Piven Theatre Announces Upcoming Season, Includes Works By Pinter & Beck

Piven Theatre Workshop's Founder Joyce Piven, Artistic Director Jennifer Green and Executive Director Jennifer Sultz proudly announce its 2009-2010 season. The three-show season includes the World Premiere of Number of People by Emilie Beck; The Chicago Premiere of Sarah Ruhl's Late: A Cowboy Song, directed by Jessica Thebus, featuring Polly Noonan; and Two by Pinter: ‘The Lover' and ‘The Collection', both directed by Artistic Director Emeritus Joyce Piven.

THE 2009-2010 PIVEN SEASON INCLUDES:

Two By Pinter: 'The Lover' & 'The Collection'

Written by Harold Pinter

Directed by Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus Joyce Piven

October 10, 2009 - November 15, 2009

Press Opening: Monday, October 12, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

Is it all a game, or isn't it? Flirting between sexual fantasy and danger, acts of betrayal are turned upside down in these two short plays by Harold Pinter. Joyce Piven (Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus) returns to the stage to direct these two tales of sexual intrigue.

Number of People (World Premiere)

Written and directed by Emilie Beck

Featuring Piven Ensemble Member Bernard Beck

March 6, 2010 - April 11, 2010

Press Opening: March 8, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer's and grappling with the challenges of aging, a Holocaust survivor bears witness to his past in this beautiful exploration on the elusive nature of memory. This moving one-man show is written and directed by Emilie Beck, who returns to Piven after her 2008 award-winning production, Because They Have No Words. The piece was written specifically for the playwright's father, Piven Ensemble Member Bernard Beck.

The Chicago Premiere of Late: A Cowboy Song

Written by Sarah Ruhl

Directed by Jessica Thebus

Featuring Piven Theatre Alumna Polly Noonan

July 17, 2010 - August 22, 2010

Press Opening: Monday, July 17, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

Late: A Cowboy Story reunites the remarkable team of director Jessica Thebus, actor Polly Noonan and Piven Theatre alumna, Pulitzer Prize finalist and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Sarah Ruhl. Late: A Cowboy Story is the story of one woman's education and her search to find true love after she meets a female cowboy just outside of Pittsburgh.

Preview performances are $15 and regular run performances are $25. Student and group rates are available by calling the box office at 847-866-8049 or visiting the website at www.piventheatre.org.

Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Subscriptions to the 2009-2010 Piven Season are available online at www.piventheatre.org or by calling the box office at 847-866-8049. Subscription Flex Passes are available for $60. This includes 3 tickets - one to each production. Subscription benefits include preferred seating, savings over regular single ticket prices, date flexibility and free ticket exchanges.

About The Piven Theatre

For over 35 years, the Piven Theatre Workshop has remained a nationally respected acting school and professional Equity theatre. Within recent history, Piven Theatre has received a Joseph Jefferson Award for Best Sound Design, and an After Dark Award for Outstanding Ensemble. The theatre has also received several Joseph Jefferson Recommendations, a Joseph Jefferson Award for Best New Adaptation, and Jeff nominations for Best Original Score, and Best Ensemble. Co-Founders Byrne & Joyce Piven have trained countless theatre artists such as John and Joan Cusack, Kate Walsh, Aidan Quinn, Lili Taylor and Jeremy Piven, to name only a few. Stagebill honored the Pivens with the designation "Chicago's first family of acting." The Pivens have been awarded the Evanston Mayors Award for the Arts, Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Chicago Improv Festival, and the University of Chicago's Glorious Gargoyle Award for lifetime contribution to the theatre. They were named 1996 Artists of the Year by the Chicago Tribune and were recipients of the Chicago Drama League's 1998 Crystal Award. In 2000, they were awarded a Joseph Jefferson Lifetime Achievement Award. For more information, please visit www.piventheatre.org.