Piven Theatre Workshop

Piven is the place to get first class theatrical training! Fantastic middle and high school programs and great mentoring!

Piven has been a wonderful experience! They give a great theatrical experience to the Evanston community! I am in awe of the positive experience and creativity that they offer from ages 6 – 96! Piven offers the community to think outside the box and welcome one of the best creative outlets in the north shore!

My daughter is a Piven student and couldn’t be happier with the training she’s receiving in improv and acting. The teachers are friendly and supportive but also have high expectations for their students. The focus on the body and physical movement/​spatial awareness has increased my daughter’s confidence on stage and makes the Piven method different from other programs she’s attended in the area. She especially enjoyed this Spring’s scene study class and has already registered for a high school level performance lab in the Fall. Piven required her to sign an attendance contract since the students will be preparing for an end-​of-​session performance. Love that the kids have to make a real commitment and are treated like professionals! Piven also offers students comped tickets to productions, a fantastic benefit and additional learning experience. My daughter and her friend (also a student) attended Melancholy Play last Friday and enjoyed it tremendously.

Just watched a play last night at Piven Theater. My first time there ever. I know I’m a huge fan of Jeremy Piven, even though it was his ‘rents who helped this theater come to pass… It’s quite the intimate theater, but I can guarantee, the performers use the entire tiny little space to the best of its abilities.
Not only did I get the chance to watch a very powerful play there (Tusk, Tusk. Very good play), but the building itself has another theater attached, and so many activities within one location, I was curious to see what else I would have the opportunity to encounter. There was an art gallery in the hallways and students taking a late night class. It made me miss school, and appreciate how much Northwestern University develops their fine arts classes.
The play I had the pleasure of viewing transformed this small theater into the home of three little kids, and you were able to feel their emotions, expressions and anxieties. That’s what a great play does. It had me clenching my hands in the seats just trembling with the outcome.
I highly recommend you watch a play at Piven Theater. You get to see raw talent at its earliest, but it’s a knockout when you see what their potential will lead these young actors and directors to become.

My son just completed a class at the Piven. As a whole I think the Piven Theatre Workshop is a great place. However, the children’s class my son took had way too many kids in class. He took a class at Second City last spring and absolutely loved it but, the class was smaller (10 kids or less). It made it easier for the kids to build relationships and the class was an hour instead of 1 ½ hours at the Piven. I think for the 4^th to 6^th grade age group Second City has a better class especially if a child is just taking class for fun. Now if you have a child who is passionate about theater, the Piven theatre Workshop would probably be good but, I would not recommend unless the child is very passionate about theater. On that note I will say that if you have a child or adult who is passionate about theater, this is an amazing theater. The teachers are wonderful. The two teachers who taught my son’s class really taught the kids a lot as evidenced during their show on the last day of class. Also, I took an adult class 10 years ago at the Second City Training Center with Jonathon Pitts who also teaches adult classes at Piven. Out of the 7 or 8 teachers I have taken improv class with over the years by far he is the best teacher I have ever had. Do know if you take his class he is going to expect a lot out of you, work you hard and sometimes make you mad but, it is all to make you better and he puts the same amount of effort into his teaching as he demands from his students.

I’ve taken the pace bus to Evanston by myself and have walked over to Piven Theater. When I’ve been to Piven Theater by myself, it hasn’t been too hard to find my way around.
It’s fun to take improv classes there. I started Piven Theater in the summer of 2009, then I did a fall session, and then I started a winter session which goes through the spring. I enjoy taking improv classes at Piven Theater.
At Piven Theater, we play a lot of fun improv games, like Pass the Clap, Kitty Wants a Corner, Red Light Green Light, and all other fun games. We also play a game where you make sound effects and pass it on. I enjoy the improv games at Piven Theater.
Later during the session, we start using scripts and practice lines. We put on a little show where we’re each with a partner. On the last day of class, we put on a show with all of our acts. I enjoy taking improv classes at Piven Theater.
After class ended, I left Piven Theater, walked to my bus stop, and then took the bus home. Piven Theater is a fun place to take improv classes and do all kinds of stuff.

I went to acting school here for a good while, I was invited to the
summer conservatory my last year there, that was by far the best
experience I’ve ever had in theater. I was attending Piven at the same
time I was taking other schooling for improv and scene study, Piven by
far had the best staff, the best teaching methods, and helped me
develop the most out of every bit of acting training (for theater)
that I’ve been through (with some great classes you couldn’t find
anywhere else). It’s been a few years so I can’t account for any new
staff but Mikilina and Joanne were the BEST! There was also a male
teacher I had I can’t remember his name unfortunately. But the other
two taught a lot of stuff when I was there, and were both very
talented themselves. Seriously, some of the most awesome memories ever
stem from those days. Makes me want to quit pursuing a career that
will actually pay my bills just reminiscing. :)

I had my first class there tonight, and they are amazing. I have never laughed so hard in my life! I was a little intimidated/​nervous going into it since I had never done it before, but within 5 minutes my inhibitions were completely gone and I let myself go with the flow. It’s so much fun. Even if you don’t want to be an actor/​famous/​etc, their classes can make you much more outgoing and really let you express yourself.