Founding Artistic Director Bruce Miller passes the baton at Virginia Rep.
Bruce Miller, Terrence Sullivan, and screen and stage actor Blair Underwood.
“I’m a firm believer in term limits,” says Bruce Miller, Virginia Repertory Theatre’s founding artistic director. “The institution, since day one, has always been bigger than me.”
Though Miller announced his choice to step down after 41 years last May, it was about five years ago when he decided that, come his 65th birthday, he would transition to a different role at the Rep. Under his leadership, and that of founding managing director Phil Whiteway, the Rep has grown to be one of the region’s largest arts organizations, staging full seasons at each of its four venues and attracting an audience of 530,000 annually.
But Miller isn’t taking his final bow just yet. He will remain at the Rep to work on educational theater projects like FIELD (Family Involvement in Early Literacy Development) as well as on the development of children’s plays on sensitive topics such as obesity and bullying prevention.
In April, the Rep announced that Nathaniel Shaw, whose theater credits include work as a professional dancer, producer and choreographer, will be its new artistic director. Currently sourcing new projects for development for New York theater production company Glass Half Full, Shaw will assume his duties in July. Says Miller: “We believe we’ve found a candidate who is exceptional.” Va-Rep.org
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