The 2nd Act Players are about to produce their 24th work for the stage with Cofounder John N. Frank acting in its November show, Old Ringers. But Frank wouldn’t be acting, and likely the 2nd Act Players wouldn’t exist, were it not for the adult acting classes offered by the Piven Theatre Workshop.
“I really came of age as an actor at Piven,” says Frank who has taken almost every adult class Piven offers since he began his 2nd act as an actor in 2012. “I was an old man trying a completely new thing, acting, and Piven classes always made me feel welcome and spurred my creativity.”
Indeed, when Frank and his wife Carolyn Calzavara (also a Piven acting alum) decided to start the 2nd Act Players in 2013, they felt so much at home at Piven that they rented the Piven stage for their first production and continued doing plays there until they found their permanent home at Northminster Church in Evanston.
The couple also has taken part in an improv showcase at Piven thanks to the improv teachers they had in classes there.
“Anyone who has raised children on the North Shore probably has heard of Piven’s acting classes for kids, but it’s adult classes are amazing too,” says Frank. “Whether you want to pursue acting as I have or just enjoy getting in touch with your creative self, Piven is a great place to learn, grow and have fun,” he says.
Just click here to read about current Piven classes