Author: Debra Miller

Debra holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Delaware and teaches at Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ. She is a judge for the Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre, Philadelphia Arts and Culture Correspondent for Central Voice, and has served as a Commonwealth Speaker for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and President of the Board of Directors of Da Vinci Art Alliance. Her publications include articles, books, and catalogues on Renaissance, Baroque, American, Pre-Columbian, and Contemporary Art, and feature articles on the Philadelphia theater scene.

Visible Fictions’ Tim Settle and Simon Donaldson perform JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS at People’s Light (Photo credit: Mark Garvin)

Reviews Theater

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (People’s Light): A playful retelling for all ages

Debra Miller March 15, 2015 No Comments

Scotland’s Visible Fictions brings a child-friendly version of the Greek myth of JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS, adapted by Robert Forrest, to People’s Light & Theatre Company

Features Music

Theater Artists Making Beautiful Music in NY and Philly

Debra Miller March 11, 2015 1 Comment

The theater community contains a wealth of multi-talented artists who are not only gifted actors, but also highly skilled singers, musicians, and composers.

Reviews Theater

COLLECTED STORIES (Isis): When “What happens in Vegas” doesn’t stay in Vegas

Debra Miller March 10, 2015 1 Comment

An off-the-record conversation between an established author and her graduate student assistant becomes the basis for an increasingly adversarial examination of professional ethics, artistic license, and personal betrayal.

Literature Reviews Theater

[book review] FOLLIES OF GOD (James Grissom): Validating Tennessee Williams

Debra Miller March 3, 2015 No Comments

“The greatness of . . . people lies in how they got from their squalor—real or perceived—and became artists.”

Arts Features Museums Music Theater Visual Arts

The Powel House: Utilizing Historic PhilaLandmarks as venues for the arts

Debra Miller March 1, 2015 No Comments

Celebrating its 250th anniversary in 2015, the Powel House is hosting an array of special events in the fine and performing arts throughout the year.

UNCLE ANDY, an upcoming feature film by Abby Warhola and Jesse Best (Photo credit: Courtesy of Warhola Films, from a photo by James Warhola, 1975)

Arts Features Film Visual Arts

Art in the Family: An inside preview of UNCLE ANDY (Warhola Films), a family biopic of Andy Warhol

Debra Miller March 1, 2015 No Comments

Members of Andy Warhol’s family are preserving their personal recollections in a new film project, UNCLE ANDY: THE ANDY WARHOL FAMILY FILM.

Reviews Theater

OTHELLO (Curio): A different approach to an iconic tragedy

Debra Miller February 23, 2015 No Comments

This original take on OTHELLO has more the feel of a farcical comedy than an ironic tragedy

James Warhola (Photo credit: Courtesy of the Artist)

Features Film Interviews

An Interview with Jamie Warhola: Honoring Andy Warhol on the 28th anniversary of his death

Debra Miller February 22, 2015 No Comments

Today marks 28 years since Andy Warhol’s death. Deb Miller talks to his nephew, illustrator Jamie Warhola.

Mary McDonnell and Olivia Mell in THE CHERRY ORCHARD at People’s Light (Photo credit: Mark Garvin)

Reviews Theater

THE CHERRY ORCHARD (People’s Light): Capturing the comedy, insight, and pathos of Chekhov

Debra Miller February 15, 2015 4 Comments

Completed in 1904, THE CHERRY ORCHARD, Anton Chekhov’s final dramatic work, is the most often staged of all Russian plays worldwide, and its production at…

Reviews Theater

STAIRS TO THE ROOF (EgoPo and Rowan): An absurdist take on a fledgling work by Tennessee Williams

Debra Miller February 14, 2015 2 Comments

This is Tennessee Williams as you’ve never seen him, filled with youthful ardor, idealism, and scorn, and well suited for showcasing a young ensemble of emerging talents.

Reviews Theater

NORA (DTC): A riveting production of a feminist classic

Debra Miller February 9, 2015 No Comments

Ingmar Bergman’s 1981 stage adaptation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is pared-down, focused, and intense. By reducing Ibsen’s original lengthy script by nearly half, Bergman endows the 19th-century feminist milestone with a post-modern clarity and import.qD

Corinna Burns in Inis Nua’s LONG LIVE THE LITTLE KNIFE (Photo credit: Katie Reing)

Reviews Theater

LONG LIVE THE LITTLE KNIFE (Inis Nua): A delightfully duplicitous foray into the art(s) of deception

Debra Miller February 7, 2015 No Comments

What do art forgers and the theater have in common? Both try to convince you that something is real when it’s not, and both do…

J Hernandez as Iago in The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre’s Othello, 2013 (Photo credit: Chris Miller)

Features Interviews Theater

J Hernandez: Feeling the Love in Philadelphia!

Debra Miller February 5, 2015 1 Comment

J Hernandez has been a constant presence on Philadelphia stages his acclaimed portrayal of Iago in a 2013 production of Othello. Phindie spoke to the Texas native about relocating, being a Latino actor, and why he loves Philly theater.

Brian Sanders’ JUNK, The Fifth Element Snowball (Photo credit: Courtesy of Brian Sanders’ JUNK)

Dance

THE FIFTH ELEMENT: Brian Sanders’ JUNK returns with Its 5th annual SNOWBALL

Debra Miller January 15, 2015 No Comments

This year’s SNOWBALL—the annual one-night-only festive winter-wonderland fundraiser for Brian Sanders’ JUNK—will fill the Trocadero (where Sanders produced his first show in 1992) with spectacular…

Keith Conallen as Crumpet in Flashpoint’s THE SANTALAND DIAIRES (Photo credit: Courtesy of Flashpoint Theatre Company)

Reviews Theater

THE SANTALAND DIARIES (Flashpoint): The return of a hilarious holiday tradition

Debra Miller December 11, 2014 No Comments

Flashpoint Theatre Company brings back its signature show for the holidays, David Sedaris’s THE SANTALAND DIARIES, for a ten-performance pre-Christmas run.

Matteo Scammell as the Beast in the Arden’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Photo credit: Mark Garvin)

Reviews Theater

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Arden): An innovative retelling of a favorite fairytale

Debra Miller December 7, 2014 No Comments

Director Whit MacLaughlin employs both live actors and shadow puppets to convey both the darkness and magic of the popular story.

Kerry Kristine McElrone, Dylan Geringer, Emma Orr, Rick Fountas, Paul McElwee, and Jenna Kuerzi in CTC’s JAMES JOYCE’S THE DEAD (Photo credit: Joe del Tufo)

Reviews Theater

JAMES JOYCE’S THE DEAD (CTC): An immersive event in an Irish pub setting

Debra Miller December 6, 2014 No Comments

The one-act musical adaptation of Joyce’s short story is presented as a memory play, told through narration and re-enactments.

David Howey and Beth Dixon in PTC’s OUTSIDE MULLINGAR (Photo credit: Mark Garvin)

Reviews Theater

OUTSIDE MULLINGAR (PTC): Land, loss, and love in rural Ireland

Debra Miller December 5, 2014 No Comments

John Patrick Shanley’s rom-com charmer is a play about feelings, expressed with an Irish lilt by two generations of neighbors in the Emerald Isle

Dance Features Previews

Scratch Night provides a preview of a family-friendly holiday special from Brian Sanders’ JUNK

Debra Miller December 4, 2014 No Comments

FringeArts’ December Scratch Night included a sneak peek of the 1.1 HOLIDAY REVUE SPECIAL, this year’s all-ages seasonal offering by Brian Sanders’ JUNK.

Gigi Naglak, Bryan S Clark (as Horny Rudolph), and Gwen Rooker in a previous installment of Tribe of Fools’ annual holiday burlesque (Photo credit: Plate 3 Photography)

Previews Theater

Tribe of Fools Gets Naughty with THE REVENGE OF HORNY RUDOLPH: A Holiday Burlesque Preview with Terry Brennan

Debra Miller December 3, 2014 No Comments

Tribe of Fools’ popular holiday burlesque is back this year for one night only with its fifth ensemble-devised installment, THE REVENGE OF HORNY RUDOLPH.