Noyes Street is packed with many beloved Evanston establishments, like D&D Finer Foods, Tomate Fresh Kitchen and Stacked and Folded. Located inside the Noyes Cultural Center is another Evanston institution: Piven Theater. This theater school founded in 1972 by Joyce and Byrne Piven has dedicated itself to making sure every student gains new skills and experience that will help them in their acting journey. On January 19th, 2025 Joyce Piven unfortunately passed away, but she left the amazing legacy of Piven Theater for all to keep enjoying.
The theater school focuses on ensemble-based story theater and improvisation to help students strengthen their stage performance in these areas. Children and adults are able to take improv, scene study, musical theater, directing classes and more. Piven also offers advanced performance ensembles, which work together over a few months each year to produce a show. These two ensembles are called Performance Project, which features middle schoolers, and Young People’s Company, composed of high schoolers. These performances consist of folktales, myths, and other story genres adapted for the stage. This year’s Young People’s Company was called “What’s In a Name?” and this year’s Performance Project is named “What Will I Become?”
Joyce Piven was the founding director of the Young People’s Company for many years and also introduced an added section of the show called “Without a Net”, in which the ensemble creates an original story through a theater game. Throughout Piven’s history, roles as teachers and directors have been passed down to other people. For the past few years, Jen Green has played a key role in Piven’s staff.
Jen Green has been involved at Piven for some time now. Green is the artistic director of Piven Theater. She had a close relationship with Joyce, and was taught and directed by her in classes and ensemble performances. Many of the things she teaches students involved in Piven today were taught to her by Joyce.
“Joyce was my teacher, mentor, and greatest artistic influence,” Green says, “She took me under her wing and started teaching me to teach others. I gratefully stand on her elegant shoulder and can thank her for much of my artistic life and livelihood.”
One major skill that Green learned from Joyce that she and other Piven staff relay onto students are ‘The Doings’– four ways of saying a line that can help convey its emotion. Many students learn ‘The Doings’ during their time at Piven.
Piven Theater accepts everyone, no matter what, and makes it part of their mission to teach anyone who wants to be taught. “It is an amazing place to study theater,” Green says, “It is open to all young people and adults of all levels of experience. It is basic in play, improvisation, transformation, and community.” Many students who were involved in PIven in their youth often go on to have careers in the theater industry, but it is said that they will always have a home at Piven.
ETHS Senior Maddy Schwendener has been involved with Piven for years. She started taking classes in elementary school. She became involved in Performance Project in middle school and has been a member of Young People’s Company all throughout high school. She now helps direct the new generation of Performance Project. “Piven has helped me develop my confidence, sense of humor and love of performing. I just truly enjoy doing story theater, playing games and being there. Piven is like an escape for me,” Schwendener says.
Piven Theater is a place with a rich history and profound impact. Joyce Piven and her teaching style helped grow Piven Theater into something brilliant for everyone to experience. Performance Project, Young People’s Company, and Piven Theater’s legacy will continue to be recognized thanks to her. Green ends by saying, “We were in tech for YPC the day that Joyce died. It was a fitting celebration and tribute to her – to struggle and marvel and make something in the many ways that we have been taught to make.”
