"How will you know if its the right decision if you never make it?"

This quote was running through my mind constantly when I made the decision to close the doors on my last business. In my twenties, I ran a business that worked with adults and kids with developmental disabilities, and through a lot of hard work and dedication, I was able to make a good life for myself, not only financially but it helped me become who I am today. 

All good things must come to an end, and it was an extremely difficult decision but I knew that my time in that field was coming to an end. At the end of 2010, I closed the doors. 

The day after I had officially closed my old business I had a LOT of time on my hands. Doubt crept in; what was I going to do now? I sat down with a friend and started making a list of things I enjoyed to do, specifically, how I wanted to continue to help people. 

After numerous pages and ideas... we narrowed it down to two things: 

#1 - Improv
In my 20's when I wasn't working I was taking improv classes. I was always a fan of "Who's Line Is It Anyway" and Saturday Night Live. Improv became a great outlet for me to get away from the 24/7 that came with my job. I had also met some of my best friends in these improv classes, people I continue grow with to this day. Improv was definitely a passion of mine, but how could I apply it to helping people? 

#2 - Anti-Bullying
Bullying has always been an issue. When I was in grade school, I was picked on; I wanted tomorrow to never come. I was a heavy kid back then, partially due to asthma meds, but always because of my grandmother's cooking. I remember dreading going to school... I remember wanting to die. Nasty words cut deep when you're in grade school, and the only time I could get a little relief was when I went home. Since the introduction of social media, I can't imagine what it would like for kids who are bullied today.

So, I decided to create a program where kids can come in and leave behind all of the stress of school, relationships, and even sometimes the pressure they receive from parents. This would be a place where they could be as goofy or silly as they wanted to be and not one person would judge them... as a matter of fact, it would be encouraged. Students should feel that when they walk through the doors of Peanut Gallery Improv they are entering one of the safest places they could be: No judgement, no pressure. It's just a place where they are able to take a sigh of relief and know they can just let loose. 

A lot of parents and kids are afraid that this is strictly an acting school, and in order to join Peanut Gallery, you have to want to pursue a career in Hollywood. While we do teach acting and improv, and we have performances, it's never been about "making it" for us. The majority of the students that we have are kids who have never thought about being on stage. We do have students that dream to perform and be on stage and screen, and while they are learning, and taught how to prepare for auditions, they're learning something we feel is much more valuable. They are learning a sense of community, and they are making friends that they hopefully stay in touch with forever. If the students become the best improv performers or actors in the world that's awesome, but if they feel safe, make friends, and know that tomorrow is going to be just fine... then we're doing our job.

And that's how and why Peanut Gallery Improv was created.