Shira Piven is the child of theatre people, and she has established herself as an actress and stage director in Chicago and later in New York. She was the founder and artistic director of Water Theatre Company between 1999 and 2003. Her hit show Pilgrims was adapted and directed by Ms. Piven, produced by Mike Nichols, and based on three short stories from the collection Pilgrims in collaboration with the author Elizabeth Gilbert.
Her first feature film, Fully Loaded, recently won the audience Favorite Feature award at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, as well as the best Feature award at both The River's Edge International and Carmel Art and Film Festivals. It was also featured at the Boston, San Luis Obispo, Talking Pictures, and Newport Beach film festivals. It was released by Starz.
