Congratulations
to Jeremy
Piven for winning his third Emmy award and his
recent Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Ari Gold
in HBO’s ENTOURAGE! Jeremy recently starred in his first
Broadway show, David Mamet’s SPEED-THE-PLOW, and finished
working on THE GOODS: THE DON READY STORY, an Adam McKay-produced
comedy that will be released in April of 2009.
Shira
Piven made an appearance in husband Adam McKay’s
STEP BROTHERS, released earlier this year.
Joyce
Piven most recently directed WHAT DREAMS MAY COME at
Piven Theatre.
Paul
Adelstein currently stars as Dr. Cooper Freedman
on ABC’s PRIVATE PRACTICE alongside fellow Piven alum
Kate
Walsh.
Rosanna
Arquette recently filmed GROWING UP and INHALE,
and she was featured in an episode of LIPSTICK JUNGLE.
Lara
Flynn Boyle was featured in an episode of LAW &
ORDER.
Ann
Cusack was recently seen in the
shows BROTHER & SISTERS, GREEK, and THE UNIT.
Joan
Cusack recently finished filming CONFESSIONS OF
A SHOPAHOLIC and MY SISTER’S KEEPER, and she will soon
be heard as a starring voice in both HOODWINKED 2: HOOD VS.
EVIL and TOY STORY 3.
John
Cusack just finished filming SHANGHAI and THE FACTORY
and is currently working on the upcoming disaster film 2012.
He was nominated this year for the Saturn Award for Best Actor
for his film 1408.
Hope
Davis will soon be seen in the films THE LODGER
with Alfred Molina and GENOVA with Colin Firth. She also recently
finished working on DRIVING LESSONS, to be released in 2009.
Aimee
Garcia can be seen in the upcoming movies B-GIRL
and GO FOR IT!
Jeff
Garlin was recently seen in the television shows
LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT, WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE,
and THE LIFE & TIMES OF TIM, as well as the films STRANGE
WILDERNESS and THE ROCKER. He also voiced the role of the Captain
in Disney and Pixar’s WALL-E.
Lauren
Katz finished work on the film MADE IN ROMANIA
this year.
Harry
Lennix starred in the films STATE OF PLAY with
Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck and FLY LIKE MERCURY. He is currently
working on Joss Whedon’s DOLLHOUSE, which began airing
earlier this year.
Polly
Noonan performed the lead role in Steppenwolf’s
production of DEAD MAN’S CELL PHONE, written by fellow
Piven alum and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Sarah
Ruhl and directed by Jessica
Thebus. Polly also performed in Ruhl’s PASSION
PLAY at the Yale Rep.
Aidan
Quinn is currently finishing work on several movies,
including A SHINE OF RAINBOWS, HANDSOME HARRY, THE 5TH QUARTER,
and PADDYVILLE.
Mary
Kate Schellhardt was featured in the thriller JACK
RIO.
Eric
Simonson directed his show CARTER’S WAY at
Steppenwolf Theatre.
Lili
Taylor was seen in the comedy
THE PROMOTION and recently completed work on PUBLIC ENEMIES
with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale and BROOKLYN’S FINEST
with Richard Gere.
Kate
Walsh currently stars in the shows PRIVATE PRACTICE
and GREY’S ANATOMY, and she recently finished filming
the movie LEGION.
Other
notable alumni:
Billy
Cusack
Susie
Cusack
Jaimie
Gertz
Alicia
Goranson
Paul
Quinn
Eric
Saiet
Greg
Sporleder
Thanks
to a grant from the University of California, San Diego, former
faculty member Jennifer Barclay is living in
Paris working on various playwriting and screenwriting projects.
Her play THE ATTIC DWELLERS, which ran in the spring in UC San
Diego’s Baldwin New Plays Festival, won Second Prize for
The Kennedy Center’s National Science Playwriting Award.
Emilie
Beck directed Piven Theatre’s production of BECAUSE
THEY HAVE NO WORDS, which received the Jeff Award for Best Sound
Design (designer Jack Arky) and a Jeff Nomination for Best Ensemble.
Alum
Jasmin Cardenas performed in Adventure Stage
Chicago’s THE BLUE HOUSE this past spring.
Piven
student Paul Curry performed in Greasy Joan
& Co.’s MACBETH in the spring.
David
Engel performed in THE OX HERDER’S TALE at the
theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Stephen
Fedo will be directing Piven Theatre’s upcoming
show, a collection of Nikolai Gogol stories.
Maya
Friedler took part in hosting a radio forum on feminist
issues, monitored by Ravi Batista.
YPC
alum Alexis Macnab performed CONVERSATION,
a one-woman piece, in New York City this past spring.
Board
member Mike
Pusateri performed at Chicago’s Sheil Park in
THE BLACK SOX SCANDAL OF 1919, and appeared in the film HOLIDAY
BAGGAGE with Cheryl Ladd.
Alum
Rita Taddeucci Raffanti debuted on the front
page of The Chicago Tribune in March.
YPC
Alum Adam Rubin spent his summer appearing
in Theatre Seven’s ELECTION DAY.
Alum
Christina Thodos performed in RAW with WNEP
Theatre, THE DAY PATIENT with Shapeshifters Theatre, and in
the dramatic short film WAKE.
From
the Current Piven Faculty, Staff, and Resident Ensemble…
Faculty
member Bernard Beck will be performing in PANGS
OF THE MESSIAH at Silk Road Theatre Project and directed by
Piven Artistic Director Jen Green.
Faculty
member Audre Budrys wrote and performed UNE
BAYE, a one-woman show, at Prop Theatre this past spring.
Faculty
member Kevin D’Ambrosio performed in
TWEAKED at the Viaduct Theater and in SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
with Signal Ensemble Theatre.
Faculty
member Leah Gale gave birth to a beautiful
son, Dylan, in October 2008.
Faculty
member Larry Grimm directed WITH OR WITHOUT
WINGS at A Red Orchid, and performed at Lookingglass Theatre
in THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV.
This
spring, ensemble member Dieterich Gray will
appear in GHOSTWRITTEN at the Goodman Theatre, and in KING LEAR
at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC. He and fellow alum
Greg Hirte appeared at Drury Lane in THE BUDDY
HOLLY STORY this summer.
Tom
Herman was in a reading of THE DOUBLE NEGATIVE which
debuted at Polarity Ensemble’s Dionysos Cup for New Plays.
Resident
ensemble member and YPC alum James Vincent Meredith
performed in Steppenwolf’s CARTER’S WAY in the spring
and has just finished a run of Piven Theatre’s SOMEONE
WHO’LL WATCH OVER ME with fellow ensemble members Brooks
Darrah and Paul Dunckel.
Piven
Faculty member Susan Payne was a soloist in
Handel’s Messiah with the Chicago Chorale in December,
as well as in recitals at SPACE and the Chicago Cultural Center.
Susan will also perform in LE CAT SHOW with alums Michael
Quinn & Jay Reed, directed by
faculty member Mikalina Rabinsky and performed
at The Peter Jones Gallery.
Literary
Manager Scott Shallenbarger is a teacher and
director at Highland Park High School, where he directed THE
LARAMIE PROJECT this year. In the second half of the school
year, he will direct RENT and BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO WORDS.
