Peter Tolan - Early Life and Career

Early Life and Career

Tolan was born in Scituate, Massachusetts where he was a perennial favorite in the high school's dramatic productions. Before leaving to pursue a career in Hollywood, Tolan founded a theater group called YPST (Young People's Summer Theatre). The group performed Broadway musicals and rehearsed at a local church. Within three years, the productions became so popular that additional rehearsal space had to be acquired and a second production added to accommodate the ever increasing enrollment. Tolan attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst for four years before dropping out to directly pursue theater. From college Tolan went to Minneapolis' Brave New Workshop (founded by improv great Dudley Riggs) at the suggestion of stage legend Stubby Kay, who appeared with Tolan as a guest star in a UMass theater production. The legend amongst acquaintances is that Peter swept floors at the theater until he was finally invited to rehearse with the troupe. While in Minneapolis, Tolan collaborated with then "up and coming" comedians such as Louie Anderson and Ken Ober who remained a long time friend. In the mid 80's, Tolan moved to New York City where he and fellow writer-performer Linda Wallem formed a double act called Wallem & Tolan and began performing on the cabaret circuit in New York City at such venues as the Manhattan Punch Line. Wallem and Tolan's forte was cleverly written sketch material which included partially written, partially improvised banter between the two, often with comic twists and surprise endings. Broadway veteran Martin Charnin caught the act and worked with the duo to present it as an Off Broadway called Laughing Matters in 1989.