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Rep’s New Director Plans to Bring Artistic and Managerial Skills to Table

4 min read

After visiting Little Rock only three times, John Miller-Stephany is more than ready to begin his job as producing artistic director at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre.

The nonprofit theater announced his appointment in mid-August; he begins his contract on Oct. 10. Miller-Stephany succeeds Bob Hupp (1999-2016) and Founding Artistic Director Cliff Baker (1976-1999).

Miller-Stephany was associate producer of The Acting Company in New York City from 1989 to 1996 and from 1996 to 2015, he was artistic administrator and associate artistic director of The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

Arkansas Business talked to the new director about his past experience, what drew him down South, his strengths, and the challenges he expects to face.

Arkansas Business: What drew you to Arkansas and in particular Little Rock?

John Miller-Stephany: To be quite honest with you, it was the theater. I had never been to Arkansas and had never been to Little Rock, but I saw that The Rep was seeking a new leader and did a little research on The Rep’s history, mission and programming … and thought it might be a really good fit.

When I interviewed — I was down there twice to interview — I was so blown away by the generosity, the kindness, the commitment of the people I met. The board members and community leaders and staff are very impressive people. Really at the end of the day, it was the people I met that sealed the deal for me.

AB: How does The Rep compare to your previous workplaces? 

JMS: In retrospect, The Acting Company (in New York) was probably a little too small a sandbox in some ways. It was probably perfect while I was there. The Guthrie was also perfect while I was there, but it also became a little bit too corporate, I think …

The Rep I think is going to the be the perfect size in terms of my interest. It’s large enough that it does distinguished work with significant artists — the work is of a very high caliber, which is of great importance to me; I really take pride in the work. But it’s also not so big that you feel like you’ve lost the sense of community, the sense of family … The Rep’s staff is 25 very hard working people who care deeply about the work. So I think it’s going to be the best of both worlds.

It’s kind of a Goldilocks situation, where this porridge was too cold and that porridge was too hot but this porridge is just right. I hope to bring to the Rep things I’ve learned working at a smaller organization — attention to detail, being very careful with the resources you have — and the larger organization, where you have the resources to do really major work. I’m hoping to bring the best of what I’ve learned over the years and take the Arkansas Rep to the next step.

AB: What skills do you believe you’re bringing to the table?

JMS: One of the things that really interested me about The Rep and this position is that this is the sole report to the board. I pride myself in being able to use both sides of my brain pretty well. I was trained as an artist, as an actor, and then made a living for many, many years as a producer and an administrator.

What I bring to the table is both a discerning aesthetic in terms of the work in the theater, and I also bring a sense of managerial responsibility. Obviously as a not-for-profit, The Rep depends upon the generosity and good graces of the community. So the Rep really has to be careful and manage its resources responsibly, and I think I’ll be able to do that as well.

AB: What are the unique business challenges of running a theater?

JMS: The challenge at a not-for-profit theater is to do work that perhaps is a little more adventurous than a commercial producer or for-profit theater might do. You want to do work that is not about making money at the box office, necessarily. It frees you up to do more than commercial plays.

At the same time you have to make sure you don’t go so far afield and lose touch with your audience because that’s who you’re meant to serve.

It’s learning how to push the envelope far enough and also to remain true to the mission. At the same time, you want to make sure you’re serving your community and not only entertaining them, which is of course the first responsibility as a theater, but also somehow enriching their lives.

AB: There have been movements in recent years to spur collaboration among The Rep, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and other artistic entities. Do you see opportunities for further collaboration?

JMS: I think it’s great for arts organizations to work together. It would be great to do something with the symphony there — I would love that. I think it’s really useful at times to collaborate with other theaters across the country.

I’m very, very open to hearing about all sorts of possibilities. I’m always going to be watching to make sure that The Rep is taken care of … I want to be careful and a responsible steward.

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