came here to look at colleges and it turned into the absolute highlight of the trip- my Dad and I will still think of moments from the Metal Boy and Bodywave showcases in public and have to stifle a laugh.
Best place in NYC for unexpected, every night of the week!
Not bad fun
A good improvisation proposal
Excellent place!!!
Total reviews rating 4.6
153 Reviews for Magnet Theater 2023:
Review №1
2022-08-20The classes here are amazing! Incredible, engaging teachers who love their craft and are eager to share. I’ll be back for as many classes as I can afford to attend.
Review №2
2022-07-12It was so cute! Went to see a friend in level 1 improv. Adorable little bar when you walk in. They have canned things. Cute little intimate theater bumping AC at the show.
Review №3
2022-08-14An absolute gem! Catch an improv show, if you can. Kornfeld and Andrews are absolutely brilliant.
Review №4
2022-09-20Came to see an improv show for a friend and it was nice! intimate space, can get up close and hear things clearly
Review №5
2018-12-06We 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 didnt 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 didnt know until i was booking at 4:58pm, but same-day ticket sales end at 5. I couldnt place my order and had to get to the theatre early to buy in-person. That caveat isnt revealed until its actually after 5 and too late. *
Review №6
2022-08-22Loved it!!! The seating was not covidly spaced, as long as I didnt get it Im good!
Review №7
2022-06-05I love their shows. So funny. Musical improv is the best!
Review №8
2018-04-25I love comedy and improv. Well organized, and absolutely improvised by trike. Ten dollars is a bargain for one hour of improv
Review №9
2021-10-22A New York gem. Worth taking a night off from anything to consume some improv at this thriving theater. No good food options nearby but they sell drinks!
Review №10
2020-01-04Came 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!