As we celebrate lots of new things on the Live Arts Theatre horizon, we are highlighting various people who make up the village we like to call the Live Arts Theatre family. This series will focus on the many actors, directors, techies, stage hands, members, and even our regular theatre-goers who make Live Arts Theatre great.
Our next profile is Steven Miller.
I’m Steven Miller, a native New Englander who has lived in Georgia for over 30 years. I was employed as a software programmer/analyst for NCR Corporation for over 35 years and have been retired since 2013. I now spend my time acting, writing plays and songs, and (when a pandemic isn’t going on) attending theatre.
I had bad luck with school plays as a child, out sick on the days of performances or auditions for several years. Outside of school, I performed a self-devised fairy tale play with my sister and some of her friends when I was nine, taking on 17 roles (a butler, a Dutch maid, and 15 suitors). I started in community theatre when I started work with NCR in Cambridge, Ohio, figuring that it would be a good way to meet people and have a semblance of a social life.
What brought you to Live Arts?
When I moved to Georgia, there was no active community theatre in Gwinnett County. (When I telephoned the Gwinnett Arts Council before my move here, they rather snobbily noted that they were concerned only with the “fine arts.”) I was active with County Seat Players during their period of activity (1994-2009), and learned of Live Arts shortly after it was instituted and took on County Seat’s 501(c)(3) status. From then, it was just a matter of keeping an eye out for Live Arts auditions.
What is your favorite Live Arts show that you’ve worked on/seen? And Why?
My favorite Live Arts show was Fiorello! Growing up, I had seen the show at Emerson College in Boston and fell in love with it. Live Arts’ production was the southeastern premiere, many years after it tied for the 1960 Best Musical Tony and won the Pulitzer outright. It was a pleasure to revisit the material from the other side of the stage lights.
What do you love about Live Arts?
I love the can-do attitude of the organization, particularly of Becca Parker. Secrets Every Smart Traveler Should Know had its venue pulled a couple of weeks before opening, but it opened nevertheless, albeit weeks late and up in Flowery Branch. In the tiny Belfry Theater, space is always at a premium, but that doesn’t seem to mean that set design can’t dream big. Live Arts has a core group of individuals that feel like a family, but it also attracts new talent breaking into Atlanta theatre, which makes for a very rich artistic environment. What is there about Live Arts that’s not to love?
What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward (with a little trepidation) to a new venue, new productions, and an always-interesting selection of plays.