Production Archive
Welcome to the production archive of Piven Theatre Workshop.
Here you can explore our rich history of devised and staged work. Our stage history showcases the legacy of Joyce and Byrne Piven, whose story theatre methodology lives on through each season of work produced by our youth performance companies, Performance Project and Young People’s Company. Hallmarks of the story theatre style are collaboration, heightened physicality, and thematically grounded storytelling. Performers use techniques like third person narration, character and object work and movement to create a fresh and compelling storytelling experience.
In each show, you will find adaptations of myths, folk tales, literary pieces, and fairytales that are directly informed by the sensibilities and focus of each year’s respective ensemble. In that way, our performers are active stakeholders in the stories they create. This unique method of storytelling sets our stage apart from any other and offers students the opportunity to express themselves to the fullest extent, as they take on the roles of actor, director and most importantly collaborator.
Our history speaks to our long term commitment to celebrating new voices and producing work that is rooted in and responds to the needs of our community. Our seasons center on specific themes and inform the work we produce. For instance, our 2024 season, ‘Appearances can be Deceiving,’ investigates first impressions and the importance of maintaining an openness to learn new things. Throughout our rehearsal process, the students continued to ruminate on this theme, often bringing new ideas and layers to the subject. This spirit of exploration and meditation on the themes of a story are key aspects of devising in the Piven technique. It is rare that students have the time and space to sit with a story’s themes. Yet, we believe that effective and meaningful storytelling can only happen with this level of respect for the source material.
We are proud to have produced the work of many notable playwrights and artists, including – Sarah Ruhl, Yehuda Hyman, Frank McGuinness, Samuel Warren Joseph, Phil Proctor, Kate Tempest, Stephen Fedo and Tim Rhoze. We are happy to celebrate the work of these artists and invite you to revisit the wonderful work on our stage over the years.
In this archive you will find photos and descriptions of our productions from over 50 years of dedicated theatre making. Through the years, our focus has shifted to highlight the work of our youth performance ensembles, which remain a key part of our season. We are committed to providing students with professional training and performance opportunities. We are excited to celebrate the continued legacy of the workshop through their storytelling. Visit our What’s on Stage page to connect with us and see what’s happening at Piven right now.