Part 1: 5 Things You Should Know About PEAK Theatre Arts (And Why They Matter)!

Before We Begin: A Little Note From Me

This is not a polished series on how to build a perfect theatre company or how to run a thriving arts program with team and grant funding.

This is more like a journal entry. Or a handful of private entries. The kind you write late at night when the kids are asleep and your laptop’s balancing on a stack of laundry you meant to fold three days ago. It’s honest and unapologetic.

5 Things You Should Know About PEAK Theatre Arts (And Why They Matter) is more than just a behind-the-scenes look at a theatre program—it’s a glimpse into the heart of why PEAK exists at all. These five posts share the story of how I built a program rooted in art, kids, and community—but they’re also about me. My journey. What I believe. And the values that have shaped both my life and my work.

So, whether you’re a parent trying to figure out if this is the right program for your beautifully weird kid, or a principal wondering if this teaching artist is legit, or just someone curious about what it means to run a tiny theatre company with passion, this is for you.

No jargon. No fancy buzzwords. Just one real person, doing the work one small-but-mighty step at a time.

Let’s begin. Shall we?

I’ve been acting for over twenty years. That’s longer than most of my students have been alive, which is both humbling and, if I'm honest, a little horrifying. But also beautiful. Because theatre has been my longest relationship. The most demanding, most generous, most sacred thing I’ve ever committed to besides my kids, husband, and the occasional workout routine.

It’s held me down. It has lifted me when my confidence was low. It's reminded me that life is in session now, so save the kale and eat the cheeseburger.

Ironically, no one in my family was an actor. There was no spotlight waiting, no family legacy to fulfill. I had never been to the theatre when I decided to be an actress. I was nine. And I just knew. It was instinctual—a level of certainty in the bones. I didn’t choose acting, it chose me.

And I’ve been pursuing it ever since. In big theatres, in tiny black boxes, and various college campus multi-purpose rooms in front of audiences, young and old.

Then life happens, my non-acting life that is. Marriage. Babies. Raising a family. Life got big, loud, and full in a different way.

But the artist in me never went away. She just changed shape for a while. And during that time, I created PEAK Theatre Arts as a beautiful merging of all the parts of me: the actress, the teacher, the woman who believes kids need a place to explore who they are and who they might become.

After ten years working in expanded learning programs from Site Coordinator, STEM Enrichment Teacher to Summer Camp Director, it felt like the next right thing. Not glamorous. Not flashy. But honest. Natural. A way to stay close to the theatre and even closer to the communities I enjoy serving.

But let me be clear—I’m still an actress.

I still audition. I still dream of roles I haven’t played yet. I applied to the MFA- Acting Graduate programs at Yale and USC earlier this year and got rejected by both. I cried. Reconsidered my career choices for the umpteenth time. I’ll reapply to grad school. Because I still want to grow. I want to deepen. I want to keep evolving into the actress and artist God has called me to be. Not so I can be famous, but so I can be excellent. For myself. For my students. For the stories that deserve more than surface-level performance.

So when I walk into your school, I’m not just a vendor with a cart of props and a clipboard. I’m an artist who’s spent her life learning how to light up a stage—and now teaches your kids how to do the same.

The work I do with students doesn’t come from a dusty binder or a curriculum I downloaded from the internet. It comes from the same place that once told a little girl, This is what you’re meant to do. And it’s the reason I keep showing up—on stage, in classrooms, in life.

Because theatre gives me life and purpose. And now I get to share that with your kids.

One awkward audition, one cafeteria-turned-stage, one brave little voice at a time.

PEAK Backsage Disclaimer

The content shared on PEAK Backstage is for informational and educational purposes only. While I draw from my experience as a teaching artist, parent, and arts educator, nothing here should be considered professional legal, medical, psychological, or financial advice. Every child, classroom, and community is different—please use your judgment (and consult appropriate professionals) before applying any of the ideas or strategies discussed here. By using this site, you accept that you are responsible for any outcomes that result from your choices based on the information provided. I do my best to share what’s worked for me and the communities I serve—but as with all things in teaching and parenting, there’s no one-size-fits-all.