The Pit NYC in NoMad
Laughter is the best medicine.
154 West 29th Street.
Who doesn’t need — and love — a good laugh? When the NOMAD Magazine team decided to drop in on The Pit NYC in Nomad for a night of much-anticipated humor and fun, little did we know we would find ourselves at the premier of the new “musical” Sketch House Team, directed by longtime Pit-izen and comedy champion Sunny Atwal.
Founded in 2002, The Pit NYC is a modern sanctuary for creative expression and is composed of three elements: an improv school with an unparalleled professional writing program; a theater hosting original comedy shows six nights a week; and a corporate and educational workshop program designed for team building, leadership, and business training.
On the night we visited, the venue was buzzing with pre-show excitement and the energy was electric. Once the house lights dimmed, a quiet descended, but it was short-lived. Before long, an infectious chaos took center stage. The skits moved fast and were hilariously funny. From a musical number about dating a dog to a wildly bawdy rap about ED to a Les Mis-inspired number titled “8 Years Left,” each act left the audience clamoring for more. This show wasn’t your typical stand up comedy fare, it was more like musical theater powered by too much caffeine. A bit messy. A bit weird. Ridiculously fun.
Notable Pit alumni include Ellie Kemper from “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Michelle Wolf, an improv and stand-up veteran who you may know from Netflix and HBO specials, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who doesn’t really need an introduction, but just in case, he wrote “Hamilton.”
The Pit NYC in NoMad hosts regular open mic nights and improv jams, and is a great spot for improvisers and comedians of all levels to come together and try out new material. This comedy hub with a heart also features a packed calendar of upcoming classes and events. Among them, Theatresports (three judges, two teams, one winner), and Fritz & Babs, an outrageous, off-the-wall sketch show written and performed by some of the best performers from Second City, UCB, BCC, and of course, The Pitt.
Ticket and class prices vary, for more information visit thepit-nyc.com