“Keep moving forward” could be the theme of Ken Miller’s life. He exemplified this at the beginning of this career to the end, and now he continues to keep moving forward in his retirement as The Executive Director of The Soo Theatre Project.
Ken’s library career began, after earning his 1972 Sociology degree from Wayne State University, as the Student Library Assistant. His impressive resume demonstrates his determination to keep moving forward as he became Chief Manager, earned additional education: a Masters of Library Science also from Wayne State University, and then acquired a series of leadership positions at a variety of libraries in Michigan: Coordinator, Interim Director, Deputy Director, and Director.
Now that he’s retired, Ken is doing what Ken Miller does best…keep moving forward as The Executive Director at The Soo Theatre Project.
As a non-profit arts organization located on Ashmun Street in the heart of downtown Sault Sainte Marie, The Soo Theatre Project is very pleased to have Ken providing his leadership and managerial expertise. And, there are plenty of reasons for why such an organization would need an executive director.
Did you know that STP has two parts? There is the education and teaching part all year long called STARS, or Soo Theatre Arts Resource Studios. These studios, located at the Ashmun Street theatre, are for the teachers and students to meet and to create arts magic!
This magic happens for many students of all ages in a variety of areas: dance, voice, painting, and a wide selection of musical instruments as well as theatre performance, and prop construction. Often during the year, there are specialized classes such as acro dance and hula hoop dance. Also, multiple busy camps happen every summer, too.
The other half of STP is the performance side with an extensive summer season of shows beginning with Beauty and the Beast, Jr. this April 15-17, which has 53 student actors and actresses aged 7 years old to high school performing.
Every summer season, audiences are brought to their feet with outstanding performances on The Soo Theatre Project’s historic stage. Stay tuned for the soon-to-be-released complete summer season’s schedule of events and performances. You won’t want to miss any of them including the musical Music Man this July!
This is not Ken Miller’s first experience with theatre. He explains, “I first got involved with Matrix Theatre Company when I was working at Bowen Branch of Detroit Public Library in Southwest Detroit. We had a problem with middle school kids coming in after school and being very pesky and noisy. Most of them were from families where both parents worked and had no ability to have childcare so they sent the kids to the library after school.
“I knew I had to address the situation, but kicking them out into the streets of Detroit was unacceptable. I spoke with Shawn Nethercott, a PhD in theater who was new to the neighborhood and interested in starting a community theater. She worked with the children by just talking to them at first. Most of them were Latino kids. Shawn got them to read a book called House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, which is about young Latino kids.
The kids not only to read the book, but wrote a play based upon it. Then, they built flats, rehearsed the play, and presented it in the children’s room of the library.
“On the day of the play, we had so many people in the library they were standing outside the door. Mothers, fathers, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins – everybody came to see these kids perform. It was the largest crowd we ever had in that little branch library in Southwest Detroit – over 100.
“For me, it was a real lesson learned. A lesson about the power of theater. The power of family. The power literature. And, how to turn something negative into something wonderful. We were able to go on from there and Shawn formed The Matrix Theater Company. I served on the board eventually serving as the Board President.
“Later, when I retired from Detroit Public Library, I went to work there part time as Assistant Director. We worked with the local mental health agency and used the same formula: find a topic of interest to the group, write a play, and perform it.
“Also, we developed radio drama for the blind. The group of people with visual impairments and blindness created a radio drama. We were able to get the local public radio station to broadcast it on their FM back channel.”
Ken has been influential here in this community, too. He was responsible for convincing Chippewa and Mackinac Counties and the City of Sault Sainte Marie to sign an agreement forming a District Library. Ken calls this “the highlight of my library career.” This agreement resulted in Ken receiving the Michigan Library Association’s Librarian of the Year award in 2014.
If all of the above wasn’t enough, Ken is a pen and ink as well as water color artist. He’s had several shows locally and sells his artwork at the Winter Farmers Market on Saturdays. He was Senior Editor and Illustrator of the “Great Lakes Cruiser Magazine,” a boating magazine about traveling on the Great Lakes published 2000 to 2012.
How many of us would find reasons to slow down into a secluded retirement life? Not Ken Miller. He keeps moving forward even with a hereditary visual issue that affects his daily life. He explains, “I have an eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. Its symptoms are night blindness and a gradual loss of peripheral vision. It blinded my mother. And, it’s working on my brother, myself, my son, and his daughter. It is a gradual disease with no cure or treatment.
“I had to stop driving about a year ago so I use my bicycle to get around for now. I use a cane to keep from tripping over things. My central vision is pretty good so I do all right. While it affects my life substantially, I do not let it limit my activities.”
Indeed, Ken Miller doesn’t live in The Land of Limitations, but lives in The Land of Possibilities! With so much happening at The Soo Theatre Project 365 days a year, an executive director is definitely needed. Ken Miller, with his innovative leadership, fun personality, and positive “keep moving forward” attitude is perfect for the job.
