Peoples Improv Theater Presents BEAUTY LOVE TRUTH Tonight, 8/30

After a decade of performances at bars and theaters (UCB, PIT, Magnet, Barrow Street) Beauty Love Truth- improvised scenes inspired by a live musician - is thrilled to be holding a residency at the PIT on the last Thursday of each month at 8pm.

Wonderful guest musicians play a few of their songs, and after each song, the rotating cast of improvisers create scenes inspired by the mood, images, themes, or words from the song. Nothing is planned; sweet, tragic, or ridiculous relationships unfold, worlds are created or destroyed, souls enlightened or crushed, and magic truths underscored with laughter. Recent musical guests include: Georgia and Ira from Yo La Tengo, The Spring Standards, Bob Dorough, Mike Doughty, Chris Mills, LiAnne Smith, Warren Malone, David Nagler, Niall Connolly, and many more. This month's show will feature special guest hip hop musicians Ko-Lition to inspire the scenes.

This show is co-produced and co-directed by Shannon Manning and Louie Pearlman, who explains, "I was Shannon's student, and her Beauty Love Truth was always very inspiring to me: rich, unique, and theatrical. Then I taught the format to my own students, and now I'm so pleased to continue to build this show with an incredibly talented pool of improvisers!"

Show creator Shannon Manning, who studied improv with Del Close in Chicago (and at Second City and UCB, and later cofounded Magnet Theater) says, "Beauty Love Truth was a response to the tragedy a decade ago in New York. The title came from an attempt to distill 'What is the Point of Anything Anyway' into three words...shout Beauty! Love! Truth! to the sky when you say it! So we get to explore the images and ideas of the musicians, and celebrate the art of others, which is the heart of our philosophy of improvisation (and of life!): to listen, to learn, to build on someone else's ideas, to make one another look good, to serve the whole. Of course the show also goes into goofball territory but we need that, too. The music grounds the show, spiritually and structurally."

The show is also inspired by the duo's vision to build community, drawing on performers and audiences from music, improv, standup, writing worlds. Every show is introduced by a writer or comedian who presents something on the topic of beauty, love, and/or truth. The cast always includes some returning improvisers and a few new ones, and even some guest actors who usually do not improvise. "The audience is the most important part of this community," says Shannon. "We believe there is something magical about the experience of live music, and of improv, and being in New York gives us the opportunity, the calling, to collaborate. Our audience becomes a part of that experience with us, the active listening, and the discovery."

Manning and Pearlman recently taught and performed Beauty Love Truth in Calgary, AB Canada with local musicians and improvisers, and are hoping to bring the show to more cities so people can create their own forms based on the model and foster more music/comedy crossovers.

The cast of improvisers for tonight's August 30 performance: Kaitlin Fontana (Buckshot 'n' Benny, CTV's "The Party")? Shannon Manning (Second City, IO, UCB, "Conan") ?John Murray ("30 Rock" UCB: Death By Roo Roo) ?Louie Pearlman (Story Pirates, The Spidey Project, Buckshot N Benny) ?Natasha Rothwell (UCB, PIT, Just for Laughs, The Story Pirates) ?Erik Tanouye ("BP Spills Coffee", Onion News Network, UCB: Curfew, Neighbor Boy)? Betsy Todd (UCB, Magnet, "Battle of the Bozos") ?Matt B. Weir (Story Pirates, Dunk, We're Matt Weir) INTRO by: Mike Doughty (new album: The Question Jar Show, Yes and Also Yes, and memoir The Book of Drugs) who will speak on the subject of Beauty Love AND/OR Truth.

Tonight,, August 30, 2012 8pm Peoples Improv Theater aka The PIT 123 E 24th BTW Park & Lex (new location, by Madison Square Park!) Running Time: 60 mins. Tickets $10. General Admission, available at 800-838-3006 or at thepit-nyc.com

Next Show (last show of this residency at the PIT): Thursday, September 27th at 8pm with musical guest Stephan Said and intro by Starlee Kine (NPR)

There is an adjoining bar and café with light food, so early arrival and after-hang is encouraged. Special guests will sometimes be unpublicized so join the mailing list at http://beautylovetruthtv.com.

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