Byrne Piven Obituary

I knew him as generous, kind, visionary and urbane. And I still and will always remember that golden voice.

Dear Joyce, Shira and Jeremy,



I feel very privileged to have been Byrne's student and to have worked alongside him. His generosity of spirit, sharp wit and passion for his calling made a huge impression on me and on so many others that he touched. He truly lived life to the full and we will never forget him.

Dear Friends:

Many of the people who were fortunate enough to be at Byrne's farewell have asked about his marvelous poem. It was my distinct privilege to read it, and several of you have asked for a copy. Please find a transcription following this brief note. It is my hope that this poem will make its way into the possession of hundreds. Forward it to your friends and those whom you think would like to have a copy. I don't have all of your email addresses, but I do have faith that this is one of those chains that can actually work for the good. Indeed, let's not call it a chain--it is a network. Byrne touched so many of world's citizens that a small bit of his magic has to work in Cyberspace.

Peace, love, and long live the memory.

Harry


Be warned all who enter here:
This is the theatre space
haunted by expectation
made opaque with dream.

No window opens to the
sunlight here.
We choose to control the light
to reveal this face, hide that one,
to begin time and end being
to transform place, character,
emotion, intellectual substance
into stuffless spirit,
to invest the godless
and rip the god-fearing from
his airy moorings.

We are not in love with pretend here.
We make Believe in order to find
reality.
We shatter the real world to find
its true order.

We search for the darkness here
destroying it with
fresnels and lekos and arc lamps
We color it with subtle gels
knowing always it is in the darkness that we will find
Being
naked to its own colors.

Be warned:
This space is charged with the eclectic electric,
the current of our romance:

We will confront
our humanity in the
prayer of
recognizing it.

Be warned:
This is a nudist
colony here.

The clothing we wear belongs
to no emperor.
We charge ourselves with
inner nakedness.
We are god's fools.
We laugh at his universe,
teasing, defying it
to define itself.

Beware all who enter here:
This is a sacred place
suitable only for those who
would profane
shock
whisper
cajole
seduce
verily suck the truth from her hiding
place in our hearts.
--Byrne Piven

Dear Piven Family,

I was a student at the Piven Theater Workshop for 6 years. The lessons I learned at his school affect every aspect of my life. I consider myself lucky to have known Byrne and received his guidence. His passing is a loss for the world. My condolences.

I first met the Pivens the summer of 1955. It was right after they were married and came to Harand Camp for that summer. It was very clear then that he had remarkable talent. It was wonderful to see Joyce and Byrne share so much of themselves with so many in the community where I settled down to raise my family. He will be missed.

Byrne gave me one of the best gifts of my life: the Piven Theatre Workshop. It was within those walls where I started shedding my inhibitions and found brilliant flashes of life that I will carry with me always. Thank you Byrne.

I am deeply sorry about Bryne, my heart goes out to Joyce and his family. I feel fortunate to have learned from him; he contributed so much time, energy and honesty to our self-discovery and our art.

Byrne Piven had a great life,

He also helped others achieve greatness.

We will never forget Byrne.

The Piven's changed my life.



My thoughts are with you Shira,

Joyce and Jeremy.

My condolences on the passing of Mr. Piven. I was in his workshop about 20 years ago and knew him as a fellow actor in the world of voiceovers years later. I am grateful for some important life and show business lessons I learned from him!

Dear Piven family,



I was so saddened to hear about Byrne. And I want to send my thoughts and prayers out to the whole family.



So many wonderful things have been said about Byrne. And they're all true.



From my vantage point, Byrne (and Joyce!) have made an invaluable impact on my life. I did not pursue theater. But in my career, advertising, I use so many of the skills that I was taught in my days in the Young People's Workshop (1973-1983.)



I learned to be confident presenting in front of a group, how to respect others when they have "the stage." I learned how to improvise (ie. respond quickly to any situation I am faced with.) I learned how to work well in a group. And how to work autonomously. And most importantly, I learned trust in my talent and believe in myself.



Invaluable skills. Taught and mentored by an invaluable human being.



I can't thank him enough.

We are among those who admired Byrne. Clearly he had remarkable talent, but more important he was a wonderful person: generous, caring, and vital. We will miss this true mensch!



Tasha and Bill

Dear Jeremy and the entire Piven Family,

I am so sorry for what you are going through right now. I know the last few months have been confusing and trying. This happened so fast and from my understanding to a wonderful and very giving man.

My thoughts are with you now as they have been since November.

I am one of the students of the workshop's classes -- I usually enjoy taking Mr. Beck's improvisation class. I also subscribe to the theatre itself.



I had the pleasure of meeting your husband perhaps twice, once after a performance of "King Lear," and once during the pre-show reception at the Chicago premiere of "Serendipity."



He always struck me as embodying much of the grandness of the theatre: the certain royalty that one must have felt when interacting with other acting greats such as the Barrymores. And his performance in "King Lear" was perhaps one of the most captivating performances I have seen in my ten years both participating in and watching theater. I now regret that "Lear" was the only role I saw him in, aside from his film performance in "Malkovich."



You no doubt know this, but Mr. Piven was a great man who had the respect of not only, I'm sure, his colleagues, but of many who only knew him through his work and the occasional chance meeting.



You have my sincere condolensces, ma'am. I deeply regret Mr. Piven's passing.

Byrne was a lovely man who always made you feel like an old friend, whether you knew him for 20 minutes or 20 years. To the Piven family and all who are grieving right now, just think of how lucky we are that Byrne shared his gifts with so many- what an incredible legacy he left behind. He will be sadly missed and fondly remembered.

Piven Family,

We extend our sincerest condolences to you for the loss of your husband/Dad. Lung cancer is such a difficult way to leave. However, he certainly had an incredible life!



We saw Byrne in some of his own productions at the Piven Theatre, and thoroughly enjoyed the incredible energy and depth of his performances.



My daughter, Audrey Avila, took acting classes under Byrne and Joyce and others at the Piven Theatre School. Byrne was an inspiration to young people in both appreciating the arts and improving their abilities in the arts. He expanded the world of many young students including my daughter. His death is a great loss to the young people that he inspired as well as the theatrical arts community in general.



Again, we extend our sympathy to you for your loss.



Sincerely, Sherry & M. Frank Avila of

Chicago (Parents of one of Byrne's former acting students Audrey)

Shira, Joyce and the entire Piven Family:



My sincere condolonces of your lost. I only knew Byrne for such a short time, however it was insightful and a pleasure.

Dear Piven Family:



Byrne's life and love always remains.

Many condolences to you at this time.

May you be surrounded with love.

I am grateful to have learned so much with both Byrne and Joyce.

Best wishes,

Erin Higgins Sexton and family.

From one of your McClurg Court buddies: Go with God, Byrne, and thanks for the laughs, songs, stories and many other kindnesses, including reading an occasional piece of my writing. I'll miss you and always remember you, and I send my best to your family & friends.

Dear Family & Friends of Byrne Piven, I was so blessed to have been taught & to have been awakened as an actor by Byrne & his passion for theatre. He always reminded me that I was a performer & it was my duty to stay open in the world & to never stop learning. I took his class a few months ago here in LA, where we played for hours, and as I think on it now, it truly was a childlike time. A time for exploration & expression. He was so innocent & yet so wise.I love him & love the gifts he bestowed on me.My wishes & love go out to Joyce, Shira,Jeremy,Adam & Lili & all who loved him. Thank you, Byrne, for pushing me beyond my boundaries & for being the greatest teacher. I'll miss you.XOXO Cricket

I'm so sorry to hear about the passing of Mr.Piven, being an Evanstonian all my life, I know of the great contributions Mr.Piven made in the Evanston acting community through the Piven Theater Workshop. Although I did not know Mr.Piven personally, I went to school with his son Jeremy and I know what a great family they are! My Deepest Sympathys go out to the entire Piven family.

Joyce, Jeremy, Shira, Adam & Lili

I's sorry at the loss of Byrne. He was a very special person. His humor, kindness and selfless giving will be missed by the numerous people whose lives he touched. I can say that I'm a better person for having known Byrne. I'll miss him. With fond regards, Bob

Dear family, friends, students and aquaintances of Byrne:

Upon discovering the news, so many thoughts and emotions streamed through my brain. To me, Byrne Piven was a strongly respected figure in my life. I met him when I was 12 at the Piven Theatre Workshop, which was just the beginning of a world of portraits, scene tags, shey shey coolays, and stories that I looked forward to visiting twice a week. Soon I found myself a part of the Young People's Company, exploring dramatic epiphanies that I could hardly fathem.

When I started acting there in Evanston, I did not have any prior encouragement from other theatre figures, and I am certain that I would not love my abilities and that I would not always strive to improve them had it not been for that wide eyed encouragement that I recieved from Byrne.

The pure excitement and pride that he absorbed from a climating machine on stage or a simple glance from actor to actor-He loved everything about the the theatre and he helped me to love everything about it too. My heart is errupting with memories now and I cannot do much but think of Joyce, Nina, Mikilina, Jen, Robin, Hakeem, Liz, Gordy, Jeff, Duke, Jenny, Ben, Sy, Katie, and all of the other friends I made throughout the experience.

I know now that the piven workshop is drifting further and further into a memory of my past, but there are some things about Byrne that are impossible to lose.

I'll never forget the open smile on his face when a performance plays out just as he imagined. I'll never forget his strong booming voice, detectable from miles away. I'll never forget his amazing hearty laugh, allowing all who hear to be transported to a time when Byrne was a young dreamer enjoying his life's blessings. Mostly, I will never forget the way Byrne looked into your eyes when he was talking. Whether if he was giving advice, directions, or just telling a story..He always locked onto eye contact, and his soft accepting expressions would always comfort me. He made me feel important. He made all of us Piven Theatre children feel important. I love you Byrne, Thank you for everything.

All my sympathy to Shira, Joyce & the entire Piven family at this time of sorrow. I lost my father two years ago and I can relate to what you are going through. May your time of bereavement be filled with love & support from family & friends. All my love.

Dan Ruben

Dear Piven Family:

I only met Mr. Piven a few times, but he made quite an impression. He was a great person. Please know you are in my thoughts and prayers. I am here if you need anything...ever.

Love,

Sandra

Dear Joyce, Shira and Jeremy,

May you find strength and love at this time. I wish I had known Byrne better, but our few talks revealed a warm and deeply caring man. It was good to know, even if encounters were few, that he was around, that he was there.

Please accept my sympathies.

Gary