Summer Youth Classes

3rd-5th Grade Theatre Games and Story Theatre with Fiona Maxwell (VIRTUAL)

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. Note: No class July 3rd for July 4th holiday weekend.

Registration Code: 1ONSUM20

Cost: $250

6th through 8th Grade Improv, Story, and Scene (VIRTUAL)

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 day or register for more than one for a more intensive experience.

Registration Code: 3ONSUM20

Cost: $250

High School and College Monologue and Audition Technique for Stage and On-Camera Performance (VIRTUAL)

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.

Registration Code: 6ONSUM20

Cost: $200

7th-12th Graders Broadway Song (VIRTUAL)

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

Registration Code: 7ONSUM20
Cost: $250

9th through 12th Grade Writing and Performance Institute for High School (VIRTUAL) 

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.

Registration Code: 9ONSUM20

Cost: $750

5th through 8th Grade D&D plus Piven Technique with Bec McNamara (VIRTUAL)

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.

Registration Code: D20

Cost: $225

7th – 12th Grade Late Spring/Early Summer Pop-up Outdoor Theatre! 

Rediscover your love for story theatre and the Piven technique! While much our work translates wonderfully to zoom and the virtual world, story theatre exists in the magical space between the actor and the audience. This in-person class is intended for returning Piven students to reconnect with the essentials of improvisation, storytelling, and adaptation. As this class will meet outside (weather permitting) we’ll take advantage of our environment and explore site-specific theatre–work that is performed at a unique, specially adapted location other than a standard theatre. The class will culminate in a pop-up theatre mini festival. Students will also be encouraged to bring in literary texts, poems, songs, and other media that inspire them as storytellers to explore in class.

Cost: $350

7th – 12th Grade Summer Script Intensive: Writing & Performance

In this writing- and performance-orientated class, students will use improv and the Piven technique to inspire them as writers. Together, we’ll explore scene and story structure as students develop their own projects from monologues for solo performance to one-acts, scenes, and original stories. Writers and non-writers alike will get a chance to work together to polish and refine new works for performance, while Piven’s core acting and improv technique curriculum will help all participants grow as performers. This collaboration-forward program is a dynamic learning opportunity for any aspiring theatre artist, where students will have the chance to work in small and large groups to generate and workshop new material. Tap into your creativity and become the writer of your own story!

For new and returning actors and writers

Registration Code: HS1Sum21

Cost: $400

7th – 12th Grade Summer Improv, Story, and Scene Intensive

Experience Piven’s renowned theatre training! In this class, you will utilize improvisation as a tool to foster collaboration, spontaneity, and creative risk taking as you build your actor’s toolkit. You’ll learn how the skills of improv strengthen both dramatic and comedic performance as you explore theatre games and story theatre. We’ll work together to bring dynamic new works to the stage through Piven’s core story theatre technique all in a supportive environment ideal for new and returning students.

Registration Code: HS2Sum21

Cost: $400