Professor David A. Miller Keeps Directing Chops Sharp on the Summer Stage

For CU theatre professor David A. Miller, the end of the academic semester does not mean the show stops. For Miller, the show very much goes on. This past summer, as he does most summers, Miller directed a regional production at the Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth, Texas.

This summer’s show was The Shark is Broken, a production that earned rave reviews, with Miller’s direction noted for calibrating the shift from bickering to bonding and working with each actor’s strength. 

“My professional work as a director, actor, and new play development practitioner is a vital part of nurturing who I am as an artist and the perspective I can bring to our students in Bloomsburg,” says Miller. “I infuse my curriculum with current professional practices often illustrated by my own experiences working professionally. I continue to grow my pool of knowledge and professional connections in the field.”

Beyond his frequent collaborations at Amphibian Stage—where he has directed eight productions and four staged readings over more than twenty years—he develops new plays with Idiots at Play in New York City and collaborates with the Seven Devils New Play Foundry in Idaho.

A larger lesson that Miller models for his students is the power of connection and connections in the theatre world. 

“My first connection to Fort Worth was during grad school at Rutgers University, where I received my MFA in directing,” says Miller. “One of my classmates, Jonathan Fielding, was from Fort Worth and was a founding member of Amphibian. He advocated for me to direct for Amphibian, and my first production was a new play, 4 Edges by Crystal Skillman, in 2004. Amphibian quickly became an artistic home for me.”