Piven Theatre Workshop Announces Virtual Summer Classes

Piven Theatre Workshop announces their virtual classroom, where both adult students and youth students from 3rd grade through 12th grade can learn from our master teaching artists. After a successful transition to online classes this spring, they are committed to offering even more opportunities for their community this summer. They believe in the power of connection and community-building afforded by theatre classes, and they recognize that this spirit of collaboration is needed now more than ever.

Invigorate your natural sense of play and open your imagination. Take risks with the support of your ensemble. Communicate truthfully and whole-heartedly, on screen and off. Registration is available online (Online Registrations), as well as additional information about our online classes and our virtual youth capstone, The Resilience Project (Piven Homepage)

Curious about how their work translates to the mini proscenium of your laptop screen? Check out their collaboration with Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in their #staycreative series, where they team up to bring you free theatre videos like this gibberish translation game. Follow the Piven Theatre Workshop Facebook page and the Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Facebook page to see them all!

Adult and youth summer classes are listed below. Please feel free to email info@piventheatre.org or ghemme@piventheatre.org or call (847)866-6597 with any questions you may have!

As you consider joining them this summer, please check out some of the feedback from parents during our spring online session:

"Please keep these going! Seriously, it's making a HUGE difference in his life right now and I am forever grateful."

"Thank you for running these virtual classes. They are the highlight of my daughter's week."

"[My daughter] has really enjoyed her classes and they've been invaluable for her to feel connected to the friends she's made."

Adult Online Offerings for Summer 2020
6/15-7/30
6 weeks of classes. 1 night per week.

Improvisation, Games & Risk Taking

Zip Zap Zoom... We want to do more than just approximate our on-site classes for the virtual stage. We want to play with the technology and the new opportunities it gives us to be creative. How can we think of our little Zoom rectangle as a mini stage? How can build community when we're in living rooms across the country?

As always, this class allows students to discover the Piven Technique by learning theatre games & improvisation in a fun, supportive, ensemble-based environment. This class is perfect for all students looking to discover & re-discover their impulsive creativity through our work.

Tuesdays 7:00-8:30pm

$175

Improv and Storytelling Showcase

Take your work from the classroom to the online stage! Working with a senior Piven instructor, students learn how Piven's signature improvisation exercises and theatre games can be used to create dynamic storytelling performances. The program culminates with students taking the virtual stage to share their stories in a format decided by the class.

Mondays, 7pm-8:30pm

$200

On-Camera Technique: Auditioning for Film and Television

Actors need to know how to self-tape now more than ever. Practice your audition technique and learn the skills that set on-camera work apart from the theatrical auditioning process. A senior Piven teacher will prepare students to audition for everything from one-liners to series regular to feature film auditions. Students will learn exercises to become comfortable in front of the camera and work with scenes pulled from a variety of films and shows shot in the Chicagoland area.

Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30pm

$200

Online Youth Classes - Summer 2020

6 Week Classes for Youth Students

3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade

Theatre Games and Story Theatre

Come play with us! Learn the games that form the core of the legendary Piven training method. In this class, students will learn to build ensemble, explore improvisation, and adapt and perform stories. We can guarantee that you'll never see freeze tag the same way again! For new and returning students.

Choose one of the following, or register for more than one to make your own intensive.

Mondays & Wednesdays 10:00-11:00am

OR

Tuesdays & Thursdays 10:00-11:00am
$200

6th-8th Grade

6th, 7th, & 8th Grade Improvisation and Scene Study

Use the fun and impulsive play of improvisation to create lively characters and realistic relationships. Students will rehearse scenes and work with their scene partners and memorize their lines under the guidance of Piven's teaching staff.

Choose one of the following, or register for more than one to make your own intensive.

Mondays & Wednesdays 10:00-11:30am

OR
Tuesdays & Thursday 10:00-11:30am

$250

High School Improvisation and Scene Study

In this class students will explore improvisation as a tool for the actor. This is a great class for high school students new to Piven and for experienced actors who want to expand their improv skills. Students will use games to build ensemble, explore improvisation, and adapt and perform stories. Students will also to apply their improvisation to scene work and begin creating new works and adaptations developed by the ensemble.

Mondays & Wednesdays 1:00-2:30pm

$250

High School Monologue and Audition Technique for Stage and On-Camera Performance

Explore adapting our ensemble-driven technique to the art of performing solo. This workshop is the perfect opportunity for high school students to develop their monologue skills and get a leg up on their next audition for school productions, professional theatres, and conservatory or college programs. Self-taped auditions are the new norm, and this class will prepare you to tailor your performance for on-camera presentations.

Tuesdays, 1:00-2:30pm
$200

Broadway Song
for 7th-12th Graders

Sing your heart out! Prepare a new song or breathe new life into your repertoire with expert music instruction and Piven technique-informed training.

Thursdays, 1:00-2:30pm

$250

Four-week Advanced Offerings

June 30 to July 31st

Build-Your-Own Musical for 5th-8th Grade Students

Work with a professional composer to make an original musical based on your creative writing! This class will feature singing instruction, Piven theatre games, writing workshops, and individual coaching. By the end of this unique summer experience, you will have worked with an ensemble to build something new that you can share with your friends and family. The workshop will culminate in a web-based performance, in a format decided up on by the class.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

for 4 weeks

12:30-2:30pm

$500

June 30 to July 31st

Writing and Performance Institute for High School

We are looking for passionate students who have a message they want to share with the world. Work with a team of master Piven teachers and industry professionals to create an original performance piece in our most advanced summer youth offering. Develop an array of skillsets as you fine-tune both your writing and your performance capabilities.

Because of the ensemble-based nature of this program, students must be accepted by application to register and any absences must be approved prior to acceptance into the program. Applications available for download below. Students who have previously applied to and have been accepted to the Advanced Summer Conservatory are automatically accepted into this offering.

This program will culminate in a web-based performance crafted by the ensemble.

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays

for 4 weeks

2:30-4:30pm

$500

Specialty Classes

4th-8th Grade

Hip Hop with Eldridge

Enjoy high-energy, fun-filled hip hop warm-ups each morning. Learn new choreography each week and see how your skills blossom!

Monday through Friday, 9:00-9:45am

Each week of July

Sign up for one week or for all four!

$80 per week; ask about drop-in session availability

5th-8th Grade

D&D plus Piven Technique

Enter the universe of D&D with a unique Piven twist. Use improvisation training and character building to make your D&D world come to life, under the instruction of a Master Teacher who moonlights as a Dungeon Master. All experience levels welcome! Let us know if you have any questions about this new offering.

Mondays, 6:30-8:30pm
Six weeks, June 15th to July 27th
$ 225