Quick Chat: Deb and Derek Miller

Posted September 30, 2024

DD Quick Chat Photo1

Deb and Derek Miller have had many adventures at APT. First as audience members in the early 2000s with their young family, which has now transitioned to working onstage and off themselves as part of several magical seasons. Deb Miller has worked as our Assistant Box Office Manager for the past 2 years. Derek Miller joined the acting company this summer onstage as The General in Ring Round the Moon. APT was fortunate enough to sit down and chat with the couple about the whirlwind summer, the importance of community and, of course, some relationship advice to truly go the distance.

APT: Hello, you two! Thank you for chatting with me today! I’ve been looking forward to this interview all season. What number season has this been for both of you, counting working here as well as being a part of the audience.
Derek: I think we started coming in 2003 or 2004. One of those two years, and it took us a couple years to get out here. We moved to Spring Green in May of 2000, and we had lived in Madison for years, but we never came out. It may have been on our radar maybe, but when we got out here, everyone was talking about this theater and we thought “We should go, I suppose.” So we finally went.
Deb: On Spring Green Night!

APT: What was the show? Do you remember?
Deb: Well, the one that got me hooked was Hamlet (2003) with Jim DeVita. Oh, and Cherry Orchard (2003) was one of our first ones, too.
Derek: Ah, Cherry Orchard was cool, too.

APT: Deb, this is a question just for you. You serve as the Assistant Box Office Manager here at APT. What is your favorite part of working in the Box Office?
Deb: Two things. The people I work with. And the second one is when I’m the first one here, and it’s quiet and it’s beautiful. It’s peaceful. I love that.

APT: And one for you, Mr. Derek. This summer we got to see you onstage as the General in Ring Round the Moon. Care to talk about how you were recruited for such a fun part?
Derek: Certainly. It was a complete surprise for me, in that I was standing, talking to Carey Cannon one night over at the Slowpoke, and of course I know Carey. I know her husband Michael Huftile very well from ambulance work and the fire department as well. So I asked what Carey was up to and she turned and kind of gave me this funny look, and said “the same thing I’m always up to: casting. And by the way, we have a role…” and my brain kind of froze in that moment.

She said something about how so many of my family have been involved at APT and how “maybe it’s your turn” and, “maybe we can get you to walk across the boards.” I told her I’d have to think about it, because I knew that this was going to be the most busy, impossible summer. And I told Deb. She was pretty excited about it and certainly encouraged me to do it. I kept thinking that I didn’t know if I had bandwidth or time, but I did know that someday, if I were to look back and not have done this, I would kick myself. That would be a dumb decision. So, I knew I had to say yes, I’ll go for it. And Carey promised me I’d have no lines, so that helped. I do have roles for my eyebrows, though. It’s been pretty funny.

APT: My follow up question in that case is, "Does the General have a first name?"
Derek: No, he does not actually, but he does have a rather full name. He is the General de Saint-Mounton, which is “General of the Holy Sheep.” And that’s in the script, so it does identify him. The holy sheep are pivotal to the character. It’s essential to understand his motivations. Most of my “character work” has been trying to keep up with my dance partner, Colleen [Madden]. It’s great fun.

Colleen Madden & Derek Miller, Ring Round the Moon, 2024. Photo by Liz Lauren.


APT: Do either of you have any favorite memories from this season?
Deb: We tried to do this surprise for our family where we didn’t tell them Derek was in the play, but one of our family members read the playbill before a different show. We were in section one and they were in section three of the Touchstone.
Derek: And all of a sudden, I look up and my brother-in-law is wildly gesticulating. He holds up the program and points at me, and I kind of shrug to say “be quiet,” but it was too late. The word had spread like wildfire. I had almost about two dozen of my relatives in town that weekend. Our kids knew, but we had kept it a secret from the rest of the family. After that, though, they came up to me and said “So, you need to explain some things about what’s going on here.” And they’re all such big fans of APT, so it wasn’t like “Nice! Derek’s in the community theater play.” They knew what was involved and how big a deal this is. So then to have me taking part in things was a very big deal indeed. That was something.

APT: Deb, what was your first thought when you saw Derek onstage?
Deb: It was just really fun! I thought that his uniform was more than I had originally thought it would be.
Derek: It’s a little over the top.
Deb: I had one moment where I was watching the show, and two women behind me were looking through the playbill at intermission. And they were like “Oh, look at this guy. The guy who plays the General. He’s local! Isn’t that nice! They let someone local play a part!” And they just kept talking about it. “I wonder what that’s like. I mean, does he go to work and then just come and do the play?” And I didn’t interrupt because I just wanted to hear what they would say. But there were other times where people would say something, and then I would turn around and say “Yeah, that guy’s my husband.”

Colleen Madden & Derek Miller, Ring Round the Moon, 2024. Photo by Liz Lauren.

APT: And speaking of that, you both celebrated your 35th wedding anniversary this year! Congratulations! Any relationship advice you’d like to share with the general audience?
Deb: Start with a merciful attitude. Believe the best about each other.
Derek: I’d say also start with choosing someone who has curiosity. Having a partner who has curiosity has become so important. And of course, I didn’t know that – I mean, I won the lottery! I married someone who is more inquisitive than I ever could have guessed or could have hoped, and that has meant more than I ever could have suspected. Mainly because of the fact that I am married to someone who is willing and ready to change and embrace change, and life will always involve change. If you’re trying to just keep something the same or are with someone who can only accept the same things and stay tied down, it’s going to be a long ride. Life can’t work that way because everything is always changing. But if you’re with someone who is constantly asking questions and reevaluating and exploring other perspectives, that’s wonderful. So I’d say start there. That’s the biggest thing I’d tell anyone – find someone inquisitive. But of course, you have to be an inquisitive person to start, right?
Beyond that, I’d say give attention to the little things. It is the little words. It’s the “thank yous” and the small things you do regularly that ascribe value to your partner that over time can build things up, or, with a lack of them, can tear things down. It is so easy for contempt to come into a relationship and not be dealt with, and then those words go away, or other words take their place that devalue. It doesn’t take too many words that devalue to dramatically diminish the relationship itself and the experience itself. Then it’s no good and no fun for anybody.
Deb: I was worried about this being a quick chat.

APT: That’s so lovely! You both are extremely active in the Spring Green community. What do you love about being part of this community?
Deb: You have to be involved with people you might not normally be involved with. There are so many different types of people, and you’re all in this little community, and you have to work together. You can’t just hang out with your little group of friends and never see anyone else, and I think that’s very healthy.
Derek: We are both from small towns. Deb is from a relatively small town – about 5,000, right?
Deb: 5,000, including the penitentiary. Where I didn’t live, just by the way.
Derek: And I’m from a town that’s around 50 people at most, now down to a dozen. The whole county I lived in has gotten down to not much over 2,000 people. So, very rural tiny little town. Both of us are from areas where community means everyone gets to do stuff. If anything happens it’s only because everybody gets in and does it, and we both really value that. Sometimes in a city everything is specialized. The EMTs are all professional, full-time EMTs, and that’s wonderful, but there’s something really special that comes from getting together with your neighbors to ask “what can we do together to solve this?”. It’s participatory life, and we both greatly appreciate and enjoy that. It’s fulfilling, and we actually believe that there’s great value in that. More of society ought to work that way, because you’re rubbing shoulders with people you don’t always necessarily agree with and you’re working outside your box and making it work. I think that has tremendous value. Plus, the raw beauty of the area! It’s special for both of us.

APT: When you’re not working, what do you like to do in your free time?
Derek: Free time?
Deb: Three things. I like to run. I like to read. And I like to watch Caitlin Clark play basketball.
Derek: Well, I play guitar, and I love to play guitar. It’s a wonderful thing. I like going for walks and, as we get opportunity now to actually go places, exploring more. It doesn’t have to be backpacking for days where we carry everything and go where no one else has ever been before, but we’ve wanted to do more going to parks and things. And I like to fix cars. I’ve done a bunch, and I actually taught myself only because I couldn’t get anyone else to do it. I mean, I’ve had help – a young woman I know who owns a mechanic shop outside of Detroit and is an expert on Miatas; my neighbor who has taught me how to do all sorts of things, like replace my engine. Most of the time, fixing cars is a really enjoyable thing. Except when something comes loose. I like projects!
Deb: Our therapy is to get in our Miata and drive through the hills.
Derek: Yeah. In the summer evenings. It’s a little less fun in February.

Deb & Derek Miller, 2024.


APT: Okay, wild card question for you both: What is your favorite thing about one another?
Deb: I would say his tender heart.
Derek: I’ve already mentioned her curiosity. She is a reader. She reads more than anyone I know. When we first got married, or maybe engaged, I asked “okay, well, what do you like? What will keep you happy in this partnership?” and she said, “well, I love chocolate, and flowers are always nice. But if you’ll buy me books…” so we have a lot of books. I read, too, but nothing like her.

APT: Is there anything else you’d like to share!
Deb: I started working here because of our kids. Most of them worked here at one point. They got us hooked, and not only because of the staff discount. But a big part of me wanting to work here after they were gone was due to their wonderful experience. Yes, the discount is awesome, and we love the plays, but we really value APT as an organization.
Derek: Yep, we do. Deeply. The value system is stunning. And I just want to take a moment to talk about working with these people. I mean, the courage. The raw courage, not just to go onstage in front of a bunch of people, but to live this lifestyle – to be an actor, or a production person, or a wigs artesian – to be any of those roles, anything in the arts. You have to decide that this is important and that you need to and want to do this. There’s not all that security guaranteed, so it takes a level of courage – maybe even a little recklessness. The courage has been the most striking thing for me. And I don’t know if they necessarily recognize it. It’s just what they do.

APT: Derek, did you have a good time onstage this summer?
Derek: It’s been fantastic. Just fantastic. The people up there are so gracious and welcomed this guy in and made me feel so included, like another member in the company. One day, I posted something online about how amazing it is that actors do what they do, and then Laura Rook commented that I do that, too. Which just meant the world to me. I mean, they dress me up good and I dance across the stage. They have welcomed me so warmly as a part of the group, and it has been such a delightful experience. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

APT: Deb, when can we see you up onstage?
Deb: Huh? Oh, haha. That’s not where I belong. I’d guard that stage. I’d stand up on that hanamachi and I’d protect it with my life. I’d just get my mom voice out. There’s a tone.

Derek & Deb Miller, 2024.