Check out Newport this season, only at the Magnet Theater! Forcing “The O.C.” branding on this team was my passion project. See show schedule below.
Monday 9/24 @7:30pm
Monday 10/22 @ 7:30pm
Monday 11/19 @ 7:30pm
Monday 12/17 @ 7:30pm
Monday 1/28 @ 7:30pm
Monday 2/4 @ TBD (Best Of!)
Magnet Theater
254 West 29th St (btwn 7th and 8th Ave.)
New York City, NY 10001
Box Office (212) 244-8824
UPDATE Sept 2018 - Funny Or Die has undergone a makeover and removed all community videos from their site, so “Texting” is no longer on there. But you CAN watch it below!
I wrote/acted in this video with some amazing creative people! Check it out and vote "Funny"!
My sketch team, Raw Denim, performs monthly at the Magnet Theater on West 29th. Come see us!
Show Dates:
Monday 3/12 - 7:30pm
Monday 4/9 - 7:30pm
Monday 5/7 - 7:30pm
Monday 6/4 - 7:30pm
Monday 7/2 - TIME TBD
My spec script of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ("Kimmy Learns to Catfish!") was chosen as a semi-finalist in the 2017 Script Pipeline TV Writing Competition! Check out the competition on their website.
Big news! I was just selected as a performer on a house improv team at the Magnet Theater. I'll be performing Wednesday evenings for the next several months! Check here for show times!
My writing partner, Nick Marchese, and I were chosen as finalists for the NBC Late Night Writers workshop based on a packet of monologue jokes, desk piece pitches, full-length sketches, and personal essays. We were in the top 15 out of over 1,500 applicants!
The Fall/Winter Sketch Season at the Magnet Theater is coming to a close Monday, February 6! Stockton is on at 7:30, performing our biggest hits from this season. Reserve tickets here!
Stockton, my sketch team, will be taking our show on the road at the 16th Annual Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival. We perform Friday and Saturday, January 7 and 8, at 8:00! If you're in Chicago, get tickets here.
My spec script of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, "Kimmy Learns to Catfish!" was chosen as the November winner at the WILDsound Festival in Toronto. Watch the reading of my script and read my interview below, or check it out here.
What is your TV Spec screenplay “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” about?
My spec “Kimmy Learns to Catfish!” is, at its core, about learning to accept emotional baggage. Everywhere but the core, it’s about Kimmy accidentally setting up a date with Jacqueline from a completely fake online dating account.
How does this screenplay fit into the context of the show?
This episode comes into play immediately after the end of season two. Each character revisits something in their past that is affecting their life currently. Kimmy reflects on her relationship with Dong. Jacqueline lets the trauma of her divorce affect her relationship with Russ. Titus’s lifelong string of unsuccessful relationships makes it hard for him to trust Mikey. Lillian, who, after years, still hasn’t come to terms with the death of her husband, spends the entire episode talking to a rat who stole her wedding ring. They each find a way to acknowledge their past, and its role in their present, by the end of the episode. Also, it’s very silly.
How would you describe this script in two words?
Brain box.
What TV show do you keep watching over and over again?
I’ve probably watched 30 Rock four times all the way through. Friends and Gilmore Girls have also gotten the go around twice each, at least. At the moment, I’m re-watching Curb Your Enthusiasm. It holds up.
How long have you been working on this screenplay?
I worked on this for about two months before calling it ready, but the main bulk of the writing was done in about a week.
How many stories have you written?
I write stories constantly, though not always in this form. I write and perform with the house sketch team Stockton at the Magnet Theater in NYC, so I’m generating several sketches every week. I’ve been working on a pilot as well, and developing a story for that has been an interesting process. This is my only spec script so far.
What motivated you to write this screenplay?
I’ve always considered myself a writer, but I decided I wanted to write for television when I started doing improv and sketch comedy. I took a TV writing class at Gotham Writer’s Workshop with Jim Mendrinos, who guided me through the process of writing this spec.
What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
Landing on a storyline you can really get behind is a challenge, but the hardest thing about writing is probably editing – finding it in your heart to cut a joke or a bit that you love in order to serve the story. RIP to the jokes I left behind – I still love you babies.
Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
Improv. Singing. Ukulele. My new skateboard that I am not good at riding yet. Snacks. My family. Dogs.
What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
I had written this thing, and I didn’t know what to do with it. I started looking into festivals and programs that I could submit it to online, and WILDsound was the first one I landed on. I appreciated the feedback so much – it was incredibly helpful. It was clear that it came from a place of extensive knowledge, and that my script had been carefully studied and considered.
Any advice or tips you’d like to pass on to other writers?
This is obvious, but write all the time. Don’t wait for the perfect idea – even a writing terrible thing is better than not writing a thing. Sharpen your skills daily so that when your perfect idea hits you, you are actually good enough to handle it.
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Director/Producer: Matthew Toffolo http://www.matthewtoffolo.com
Casting Director: Sean Ballantyne
Editor: John Johnson
Monday, September 26, I'll be performing in a reading of "Here To Recruit You." Beginning in 1964, HERE TO RECRUIT YOU chronicles Harvey Milk’s beginnings as a conservative New York banker through his adventures in the counterculture world of New York’s avant garde theater scene and, finally, his life in politics and his assassination in 1978. This play, complete with songs by various contemporary indie musicians, is a slice-of-life look at an imperfect man on his journey to becoming a gay icon.
I'll be playing the role of Soni, as well as a featured ensemble member. Very exciting to be part of the process! Written and directed by the amazing Michael Boyd.
Big news here! Just earned a spot on a Magnet Sketch house team! I'll be a writer/performer on the existing (and AWESOME) team Stockton. So stoked to start writing with these guys!
First show is Monday, September 12th @ 7:30pm
Magnet Theater, 254 W 29th St
Find info about upcoming shows on the Magnet website.
My writing will be featured in the sketch show Ringers, August 21st, 7:30pm @ the Magnet Theater! Check it out!
That's right guys - PORM is back in action, and we'll be competing in the Magnet Theater's INSPIRADO competition this Thursday, August 11th! Can't wait!
The spec script I wrote for The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ("Kimmy Learns to Catfish!") has been selected as one of the winning scripts to be read at the WILDsound Festival this fall. I'm stoked to hear my work read aloud, and to have other people hear it! I'll be posting the video of the reading as soon as it goes up.
Rehearsals start soon for the Magnet Team Performance Workshop. Stop by for one of my shows during July and August. Tickets do sell out, so get yours in advance on the Magnet's website. Here are the dates of my shows:
Monday, July 11 @ 9:00pm
Monday, July 18 @ 9:00pm
Monday, July 25 @ 9:00pm
Monday, August 1 @ 9:00pm
Monday, August 8 @ 9:00pm
Monday, August 15 @ 9:00pm
Monday, August 22 @ 9:00pm
Monday, August 29 @ 9:00pm
All shows will be at the Magnet Theater, 254 W 29th Street, NYC
Sugar Rush won Battlestar GIRLactica, an all-ladies improv competition at the PIT Loft. Here we are holding what we thought was our trophy (we didn't get to keep it).
Check out Sugar Rush on Facebook!
PORM did a killer show at RADD Fest's Comedy Night. As one audience member pointed out, it was a "great PORM-formance."
Visit PORM on Facebook!
PORM took home the prize at Let's Duo This, the Magnet's all-duo improv competition! Ladies crushed it! This means we'll be competing at Inspirado sometime in the near future.
Visit PORM on Facebook!
My brand new, kickass, all-lady improv team SUGAR RUSH just hit the scene. We're warming up with a few smaller shows this month, but we just got our first big gig! We're competing in INSPIRADO at the MAGNET on April 7th! So come get a taste of that sweet sugar. Because you know you want it.
When: Thursday, April 7th at 11:00pm
Where: The Magnet Theater, 254 W 29th Street
