I knew of George Millers reputation long before I knew the man. But once I met him, he left an indelible impression. George, who died April 13, has left a huge empty space in the heart of Lehigh Valley theater.
George always had kindness in his eyes and an indisputable passion with which he talked about his art. He was a tireless supporter of the community as well as other artists, pushing young performers with his gentle smile and contagious laugh. He will be sorely missed.
In the 1990s, as a simple theater fan, I was first introduced to Georges distinctive aesthetic as I attended the numerous Irish productions George brought to Allentowns Theatre Outlet during his tenure as artistic director there from 1988 to 2003.
I didnt have the opportunity to talk to George until I became a features writer for the Morning Call. My first interview with him was for a story on his beloved Selkie Theatre.
He and his wife and partner Kate Scuffle had founded Selkie Theatre in 2005 as a way to expand on their fascination with Irish art and culture. They traveled to Ireland where they produced new Irish works and brought them back to the Lehigh Valley. They even lived on the Emerald Isle for several years.
As a Morning Call features writer, there were always stories about festivals in Bethlehem, and that is how I met George.
I was writing about the 2010 Celtic Classic Festival and George was directing the American premier of Ireland's Jasango Theatre production of the comedy "Bombshells" at the festival. Selkie Theare had brought the play that explores several generations of women, to Bethlehem after it toured Ireland.
But I was more interested is Selkies other, more colorful performance.
Clad in traditional straw disguises, George and Kate were debuting the Selkie Strawboys, an Irish mumming troupe that also was performing at Celtic Classic.
I was fascinated as George enthusiastically described the ancient Irish tradition.
Long before Philadelphia ever heard of the Mummer's Parade, Ireland had mummers. The tradition is said to be 2,500 years old and involved groups of costumed entertainers going door-to-door, usually at the holidays.
At Celtic Classic, George and the others mummers entertained the crows with Irish music, dance and a traditional mummer play that pits two heroes against each other, one of whom must fall and be revived by a magical doctor. It was immensely entertaining.
I was again entranced by Georges creative vision when I wrote about Selkies "Electric Cow: A Festival of New Green Plays" in 2011.
George and Kate who produced the festival asked Irish playwrights to submit original 10-minute plays on ecological themes and 13 were chosen to be performed. George directed the festival which was performed in and around the picturesque Illicks Mill on the Monocacy Creek. Many of the pieces were site-specific to the different levels and locations in the historic stone grist mill built in 1856.
The festival was gritty, eye-opening and unforgettable and George was justly proud of the event.
When I started covering theater for the Morning Call, I often found myself face to face with George, who directed many, many outstanding productions in the Lehigh Valley.
One of those was 2014s "To Kill A Mockingbird," at Pennsylvania Playhouse.
The classic tale of coming of age amid racism in Alabama in the 1930s was a tour de force and George went all in on the production, not only directing the iconic play, but also directing an actress to portray reclusive author Harper Lee before the show and bringing in actress Mary Badham, who played the role of Scout in the 1962 Academy Award-winning movie.
George said then he had always wanted to direct the show and jumped at the chance when he saw Pennsylvania Playhouse planned to do it.
"It is about growing up, no matter what the age, but rather our emotional growth and learning to stand in someone else's shoes before judging," he said. "It's about the coming together of people and doing the right thing.
George worked particularly well with the younger members of the cast and coaxed memorable performances out of the 8-12 year old actors.
I got to experience George and Kates bucolic Anam Cara Farm, a 1794 stone farmhouse they rented and planned to use as an arts' retreat and performance site, in 2015.
I was there to talk to George and local musician Steve Brosky for a story on "Steve Brosky: The Musical ” Living Here in Allentown," based on the life of Brosky, best known for his hit "Do The Dutch.".
In 1995, George had let the self-proclaimed saloon singer hold a CD release party in the Theatre Outlet space, then in downtown Allentown.
Broskys theatrical flair impressed George who suggested Brosky consider doing a play about his life, but Brosky said he was more interested in focusing on his music.
Twenty years later, Brosky said, "Hey George let's try that idea."
The musical, written by George and Brosky, and directed by George traced Brosky's life from his youth in Allentown's 6th Ward, through his military service in Vietnam and his subsequent battle with drugs to his transformation into one of the Lehigh Valley's best-known musicians.
George said of the project that "theater is about examining yourself."
The show which premiered at Quakertowns McCoole's Arts & Events Place sold out.
The next year, I was interviewing George for a very different show being presented by Selkie Theatre.
He directed "Casa Valentina," a play by four-time Tony Award-winner Harvey Fierstein that tells the story of a discreet resort that catered to men whose secret passion was dressing and behaving as women.
George said he was attracted to the play because of its exploration of the broad spectrum of identity.
"it's really about is the universal struggle for self-acceptance, and what happens when society denies us a place to be our true selves," he said.
One of Georges most effective decisions as director was to have the men put on their makeup on stage, transforming themselves in front of the audience and completely drawing the audience into the experience.
Another memorable directorial turn was for Crowded Kitchens premiere of "Twelveness" in 2017.
George took on the new play by Easton native and veteran composer/performer Charlie Barnett, about the unlikely friendship between musicians Arnold Schoenberg and George Gershwin.
Gershwin wrote popular music, while Schoenberg was a composer of classical music that is highly respected, but was too unusual to be embraced by the public. The title refers to Schoenberg's invention of a 12-tone composition method.
Georges direction reined in some of heavier philosophical dialogue about music and left audiences with an absorbing character play about the nature of music and its creation.
The last time I interviewed George was in 2018 for "Fox on the Fairway" the last show he directed at Pennsylvania Playhouse. It was an uncharacteristic comedy, which followed the crazy antics at a private country club.
George told me it had been about 40 years since he had directed a farce and he was glad to be returning
to it.
"Im known for doing serious drama," he joked. "This time I wanted to do something a little lighter."
He said the last time he directed a farce was the 18th century play "She Stoops to Conquer" in 1977, although the first show he ever acted in at the playhouse was the comedy "The Loud Red Patrick," in 1967.
He told me directing a farce is a different kind of challenge.
"Its still thought-provoking, but its a different approach," he said.
George also offered insight into his directorial method in that interview.
"Its amazing," he said. "When I first read a play, I can almost see it in my mind. Its like a puzzle that comes together. Its very satisfying."
I also frequently ran into George at all types of arts events in the Lehigh Valley.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the last time I saw George was in November 2019, when he was very involved in volunteering for Touchstone Theatres Festival Unbound.
George seemed to be at nearly all events of the 10-day celebration of about 40 events throughout Bethlehem, from manning the registration table at the Sustainability Forum, to selling CDs at the Poets, Troubadours and Troublemakers concerts and singing and laughing with other participants at the community dinner.
While Covid-19 shut down the arts, George was able to continue supporting the arts as co-host with Kate of "Lehigh Valley Arts Salon" on WDIY.
While the stage lights are a little dimmer with the loss of a man who has done so much for theater in the Lehigh Valley, his legacy remains.