miller-events

imageThe Miller team has had quite a journey since assuming ownership of the historic theater in the fall of 2011, when the Board of Directors for Symphony Orchestra Augusta unanimously voted to accept the gifted building from Peter Knox IV.

The first public announcement was a press conference in June 2012 to announce the vision of SOA to revive the venue for a vast array of performances downtown. At this event, a standing room only crowd heard from various speakers about plans to purchase the adjacent building at 710 Broad Street, in order to integrate that space into a larger complex. The goal for the Miller project was announced: create of a hub for music productions and education, as well as a social destination for the blossoming downtown Augusta.

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Another milestone was a Sound Check, at which the public was invited to attend and serve as “living sound absorbers” so that the acoustic assessment team could determine sound quality in the space with an audience. The event was a cozy social event in the cold February afternoon, with patrons bringing chairs and blankets, wearing coats, and enjoying a short performance by a few members of the Symphony Orchestra volunteering their time for the cause.

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Symphony Orchestra Augusta invited the media to join their concert at First Baptist in February 2014 for a special announcement regarding the Miller Project. SOA Board Chair Brian Marks revealed the official name of the Knox Music Institute. Members of the Knox Family accepted the dedication. The Knox Music Institute will be housed in the recently acquired 710 Broad Street building, adjacent to the historic theater. (millerknox)

Miller Presentation (29 of 45)
Symphony Orchestra Augusta invited the media to join their concert at First Baptist in January 2014 for a special announcement regarding the Miller Project. Levi Hill IV, Project Chair, made comments and showed a short film prior to the performance. Immediately following intermission, he announced the naming of the performance hall: the Brian J. Marks Hall, in honor of SOA Board Chair and Miller Project Donor Brian Marks. (miller PRESENTATION)

 

We open the project to the public for support in October 2015, then begin construction, and await our grand re-opening in the fall of 2017. The Journey continues!

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Miller Theater, LLC Board of Directors

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Levi W. Hill, IV, president

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Joseph H. Huff, vice president

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Philip Caldwell, treasurer

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Angela Maskey, secretary

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Anne Bell

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Brian J. Marks

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Timothy S. Mirshak

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Richard Peacock

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Stephen H. Steinberg

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Capital Campaign Cabinet

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Levi W. Hill, IV, chair

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William H. Barrett, Jr.

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Joseph H. Huff

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Wyck Knox

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Brian J. Marks

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Carol Palmer

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John Rhodes

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Natalie Schweers

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Fran Upton

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Tina Whitehouse

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Medical Community for The Miller Committee

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Jim Sherman, chair

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Gene Arrington, co-chair

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David Bogorad

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Bleakely Chandler

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Karen Foushee

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Craig Kerins

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Miche McDonough

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George Williams

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Marketing & PR Committee

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Angela Maskey, chair

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   Jennifer Bowen

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Brenda Durant

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Chip Creamer

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Crystal Eskola

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Adriene Goldman

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Levi W. Hill, IV

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Robyn Anderson

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Marsha Loda

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Nicole McLeod

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Trey Keenan

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Joe Stevenson

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Deanna Brown Thomas

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Margaret Woodard

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Design & Construction Committee

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Clay Boardman

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Philip Caldwell

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Levi W. Hill, IV

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Joseph H. Huff

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Greg Kirby

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Brian J. Marks

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SOA Leadership and Staff

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Maestro Z

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Anne Catherine Murray

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Ansley Easterlin

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Don Edmunds

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Staff Contact information:

Anne Catherine Murray Executive Director | 706-826-4705
Don Edmunds Director of Artistic Operations | 706-826-4705
Ansley Easterlin Miller Development Director | 706-826-4704
Erica Neet Miller Campaign Coordinator | 706-826-4719
 
miller-videos

The Miller Team has demonstrated the potential of this incredible space by working with talented filmakers to showcase the soul of the theater. This first production, created by Mark Albertin, tells the story of the Miller, and the evolution of a new entertainment district. It shows why this project is so vital for downtown Augusta. We particularly like the haunting violin of Micah Gangwer, SOA Associate Concertmaster, standing in the stairwell, stirring us with his music. This was the video shown to the early investors, encouraging them to consider this worthy endeavor.

Mark Albertin Promotional Video

The next production is by a well-known film artist by the name of Hodges Usry, a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design whose film career immediately took off with an impressive array of works. This first collaboration with Hodges is aptly titled The Miller Teaser video, and it entices you to enter the space. You feel as if you are standing there, feeling the slightly chilly air of the once-grand, long-abandoned masterpiece of Frank Miller.

Hodges Usry, Miller Teaser Video

Our next endeavor was to showcase the wide range of talent which will one day grace our stage. Hodges returns with music videos that evoke the spirit of the building that wants you to fall in love with it.  The first one features the warm and generous Celia Gary, delightful and gifted. You will see musical mastery juxtaposed with the coolness of winter inside an ambandoned theater. Our theater.

Celia Gary in the Miller Theater

Hodges next featured Bethany and Balducci, part of the well-known local group Delta Cane, demonstrating what two voices melting together really should sound like. Yes, it was that cold in the theater that day. Volunteers wore coats and mittens. Bethany is barefoot and her breath is visible. The energy and enthusiasm of all of the musicians who donated their time on that day of filming was a memory we will all hold dear.

Bethany and Balducci in the Miller Theater

Bethany and Balducci were so inspired by what it felt like to perform in the Miller, they convinced us to let them do ONE music video with the band in the space. The results are indeed impressive, especially because phenomenal music is paired with random images from within the theater. They perform the song “Silver and Daggers” with a strong bluegrass feel.

Delta Cane Noise Land Arcade in the Miller

Hodges returns with the “Miller Music Revue” series, named in honor of the Revues done by Frank Miller in the glory days. The next one released is as compelling a video as you can see, an amazing feat that shows how talented Hodges is as a filmaker. When we watched it live on filming day, we thought there was no way he could capture the essense of the amazing Karen Gordon as she sings a capella. This one was an instant social media hit. Hodges knows how to let her be the star, with phenomenal shading and lighting to draw you into her song. You can’t help but love Karen.

Karen Gordon in the Miller Theater

Hodges next captured the vocal intensity of Phillip Lee Jr -which we love not only for the musician’s powerful talent but also for the wide shots showing the inspiring Miller stage. Watch Phillip’s face-he gives this performance his all, and it is impressive.

Phillip Lee Jr in the Miller Theater

A video that is a sentimental favorite of our Marketing Co-Chair Angela Maskey was done by a group of inspiring Greenbrier high school students who used their passion for the building to send a message about the importance of saving the building. A Miller fundraising event was their senior project, and the videos were created to promote it. The event, held at the high school, took place after Peter Knox IV offered the Miller to SOA but before they had officially voted to accept it. Angela, not yet a member of the Miller team, was a mentor for one of the students (Katherine Bonner) and that night bought an 8′ original painting done by one of the students to showcase the Miller murals.

A photo of the painting, and links to their fun videos, are included here to show that this building inspires the love of young people who have no memory of a time when the theater was open. They just know it is a cool space, and it will be even cooler when it is back.

We Want the Miller Back

Miller youth fundraiser promo with cameo from then-Mayor Deke Copenhaver

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Stay tuned for more videos from the Miller Team, including additional works from Hodges Usry, and his Miller Music Revue. Subscribe to our Youtube page.

Miller Theater Youtube Page

 

 

 

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Witnessing History – Theater Artifacts

Historically significant artifacts that are part of the Miller Theater restoration project.

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frequently-asked-questions-miller-project

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THE MILLER THEATER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

 

Q. Will the Miller be a multi-use performance hall?

A. Yes.  The proposed design of Miller will accommodate both amplified and non-amplified music, drama and dance.

 

Q. Who will Miller primarily serve?

A. First and foremost, the Miller will serve the people of Augusta and the surrounding areas.  In terms of performing groups to utilize the theater, the Miller will not only be home to Augusta’s symphony, but also a venue for other commercial and non-profit organizations. The Miller will welcome local arts groups to its stage as well as many top-ranked national or regional performers.

 

Q. What renovated changes will be necessary for the Miller Theater to be a multi-use performing hall?

A. The Miller Theater was constructed primarily as a movie and vaudeville house. The theater has a traditional proscenium stage, but the stage itself is too shallow for many contemporary performances. The stage will need to be enlarged – making it wider and deeper, in order to accommodate a variety of artistic presentations. In order to maintain sightlines from the upper seats, a portion of the existing balcony will also need to be removed.

 

Q. Is the Miller structure in good shape?

A. Yes.  The Miller property was designed by theater architect Roy Benjamin in 1938. The structure consists primarily of concrete and heavy gauge steel reinforcements. Some of the supporting beams in the theater were the largest ever shipped by rail in the state of Georgia. The building has remained unoccupied for thirty years and shows some natural signs of aging, but most all are cosmetic not structural.

 

Q. What is the Music Institute?

A. The Miller project will provide a place to perform, present and teach. The Miller Theater and an adjoining building (formerly Cullum’s) together will create a center that combines these three objectives.  The SOA currently operates a successful educational and community engagement program and the Miller properties will enable the organization to expand and better fulfill its mission of bringing the community together with music. The Institute will offer music instruction, master classes and seminars, and SOA hopes that all forms of art will find a point of integration there.

 

Q. Is the Miller worth the price of renovation?

A. The costs of renovating the Miller Theater will be a fraction of the cost of a comparable new facility and there’s great value in reanimating a historical building in Augusta’s downtown.

 

The economic impact of an active entertainment district can be substantial for a city — improving surrounding property values, adding new traffic for merchants and restaurants, and helping to rebuild a vital residential area. One of the best examples of such potential is in the nearby city of Newberry, SC. The historic 426 seat Newberry Opera House hosts nearly 200 performances per year and draws visitors from a 120 mile radius.

 

Q. Why is the Miller important historically?

A. In 1938, responding to what was a strong demand for entertainment in Augusta, theater executive Frank J. Miller commissioned the design and construction of a 1600 seat theater in the heart of the city’s downtown. The Miller, as it was called, was designed by famed Chicago architect Roy Benjamin and was the largest of the five theaters that Mr. Miller and his business partners operated in downtown Augusta.  The Art Moderne style of the theater adds to the diversity of the city’s architecture. First time visitors to the theater quickly realize that there’s nothing else like it in Augusta.

 

Q. What is the difference between renovation and restoration? Will the Miller be restored or renovated?

A. Historical restoration aims to “restore” a building to its original design. Renovation, on the other hand, assumes some degree of change or modification made within the original design of the building. Typically renovations are made for practical purposes. In the case of the Miller Theater, the stage and balcony must be modified to accommodate contemporary artistic performances. However, every effort will be made to restore the other original design elements within the building.

 

Q. What are the parking options for the Miller?

A. In addition to parking along Broad Street and the middle parking wells on Broad, there is a new parking deck on the corner of Reynolds and 9th Streets, across from the new TEECenter. The parking deck at the former FortDiscovery is public parking and so is the Board of Education parking decking behind the Miller Theater on Ellis Street. The Miller and SOA organizations are also exploring shuttling patrons to and from some of the common parking points. Additionally, the Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau is currently involved in a project to provide identification signs on all available public parking in downtown Augusta.

 

Q. What effect will the reopening of the Miller have on other Augusta performing halls? 

A. Augusta currently has three primary performing venues: The Imperial – which seats 800, the Bell – which seats 2800, and the James Brown Arena – which seats 7800. The reopening of the Miller would give Augusta a mid-sized venue with superb acoustics for an intimate, high quality experience. With an anticipated 1325 seat count, the Miller will be the ideal size for a symphony home and many other types of artistic performances and entertainment.

 

Q. Over the years there have been several proposals put forth for the construction of a large (2,500 seat) multi-purpose performing arts hall on the river. Will the Miller still be useful and sustainable if this hall were to be built?

A. Many U.S. cities similar in size to Augusta support multiple performing venues to satisfy the variety of artistic interests within their communities. A city’s larger performing hall may be hosting a three week engagement of the Broadway hit “Mama Mia,” while other performing venues are presenting the ballet, a pop artist or the local symphony.  We believe that the Miller, the Imperial and a new larger performance venue will all be integral parts of Augusta’s downtown theater/entertainment district.

 

Q. Who will operate the Miller Theater?

A. The Miller Theater, LLC is a newly formed wholly owned subsidiary of the Symphony Orchestra Augusta created to oversee operations of the theater.  The Miller Theater LLC will employ an independent staff of technicians and theater management personnel. The LLC will have its own board of directors and will market the theater for rent by other performing groups desiring to perform in the Miller.  In addition, a new presenting arm of Symphony Orchestra Augusta, SOA Presents, will undertake to present a wide variety of entertainment at the Miller to ensure that the theater stays active and hosts many arts and entertainment opportunities for the community.

 

Q. Will the new Miller be a sustainable enterprise?

A. Symphony Orchestra Augusta engaged Webb Management Services, Inc. to guide the development of a business plan. The plan draws on a combination of earned, philanthropic and investment income sources for revenue and ensures upkeep and able management of the building and all of the productions and programs held there.

 

Q. What will be the impact of this project on Symphony Orchestra Augusta?

A. The Symphony Board is excited about how the plans for the Miller affirms and deepens the mission “to share the joy of great musical performance with our audience,” and our tagline “Together, we are music.”  The Board has been thorough and thoughtful throughout the process of decision-making and believes that to do nothing different in the future than what we have done in the past would jeopardize the mission. Realization of the plans for the Miller is likely to position Symphony Orchestra Augusta for a strong and vibrant future.

 

Q. When will the Miller be open?

A. The current plans project an opening date in the Fall of 2017

miller-history-and-news

Augusta’s famous Hodges Usry created this sneak peek into the Miller as it stood in 2014.

http://youtu.be/o9uuteQpzSI

In September 2013, NBC26 featured a news story about the Miller and the Morris Museum of Art in a collaborative project to encourage the public to capture smartphone photos of the historic theater and submit for display.

http://www.nbc26.tv/story/23468522/miller-theater-will-host-smartphone-photo-contest

Dr. LeeAnn Caldwell authored a comprehensive article about Frank Miller and his amazing theater. It was featured in the August 2013 edition of Augusta Magazine.

http://www.augustamagazine.com/Augusta-Magazine/August-2013/Continuing-a-Legacy/

Many memories and photos are also posted on the Miller fan page on Facebook, found here: https://www.facebook.com/millertheater

In July 2013, the Miller Team conducted an “Open Call” event, asking the public to bring by mementos and photos for scanning and archiving. WJBF did a story on the event.

http://www.wjbf.com/story/22962800/public-open-call-event-for-the-miller-theater-tuesday-night

In May 2013 Congressman Barrow’s office announced the winner of the 2013 Congressional Art Competition, Lillian Brisson of Greenbrier High School, who presented an image from the historic theater. On a related note, Congressman Barrow toured the theater in February 2013 and expressed support of the project.

http://barrow.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/miller-theater-highlighted-in-2013-congressional-art-competition

In November 2012, the Augusta Photography Festival included the Miller Theater in their tour of spaces.

http://augustaphotofestival.org/pro.html

In October 2012, WRDW News12 featured a story about the Miller project and the potential impact on downtown.

http://www.wrdw.com/news/politics/headlines/Only-on-12-Mayor-talks-Miller-theater-revamp-Starbucks-downtown-investment–173387061.html

In June 2012, the Augusta Chronicle presented a story about the plans revealed by Symphony Orchestra Augusta to bring the theater back to life.

http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/metro/2012-06-22/historic-miller-theater-renovation-moves-forward

In February 2012, SOA board member Angela Maskey posted a blog about the historic vote of acceptance of the building from Peter Knox IV.

http://angelamaskey.com/2012/02/11/the-best-board-of-directors-meeting/

SOA has a brief history page on their website, as well:

http://soaugusta.org/history-2/

 

 

 

 

contact-us

 

The Miller on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/millertheater

The Miller on Twitter: @MillerTheater

https://twitter.com/MillerTheater

Miller Intro Video on Youtube: http://youtu.be/o9uuteQpzSI

If you are interested in investing in the Miller, contributions are now being accepted. Make check payable to Miller, LLC. Send to the Symphony Orchestra Augusta.

Mail to:

Symphony Orchestra Augusta P. O. Box 579 Augusta, GA 30903

You may also call the SOA’s development office to donate by phone. 706 826 4719. Office hours are Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover are accepted.

Online gifts are also being accepted at www.soaugusta.org

Other questions, please contact Angela Maskey, Miller Marketing Chair

amaskey@jimhudson.com or 706 650 3203

Staff Contact information:

Anne Catherine Murray Executive Director | 706-826-4705
Don Edmunds Director of Artistic Operations | 706-826-4705
Ansley Easterlin Miller Development Director | 706-826-4704
Erica Neet Miller Campaign Coordinator | 706-826-4719

 

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