Paul Mecurio's PERMISSION TO SPEAK Begins Performances This Month at Actor's Temple

The acclaimed new immersive comedy Paul Mecurio's Permission to Speak, starring Emmy and Peabody Award-winner ("The Daily Show") Paul Mecurio (seen on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," "CBS Sunday Morning," CNN and in the film, Chuck starring Liev Schreiber) will begin an open-ended Off-Broadway engagement starting Sunday October 28th at Actors Temple Theatre (339 West 47th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues in the heart of the Broadway Theatre District), following a sold out try-out run this summer at the Jerry Orbach Theater.

In this exciting immersive comedy show with a twist, the audience is the star! Mecurio engages and improvises with audience members by talking with them about who they are, their lives, interests, personal experiences and what they honestly think in a safe space created by Mecurio. A breath of fresh air, Mecurio's Permission to Speak is first and foremost, funny and entertaining, but also a truly freeing experience, whether you're onstage or not. (Think of it as a funny late night talk show where Paul creates a fun, safe space and you are the celebrity guest!)

"As a performer I've found everyone has a story: fun, interesting and always entertaining stories that others should hear but no one has ever bothered to ask," says Paul Mecurio, "so I created a show where audiences can have some laughs while being open about their lives! The shows have been amazing. Every night we hear stories that leave you speechless and it's totally unscripted, which I love because we end up on this unexpected journey together into funny truths. The most rewarding aspect for me is that through the show people come to understand and appreciate one another a little more and are making real connections with each other at a time when things are so divisive."

Paul Mecurio makes his Off-Broadway debut after over a decade of award-winning television credits including headlining his own television special, appearing regularly on cable news and broadcast television talk shows as a commentator/satirist, writing and performing on "The Daily Show" and being the opening act for "The Colbert Report." His longtime association with Stephen Colbert both on camera and behind the scenes in the writers' room at "The Daily Show," as well as serving as the opening act for "The Late Show," goes back to Colbert's debut on Comedy Central.

Before he became an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning performer and writer, Mecurio enjoyed a successful career as a lawyer on Wall Street at the prestigious international law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher and as an investment banker for Credit Suisse, executing multi-million-dollar mergers & acquisitions for Fortune 500 companies. (Mecurio graduated with honors from Georgetown Law School). While working on Wall Street, Mecurio met Jay Leno, who subsequently hired him to provide material for NBC's "The Tonight Show." That chance encounter with Leno led to secret double life: successful Wall Street associate by day and emerging comedian by night. At the encouragement of Leno, Mecurio gave up his day job to go into entertainment full time. This quickly led to his work as a writer and occasional correspondent on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and appearing in the regular segment which he created, "Second Opinion," in which he skewered the medical profession. In addition to his appearances on "The Late Show," Paul has hosted shows and pilots for Comedy Central, HBO, CBS, VH-1 and has starred in his own Comedy Central special as well as numerous late-night television appearances on "The Late Show," "The Late, Late Show," HBO, Comedy Central, and "The Daily Show," among many others. He also appears regularly as a pop culture and general news commentator and political satirist on a wide variety of major national programs including "CBS Sunday Morning," CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel, ESPN, and many more. Mecurio is also a published essayist for The New York Times Magazine. Mecurio has performed at many prestigious comedy festivals around the world including "The Montreal Just for Laughs Comedy Festival" and Glasgow International Comedy Festival, and has headlined shows across the US and throughout Europe.

Partnering with longtime friends and creative collaborators from "The Late Show," "The Daily Show," and "The Colbert Report," Paul Mecurio's Permission to Speak features scenic design by Emmy Award-winning set designer Jim Fenhagen (winner of twenty Emmy Awards for shows such as "CBS This Morning," "NBC News Decision 2012," "Piers Morgan Tonight," "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," "The Colbert Report," "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?," and "Martha."), digital mapping by Tim Donovan and Ryan Kelly of Bravo Media and lighting design by acclaimed lighting designer, Michael Scricca.

To purchase tickets, which are $50 for all performances (Premium Seats also available), visit Telecharge.com or phone 212/239-6200. Tickets are also available for purchase in person at St. Luke's Theatre Box Office (308 West 46th Street), 2pm - 6pm daily.