Joyce Piven
February 21, 1930 - January 18, 2025
Date and Time
Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 12 Noon
Service
Chicago Jewish Funerals
Skokie Chapel
8851 Skokie Boulevard
Skokie, Illinois 60077
Get Directions
Clergy
Rabbi Rachel Weiss
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation
Interment
Memorial Park Cemetery
9900 Gross Point Road
Skokie, Illinois 60076
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Shiva
For Shiva information in California, please email Eva at ejneuwirth@gmail.com
Memorial Contributions
Piven Theatre Workshop
927 Noyes Street
Evanston, Illinois 60201
www.piventheatre.org
and
Jewish Voice for Peace
P.O Box 589
Berkeley, California 94701
www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
OBITUARY
Joyce Piven nee Goldstein, 94
Beloved wife of the late Byrne Piven. Devoted mother of Jeremy Piven and Shira Piven (Adam McKay). Proud grandmother of Lili Rose McKay and Pearl Beckett McKay. Dear sister of the late Phyllis Hiller. Devoted sister-in-law of Miriam Piven Cotler (the late Robert Rood) and Marilyn Piven (the late Herman Piven), Actor, director, and teacher of many students. For more information, please click links below from The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/20/joyce-piven-co-founder-the-influential-piven-theatre-and-mother-of-jeremy-piven-dies-at-94
www.chicago.suntimes.com/theater/2025/01/19/joyce-piven-obituary-jeremy-theater-workshop-evanston-chicago
Service Sunday 12 Noon at Chicago Jewish Funerals Skokie Chapel, 8851 Skokie Blvd, (at Niles Center Road) Skokie. Interment Memorial Park. Memorials in her memory to the Piven Theatre Workshop,927 Noyes Street, Evanston, Il, 60201, www.piventheatre.org and Jewish Voice for Peace, P.O Box 589, Berkeley, CA 94701, www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org. To attend the funeral livestream, please visit our website. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com
GUEST BOOK
I went back to graduate school to get a masters in education only to find much of the course content on pedagogy absurdly familiar. Will never forget the day a professor introduced the idea of building a class plan through what professionals call scaffolding and Joyce called flow. The idea was essentially what we have experienced as curious learners with great teachers - warm-up, transformation into a series of seamless activities with a payoff. Sounds simple in theory but demanded a meticulous curation of balancing core skills of spontaneity and anticipation of which Joyce was a Master Builder. Passionate, committed and nuanced.
Hers is a legacy for the ages.
Larry Grimm
Saralynne Crittenden
Caroline Kearns Nisbet
and the friendship was a strong bond they had along with
The Cusack’s and the Quinn’s. Many of my siblings worked with Joyce at Piven theatre and we attended many a show to support them .
My son (Jimmy ) found his love of acting at a young age
Within the Piven workshops ..and dear Joyce took him under
Her wing and nurtured him and his talent as only she could. Although he did not pursue the acting career he has fond memories of working with Joyce .
Rest in peace dear Joyce you will be missed ..
Adrian Byrne
As a former teacher at PTW and a student of Byrne and Joyce, the impact on my career as a storyteller and drama teacher was immense. Joyce’s guidance, patience.and Encouragement was so validating . It was an honor to know her, to have my children, learn there and to understand that knowing the games and how they informed acting, was the highlight of my career. She was so proud of her children .
Your memory is a blessing Joyce.
Susan Stone
Manon Spadaro
Marcia Cahn
During my many years studying acting and improv with them, they not only taught me how to act and write, they taught me how to live in the moment and love myself, even through the darkest days of my depression.
And though I am deeply saddened now by the news of Joyce's passing, I can honestly say I don't know if I would have survived the struggles of my 20s without her presence in my life. Thank you, Joyce, for your life-saving service and the immeasurable impact you had on me then and continue to do so now.
Love you,
Blake
Blake Levinson
Darrell Hall
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Elizabeth Geddes
I loved the sacred space Joyce created, and the commitment she demanded from herself and her students.
It was amazing to learn improvisation, story theatre, scene study and the gift of being completely present in the moment.
I absorbed her direction and learned the art of play.
Joyce was an inspiration and a true artist- a one of a kind.
I had never had a teacher like her before, and I have had few since. Her passion and dedication for theatre inspired a lifelong passion in so many of us.
She simply made the world more beautiful and she will be forever missed.
Growing up, I always admired the soulful connection she and Bryne had. It is a peaceful thought that they are together again.
She transformed my life, and so many generations of young aspiring artists.
That one class on Wednesday afternoons, led to a college degree and a career.
I am forever grateful to have been a student, an actor, a teacher, and a lifelong member of The Piven Theatre Community.
My heartfelt condolences to Jeremy, Shira, and to my beloved Piven Theatre Workshop family.
Leah Gale
Joyce saw me, truly saw me. She uncovered gifts in me I didn’t even know I carried, as though she could look into my neshama, my soul, and pull forth what was waiting to be discovered. She had the rare ability to recognize the listeners, the braves, the ones who could open themselves to the world’s stories, pain, and beauty. She didn’t fill you with answers but invited you to dwell in the unknown—the dark, mysterious spaces where creativity is born.
I’ll never forget the image of her onstage in Great Expectations, her face bathed in light, delivering a monologue that resonated with longing and vulnerability. That same light shone on me the day she offered me to join Piven Theatre Workshop— not just to study acting but to step into a transformative space where art became a sacred practice of self-discovery. Joyce believed in fairness and justice—tzedek. She ensured I had a voice, a place, and an opportunity, treating everyone with the dignity they deserved.
Our lunches at Blind Faith Café were more than conversations; they were moments of quiet revelation. Joyce guided me to ask the hardest question: “Who are you?” And in moments when I felt lost, her wisdom gave me just enough direction to take the next step, to discover my own answers. Like the manna in the wilderness, it was never too much or too little—just enough to sustain the journey.
I wish I could bottle her infectious laugh to carry with me for the times I need a pick-me-up. And her voice— full, steady and sure—saying, “You’re a brave girl,” when I face challenges, giving me the courage to take the next step.
Joyce taught me—and so many others—that creativity requires courage. To take risks, to trust, and to find belonging in the process. The Piven Theatre was more than a stage; it was a mikdash me’at, a small sanctuary, where ensemble and community thrived, and where we could explore and express our truest selves.
I carry her teachings, her voice, and her love. Your neshama lives on in the stories I tell, the bravery I pass to my children, and the sense of magic I’ll always strive to uncover. As I carry your/our legacy forward, I’ll hold onto words she once quoted to me in late-night rehearsal of The Audition, with particular resonance, from Chekov’s Uncle Vanya: “What can we do. We must live our lives.” May her memory be a blessing and a light to all who were touched by her extraordinary spirit.
I am holding space in my heart for Joyce’s wonderful children Shira , Jeremy, family and friends. I will be forever grateful to have crossed paths with Joyce Piven.
“But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restored, and sorrows end” -Shakespeare
Aayisha Ruby Gold
Heidi Katz
I do not have the vocabulary to express my deep sense of loss.
I am inspired by Joyce's kindness and wisdom on an hourly biases in my life.
Thomas Greene
My deepest condolences to the Piven Family. Joyce’s funeral was beautiful and moving. Joyce was an extraordinary woman who led a significant life. I feel privileged to have known her. Susan Applebaum
Susan Applebaum
payed her husband on stage, so I feel like a member of the family.. I ran a IworksHop for “everyday people at the Piven Workshopfordecades. I have watched all the students and participants grow from childhood to their current adult condition. My comment to her memorial is in eloquent silence. I was on the first Piven Thester production, Chekhov’s “The Darling”” My last role was in “Ivanov”, directed by Joyce. In”The Darling”, I played Kukin,, the theatre manager who was Olenka’s first husband. Oenka’s”s memorable line in the story lives in my memory: “Olenka was so moved by Kukin’s misfortunes that she ended up by falling in love with him.” CC
Bernard Beck
Rachel Sledd Iannantuoni
Tarlan Kasra
Joan Ryan
Thank you Joyce for touching so many of us along the way. Your light will forever be explored and heightened.
Ryan Kitley
Jodi Kanter