Barrow Street Theatre Presents IMPROMPTU SPLENDOR, 10/21 & 22

Barrow Street Theatre and The National Theatre of the World present Impromptu Splendor, an improvised play series by the Canadian Comedy Award-winning troupe. Heralded by Time Out Chicago as "brave, brainy and incredibly agile," Matt Baram, Ron Pederson and Naomi Snieckus unite to create captivating live theatre through the art of improvisation with Impromptu Splendor. Performances for Impromptu Splendor will be held at the Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow Street, New York, NY 10014 for two performances only, Friday, October 21st and Saturday, October 22nd, 2011 at 10:30pm.

Impromptu Splendor is a theatrical high-wire act that will have you on The Edge of your seats. Funny, insightful, and sometimes heartbreaking, three wizards of instant theatre improvise a fresh, sophisticated and complex play in the style of a different famous playwright every time. It's an artful and provoking spectacle brought to life, focusing and highlighting its cunning actors and their mastery of narrative. Each piece has a clear beginning, middle and end and a full commitment to the style in which they improvise. Past styles include Harold Pinter, Tony Kushner, August Strindberg, Tennessee Williams, Anton Chekov and many more. Running to critical acclaim for over two years in Canada, Impromptu Splendor is the most exciting opening and closing of a play you'll ever see!

This award-winning show has also toured to international festivals in Berlin, Amsterdam, as well as many cities in The United States and Canada, including their recent return from a successful run at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina. Beyond just being invited to these highly respected improvisation and theatre based festivals, Impromptu Splendor has also played major theatres across Canada as part of their studio seasons and enjoyed successful runs at The Grand Theatre in London, Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, WJT in Winnipeg, Eastern Front Theatre in Halifax, and Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto.

Impromptu Splendor plays for two performances on October 21st and 22nd at 10:30pm at Barrow Street Theatre, 27 Barrow Street, New York, NY 10014.

Tickets for Impromptu Splendor are $15 an can be purchased by visiting www.barrowstreettheatre.com.

The National Theatre of the World is a multi-disciplinary, Toronto-based, not-for-profit theatre company that creates exciting, provocative, and instantaneous theatre through the art of improvisation. N.T.O.W. was founded in 2008, by Co-Artistic Directors Matt Baram, Ron Pederson and Naomi Snieckus with the mandate of creating new Canadian work and to encourage the theatre and improvisation communities to come together. Through the production of four different shows, Impromptu Splendor (The Live Improvised Play), The Carnegie Hall Show (The Improvised Retrospective), The Soaps! (The Live Improvised Soap Opera), and The Script Tease Project, the company continues to bridge the gap between theatre and improvisation to this day by creating vivid, dramatic and complex full-length plays, radio dramas and inter-disciplinary variety shows. www.nationaltheatreoftheworld.com.

Matt Baram is a veteran of the legendary Second City Comedy Theatre in Toronto. He wrote and performed in six hit revues. He is a founding member of The National Theatre of The World which produces two weekly comedy shows; Impromptu Splendor and The Carnegie Hall Show, winners of the 2009 and 2010 Canadian Comedy Awards-Best Improv Troupe- respectively. Matt was a lead on Punched Up, (The Comedy Network) and CBC's The Next Comedy Legend. Other TV credits include appearances on Living in Your Car (Showcase), The Murdoch Mysteries (Bravo), The Border (CBC), The Kink In My Hair (CanWest Global), The Jon Dore Show, VERITAS (ABC), Train 48 (CanWest Global), The Jane Show (CanWest Global), Ace Lightning (BBC), Wingin' It (The Family Channel), Queer As Folk, The Newsroom (CBC), and Little Mosque On The Prairie (CBC). Matt currently has recurring roles in She's the Mayor, Unnatural History (Cartoon Network), Wingin' It, and Connor Undercover. Film credits include appearances in: The Love Guru, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium The Baby Formula (Free Spirit Films) and Take This Waltz coming soon to theatres.

Ron Pederson has worked across Canada as an actor and Improviser. As an actor has worked with The Vancouver Playhouse, The Arts Club, The Citadel Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Workshop West, Theatre Network, Free Will Players, Kill Your Television, Shadow Theatre, Teatro La Quindicinca, Manitoba Theatre Center, The Canadian Stage Company, Tarragon Theatre, Catalyst Theatre, Eastern Front Theatre, Theatre Passe Muraille, and The Summerworks Festival. As an Improviser Ron is an alumni of Die-Nasty (8 Seasons), Rapid Fire Theatre and has appeared at the Chicago and L.A. Improv Festivals. He is a founding member and artistic producer of the award winning theatre critically acclaimed company The National Theatre of the World which produces Impromptu Splendor(the Improvised play) with the legendary Theatre Passe Muraille. As well The National Theatre of the world produces The Carnegie Hall Show (the variety show), The Soaps and Fiasco Playhouse; all In Toronto. Television Credits Include MadTV(Fox,3 Seasons) InSecurity(CBC), Sidekick(YTV) She's The Mayor(Vision) The Late Late Show (CBS).Ron is a Sterling Award and Canadian Comedy Award Winner and Jessie Richardson and Merritt Award Nominee. He is also on the faculty of The Second City training centre in Toronto.

Naomi Snieckus is an actor/writer/improviser/voice-over artist/director/ teacher, and an alumnus of The Second City Toronto. She wrote/performed in five hit shows including Invasion Free Since 1812, Reloaded and Bird Flu Over the Cuckoos Nest. Other theatre credits include: The Ginkgo Tree (Arts Club), Guide to Mourning (Belfry Theatre), Conservatives in Love (Pea Green Theatre). She directed Chelsea P. Menders in Naughty Little Children and is presently the dir. of the Touring Co. at Second City. She has written for Trish Stratus for Walk of Fame and Nelly Furtado for The Junos. TV and film credits include Da Kink in My Hair, Degrassi, Train 48, Regenesis, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Ron James Show, Being Erica, Mr.D, Wingin' It, She's the Mayor, The Jon Dore Show and the upcoming SAW 3D movie! You may have heard Naomi's voice on CBC Radio's Canadia or as Aunt Turtle on the cartoon Franklin the Turtle. Naomi is developing a show with Breakthrough Films called Unrelated. She is a founding member of The National Theatre of the World and performs and produces: Impromptu Splendor and The Carnegie Hall Show (The former was last year's winner and the latter is this year's winner of a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Improv Troupe). She has a recurring role in the new Trailer Park Boys TV show: Drunk and On Drugs Happy Fun Time Hour. Naomi won a Canadian Comedy Award in the category of Best Female Improviser. www.snieckus.com

For more information on The National Theatre of the World, visit www.nationaltheatreoftheworld.com.