The Martha Stewart stock scandal as a slapstick comedy? The Worldcom fiacsco as a film noir? Comedy troupe True Fiction Magazine transforms the day's headlines into theatre in Ripped from the News, playing San Francisco's Magic Theatre July 10-28. Opening night is July 12.

At Ripped from the News, audience members are provided with newspapers in the lobby before the show. They are expected to pick the best stories of the day and submit them to the troupe, who will cull their favorites from the audience's selections. The stories are then presented in various styles and interconnected by characters and skits. Often four or five stories will run concurrently, culminating in a never-to-be-seen again finale.

True Fiction Magazine is Paul Killam, Craig Neibaur, Diane Rachel, Regina Saisi and Barbara Scott, accompanied by musician Joshua Raoul Brody. The San Francisco-based troupe has been performing together for the past ten years, including a lengthy stint in Los Angeles in 1997. They regularly perform on Sedge Thomson's syndicated radio program, West Coast Live.

Tickets are $22-$37. The Magic Theatre is located in Building D at the Fort Mason Center on Marina Boulevard. For reservations, (415) 441-8822. The Magic Theatre is on line at http://www.magictheatre.org. True Fiction Magazine is on the web at http://www.truefictionmagazine.com.

—By Christine Ehren