Acting Classes
For over 50 years, Piven Theatre Workshop has provided a space for artists to gather, learn, grow, and create. Acting classes at Piven provide people of all ages and backgrounds with the tools to express themselves. Education and mentorship are at the heart of what we do. We are, at our core, storytellers and we strive to create a space for people to share their unique voices and experiences. In our acting classes, students develop their acting technique as well as essential skills like strong communication, critical thinking, and problem solving. Our students are challenged to take risks and think outside the box. In doing so, they are able to stretch their imagination and develop the ability to adapt to the situation at hand. Acting classes at Piven are a fantastic way to find your voice and confidence.
We offer acting classes and improv workshops all year round for youth and adults. On top of all the concrete skills that students learn in our acting classes, students are also encouraged to let go, have fun, and experience the power of play. Theatre is an opportunity to step away from the stress of daily life and take part in something new. In our acting classes you will experience the catharsis of storytelling and the comfort of learning within a supportive environment.
The lasting legacy of Piven Theatre Workshop is the spirit of transformation fostered by our founders Byrne and Joyce Piven. Whether it is the excellence achieved on our stage or the collaborative spirit fostered within our acting classes, the notion of mentorship is at the core of all that Piven strives to achieve. At the Workshop, we understand the power of that relationship and the importance of person-to-person transformation. We invite you to join us and take part in this incredible organization that celebrates cycles of creativity, circles of connections, and a wide community of talented collaborators.
Youth Classes:
Piven classes focus first and foremost on our process-oriented training technique, which values personal and artistic growth over a cookie-cutter final product. All youth theatre classes work toward a culminating performance showcasing the skills students have developed over the course of the session. Depending on the level and focus of the class, this can vary from an “Open Workshop” presentation of rehearsed scenes, to an improv and theatre games demonstration, to a work-in-progress story theatre adaptation.
Adult Classes:
Our adult programming includes classes for students of all skill and experience levels, from those looking to explore a new creative outlet to the seasoned performer eager to be challenged by Piven’s legendary, process-oriented training technique. Each of our adult theatre classes is designed to be taken multiple times, with a continued value on personal and artistic growth.
“We are deeply indebted to Viola Spolin and Paul Sills for their work in theatre games and story theatre as the jumping-off place for our own practice. We also drew inspiration from the work of Uta Hagen, Etienne Decroux and Mira Rostova, teaching artists [Co-founder Byrne Piven and I] studied with while in New York. Our approach to acting brings together all these various strains – theatre games, story theatre, Mime and the Stanislavski Method.”
-Joyce Piven