Acting Classes in Chicago, IL

Musical Theater is a dance class focused on choreography from Broadway musicals, and integrates many styles of jazz as well as acting. Recommended for dancers and performers at Beginning/Intermediate level in ballet and jazz.

Musical Theater is a dance class focused on choreography from Broadway musicals, and integrates many styles of jazz as well as acting. Recommended for dancers and performers at Beginning/Intermediate level in ballet and jazz.

The “Acting As A Craft” (AAAC) workshops are uniquely designed master class workshops incorporating a broad range of basic skills that an actor absolutely needs. Students will be given scene assignments from various film and stage plays and then paired up to work that particular scene as a homework assignment which will then be performed at the...

Apply your Piven training to advanced-level scene work. The Scene Study Extension provides advanced and returning students with the opportunity to polish scene work for performance. Led by an expert instructor, students will work in pairs to build the world of their scene and then present their final performances to the community in an Open Workshop...

Learn how Piven’s signature improvisation style can take your monologue to the next level and rehearse and perfect your audition technique in a supportive environment! Cover all of the steps of a theatrical audition process, including the ins and outs of resumes and headshots, monologue selection and rehearsal, the first round of auditions, and...

Adult classes are taught in a positive and encouraging environment for beginners, returners, and professionals. Adult classes are open to drop-in students.

Are you interested in getting into a theater class, shaking off the dust, and activating your creativity?  This class allows students to discover the Piven Technique by learning theatre games and improvisation in a fun, supportive, ensemble-based environment. Perfect for all students looking to discover and re-discover our work!

In this class, students prepare and rehearse scenes from contemporary plays and utilize improvisation and games to deepen characters and relationships.  Students explore how Piven uses the impulsiveness of improvisation during the rehearsal process, while being restrained by and respectful of a script. Best for students who have taken Improvisation,...

Piven Theatre Workshop has been devising new literary adaptations since our inception over forty years ago. In this class, we will give our adult students the opportunity to experience the creative energy of an ensemble-driven, text-based devising process. Through six weeks of group improvisation exercises and text exploration, students will adapt...

Do you want to gain confidence, lose inhibitions, have fun & learn acting? Then this beginning acting class is for you. Experiment with improvisation, speech & personality exercises designed to bring out your special strengths & talents. Work in a relaxed atmosphere with an emphasis on positive attitudes, and acquire performance and presentation...

The Expressive Body: A Two-day Alexander Technique Intensive for Actors It’s easy to get tense and clench up your body when you perform. Tension creeps in when we’re nervous, self conscious, or afraid of not being enough. Imagine the most beautiful nights sky the world has ever seen-but its covered by a layer of thick, gray clouds. It doesn’t...

This course is designed for anyone who would like to utilize their voice for profit. Learn what you need to know in order to succeed in this highly lucrative field. You will learn about the essential elements of a successful audition tape, types of scripts, studios & agencies.  Additional topics:  How to present yourself for auditions...

Acting is an emotional art form, yet as Meisner told us, ‘acting is not emoting.’ So how do we deepen our emotional life without becoming indulgent, self-conscious actors? How do we meet the emotional demands of the script without faking anything? Level 3 has the answers.  For ten weeks you will be guided through a series of exercises specifically...

Learn Piven’s core improvisational technique and apply it to scripted stories & scenes. Each session of the class is centered on a different theme. Past themes have included stories of the sea, family relationships, and magical realism.  Under the expert instruction of a senior teacher, students will create and perform stories...

Fun, Cooperative & Inspiring! Learn Art history and terminology while practicing important skills. Imagine making fun art all day. Never more than 12 students per teacher means individual attention from professional teaching/artists. Note: BYOL (Bring Your Own Lunch & Water Bottle)