For the first time last month, the curriculum at Walker Elementary School expanded to include theatrical workshops.
In February, an artist in residence program at Walker, 3601 Church St., featured an artist from Piven Theatre Workshop. Joanne Underwood taught the program, sponsored by the Walker School Parent-Teacher Association.
Underwood worked primarily with second-graders, although other grade levels also participated in the program. She directed writing and theater workshops, underlining school curriculum and introducing students to performance techniques. By the end of the workshop, students were encouraged to create original art, such as performance pieces.
Walker’s is but one of the Chicago-area programs Piven has organized this year, said Jennifer Green, artistic director at the theater workshop. The group also has an ongoing relationship with Chute Middle School, 1400 Oakton St., hosting an artist in residence at the school every spring.
“We do anything from focusing on specific theatric techniques to working with specific curriculum,” Green said. Piven brings “incredible theater training,” normally offered off-site directly to community locations, she said.
The workshop, founded by Byrne and Joyce Piven, has trained actors for more than 35 years. The organization has produced actors such as John Cusack and Jeremy Piven, the founders’ son.
Underwood used theater games and improvisation to teach students. Students studied the 1800s, exploring historical fiction, artwork, folklore and other forms of art that were written during that time period. Topics included pioneer life and the Underground Railroad.
This year, Chute will host an artist in residence program at the school during April and May, said Caroline Kearns, director of educational programming at Piven.
“This will be our third year using Piven,” said Ellen Schwarzbach, president of Chute PTA. “The theme they’re working with this year is the Holocaust.”
Debra Price, Walker PTA co-president and cultural arts chairwoman, helped bring Piven to Walker this year based on her previous experience coordinating the residency program with Chute. She hopes to bring the Piven workshop back to Walker next year for a longer residency program, she wrote in an e-mail response.
Students benefit from the program through role-playing activities, which give students a glimpse of experiences based on the theme, Schwarzbach said.
“I think any sort of extracurricular like this – something they don’t normally do in classroom time – exposes the students,” Schwarzbach said. “I think the interesting thing is to see how that resonates with different students. It’s a little extra enrichment.”
