Funeral Details

Joyce Piven

February 21, 1930 - January 18, 2025

SERVICE INFORMATION

Date and Time

Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 12 Noon

Service

Chicago Jewish Funerals
Skokie Chapel
8851 Skokie Boulevard
Skokie, Illinois 60077
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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

We encourage you to share your personal condolences and stories of Joyce Piven below and we will share them with the family.
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I would never have discovered teaching or the art of teaching without Joyce Piven.

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
January 21, 2025
The light that shined so brilliantly for so long ‘appears’ to have gone out. That is not the Truth. Her light is still shining —it has just changed form— but is shining even brighter on the other side of the curtain. For a true artist— there is no final curtain call. Don’t believe me. Close your eyes— open your heart— and you will see her light — still shining. SHINE! SHINE!😇

Saralynne Crittenden
January 22, 2025
If only we could all live a life that touches so many souls in such a positive and impactful way. Joyce's creativity, strength, humor, and tenacity have rippled through so many of us in the community--it can never be forgotten. What a beautiful human. May her light blaze in every student that ever had the pleasure and privilege to learn from her.

Caroline Kearns Nisbet
January 22, 2025
My parents met Joyce & Byrne many years ago
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
January 22, 2025
My heart broke when I learned of Joyce’s death.
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
January 23, 2025
Joyce had a truly immeasurable impact on my life as a young performer and my years as a teacher and director of young actors. My heartfelt condolences go out to Jeremy, Shira, and the whole Piven Theatre Workshop family. ❤️

Manon Spadaro
January 23, 2025
Joyce has given me a gift of a lifetime, a gift that keeps on giving. Most recently, in my eighty-third year of life, I retold a Hanukkah story (introduced to the Workshop by Joyce) and facilitated some improv scenes for some friends. In a year in which I had a significant personal loss, my experience at the Workshop, remains deep inside me and springs forth bringing much personal joy and satisfaction. My history at the Workshop spans over forty years as an adult student, teacher, director of Performance Project class, board member, and volunteer assistant teacher. Through those years, I have been mentored and been a mentor, a major part of the ethos of the Piven Theatre with its emphasis on ensemble and community building. I came to the Workshop with no artistic background or training and was introduced to a variety of literature I had never been exposed to and to the concept of Creative Play and its ability to open players to a well-spring of our creative being. I was smitten! I was guided in my skill development by Joyce's patient, supportive, detailed supervision which required generous amounts of time. I remain deeply grateful to Joyce and her beloved husband and partner, Byrne, for their contributions to the professional theatre community and to "ordinary people" like myself. Thank you, and condolences, to her beloved children who allowed many of us to feel like extended family.

Marcia Cahn
January 24, 2025
As I shared with Shira several weeks ago after the Q&A at her brilliant movie premiere with Jeremy, their parents Joyce and Byrne were my heroes who quite literally saved my life.

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
January 24, 2025
Some of my fondest childhood memories center around Joyce and the diligent play we engaged in under her visionary direction. She was an inimitable teacher, helping performers surrender their inhibitions to become fully present and bask in the beauty of every moment on stage. I will be forever grateful to her for helping hone my aesthetic sensibility, not just in theater but in life. My deepest sympathies to Shira and Jeremy and all the others she leaves behind who love her. She will always have a cherished place in my heart.

Darrell Hall
January 25, 2025
She was a force! Simple as that. So many fond memories of her and Byrne. Wonderful people and, actors, teachers, and parents. God bless the family. My condolences. ❤️🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Elizabeth Geddes
January 25, 2025
I remember the excitement rushing to the train from high school in Lincoln Park, to Evanston for Joyce's class.
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
January 25, 2025
Joyce Piven, z’l, was more than a mentor; she was a storyteller, a teacher, and a guide who illuminated the path of art and self-discovery for so many. Through her, I didn’t just learn to act—I learned to live.

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
January 26, 2025
Joyce's light will shine on in the multitude of those of us whose lives she taught and touched. She turned Piven Theatre Workshop's hallways and rooms at Noyes Cultural Arts Center into sacred space and a wellspring of learning and community for so many of us. It became a second home to me during the years I was a student of hers and the other teachers she nourished and inspired there. Gratitude to her family for sharing Joyce with us. Her memory and example of how to live are a blessing.

Heidi Katz
January 26, 2025
Hello,

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
January 26, 2025
Dear Joyce, I love you and will miss you I met you 50 years ago when I began to study with you at the old Davis Street Studio. You were my teacher, my director. My mentor and my friend. As you did for so many, you changed my life. Reunited with your beloved Byrne, may you rest in peace. Much love, Susan
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
January 26, 2025
Joyce was my dear friend and colleague. I often
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
January 26, 2025
Joyce was one of my first acting teachers and also one of the best. Her kindness, her encouragement, her astute observations set me on the course that led to my career as an actor and acting teacher. Chicago theatre will not be the same without her presence; her work and her impact on thousands of young lives will never be forgotten. My sincerest condolences to Piven family and Piven Theatre Workshop community.

Rachel Sledd Iannantuoni
January 26, 2025
Shira & Jeremy, my heart breaks for both of you the most. Though I was only ever friends with your lovely mother on Facebook over the years all I could honestly even begin to fathom was both your pain & grief over such deeply profound loss. That said my heart goes out to you as well as all of your family. Sincere condolences to you & to all of your lovely family especially as you each begin to process this tremendously irreplaceable loss at this time. All of that said please take comfort in remembering how much she was loved & inspired by all whose lives she had touched & cared for in her time on this earth &!ESPECIALLY in this undeniable empire & legacy that she & your equally beloved father created together. Peace, love & prayers to you both first, foremost & especially.

Tarlan Kasra
January 26, 2025
my deepest condolences; I am so very grateful for her wisdom, grace and compassion. Sending so much love and blessings!

Joan Ryan
January 26, 2025
Joyce embodied creativity. She was the true definition of an artist. Her sense of play, of risk, of creating something from nothing will always resonate with me. Joyce's voice has guided me as an actor and a teaching artist for decades. Along with Byrne, she taught me how to teach, how to find truth in my acting, and most of all how to play fully with reckless abandon. Joyce respected and revered the work. I have so much admiration for that. Over the years, she shared so many invaluable lessons with me. I remember Joyce explaining to me the importance of encouraging my students to swim far out into the water, but to always have a sense of when to reel them in. I am forever grateful for everything Joyce shared with me.

Thank you Joyce for touching so many of us along the way. Your light will forever be explored and heightened.

Ryan Kitley
January 26, 2025
I'm posting here mostly to share my love with the whole Piven community. It's wonderful to see notes here from so many members of the extended family, some of whom I know and some of whom I don't know personally but am nonetheless connected to. As an academic, I've had a lot of teachers; Joyce was the best teacher of anything I've ever had. Nearly half a century later, I am still reaping and sharing with others the rewards of the essential things she taught me. Thank you, Joyce, and thank you, Piven community.

Jodi Kanter
February 7, 2025