The 10,000 Hours program was created by Julia Morales in January 2011 in New York while studying and performing at the Peoples Improv Theater (PIT). It is designed for current and former students looking to build their improv skills without breaking their budget. Practice sessions are led by coaches who donate two hours of their time in support of building a diverse improv community. 

 

The program was formed in response to help fellow improv students who wanted to practice the skills they were learning in their classes but couldn’t afford to pay for studio/rehearsal space, coaches, and last minute participant cancelations. 

In 2013, 10,000 Hours was maintained by co-director, Michelle Francesca Thomas in New York and the program later moved to Chicago in January 2018. Now it resides in the gentle hands of Stepping Stone Theater with plans to expand the types of practice session services.