Piven opens Holiday Storybox, an act of improvised storytelling on Saturday.
The show runs this weekend and next weekend on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Tickets are $10.
The show is in conjunction with the Chicago Improv Festival, which for years has been performing Storybox Theater, a show for adult audiences but, unlike its predecessor, Piven Theater is taking the act to all ages.
Using just wooden sticks and clothing for props, the actors of Holiday Storybox build a one-act tale from a young audience member’s suggestion. For 45-minutes, the story unfolds with multicultural holiday themes that take the characters through a series of settings and events. Piven Theater collaborated to assemble the show that features eight veteran improvisation actors from the Storybox Ensemble.
Inspired by the Tony award-winning Broadway show “Story Theater”, Jonathan Pitts created and developed Storybox, which debuted in 2003, and later, Piven put a spin on it for the holidays.
Directed by Storybox core member Nick Johne, actors include Ravi Batista, Tusiime Jackson, Elise Lammers, Matt Klingler, Jonathan Pitts, Jenn SavaRyan, Jeremy Schaefer and Kelly Williams.