Meet Broderick Miller | Screenwriter & President/Artistic Director of the Silver Lake Children’s Theatre Group

We had the good fortune of connecting with Broderick Miller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Broderick, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Discovering and acknowledging that teenagers are smarter than most adults assume. Also, appreciating the physical/emotional/spiritual/intellectual minefield teenagers navigate in their school, social and familial lives.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
From a young age, I thought I was on the road to becoming a lawyer and politician. This is what my parents and family expected of me and I was all aboard. However, when I sneaked backstage at a London theatre to just meet and shake hands the director of my favorite movie, O Lucky Man!, my life took a huge course correction. I grew up loving movies and this chance encounter opened the door to me pursuing film as a career. I started working as Lindsay Anderson’s assistant, eventually graduating to First Assistant Director of features and TV. As much as I loved working on set, I eventually realized that my passion and skill sets were more suited to writing. Thanks to Lindsay’s guidance and support, I sold my second screenplay which was made into a feature film and launched my career.

To everyone’s surprise – including my own – screenwriting turned out to be my secondary career. My primary career turned out to be that of artirtic director of a volunteer community theatre company.

While my screenwriting career evolved and prospered (a validating Emmy Award sits on my desk) , I was blessed with the births of daughters Isabelle (Izzy) and Madeleine (Maddie). I had always looked forward to being a Little League Baseball coach as a father, but having daughters changed that expectation. My daughters were interested in ballet and soccer, activities I did not have enough knowledge or experience to teach or coach. So I brought snacks and applauded from the sidelines.

But at 8 years old, my eldest daughter, Izzy, participated in a musical show sponsored by our preschool. Two talented women who loved Broadway theatre chestnuts like “The Music Man” and “Fiddler on the Roof” directed.a musical production every year and Izzy joined mainly because her friends were involved. Since I was a screenwriter, I was asked by the two ladies to write a play – along with another Dad screenwriter – that would provide enough of a narrative thread to perform their favorite standard Broadway songs. I wrote the first half, the other dad wrote the second half. The ladies eventually rejected my script because they felt children couldn’t handle sophisticated dialogue. So the musical carried on with a complete script from the other dad.

The two women retired after this play (their own daughters had graduated out of the program) and the preschool was going to terminate the theatre program. At the board meeting deciding the fate of the theatre group – I volunteered to direct one more play, just to keep the program alive. Admittedly I also wanted to prove that kids could handle sophisticated themes, content and dialogue.

So I wrote and directed an original play, “Stay Awake!”, that was, gratefully, a hit with kids, families and audiences. Encouraged by its reception and my work with the kids, I offered to direct another play. And now, 21 years and 70+ plays later, I am still here.

Forever mindful and grateful of the role mentorship played in my own life, I began writing and directing mentorship programs that continue to this day. In fact, I would say its our mentorship programs that most distinguish us. Not only do I mentor young students as writers and directors, but the older kids in our group mentor the younger, teaching them the ropes and life lessons one learns in the theatre: self-discipline: respecting the history, material and the process of your art; respecting your staff and colleagues; being prepared; being on time; and the value of focus, energy and commitment.

So my art started with a love of film, that led to a latent passion for performing arts. The big big big surprise was discovering an aptitude for connecting with young hearts and minds, and, further, inspiring them to explore their humanity and artistic natures through theatre. The Los Angeles Times dubbed us “smart theatre for kids” which is an ideal we continually aspire to.

Theatre offers all kinds of life lessons – and not just for the actors. My continuing lesson has been how thoughtful, remarkable, complicated, vulnerable, strong, obdurate, sensitive, generous, hilarious, mercurial, maddening and ultimately noble most children are.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Day One – Venice Beach – walk the boardwalk, absorbing all the crazies, food and acts. Ride bikes down to Hermosa Beach and back. Lunch at some beach dive. Dinner at Chez Jay’s in Santa Monica.

Day Two – Huntington Library – take in the art and gardens. Drive up the San Gabriel mountains for nature and sunset. Dodger game for fun/people/hot dogs/beer….and root for the Giants.

Day Three – Quick tour outside/inside Griffith Park Observatory. Then an afternoon at the Getty. Next, Hollywood for the obligatory hand/footprints at the Chinese. See and early-evening movie at the old/original Chinese Theatre, then dinner and martinis at Musso & Frank.

Day Four – Downtown LA. Breakfast at the Pantry. Then hit the Broad Museum. Late afternoon drinks at the Perch rooftop bar. Early dinner at Bestia, then excellent seats for Nick Cave/P.J. Harvey/Lizzo/Kid Cudi/Post Malone/Phoebe Bridgers/The Strokes/Swedish House Mafia or whoever is playing the Orpheum. If no one wants to let go of the evening, some bar-hopping at Edison, The Wolves, General Lee’s and/or Seven Grand.

Day Five – Take the morning and afternoon off. Yesterday and last night requires recovery. Dinner at Soot Bull Jeep in KT for genuine Korean bbq and experience. Maybe Drinks and pub food at the one and only Dan Sung Sa.

Day Six – Get up early – we’re driving up the coast to Cambria. Lunch at Neptune’s Net or La Super Rica in Santa Barbara. Drive backroads through Los Osos, Morrow Bay. Walk Moonstone Beach – dinner at the Sea Chest. Sit at the bar, chat all night with the owner/chef/crank Dodger fan, Steve.

Day Seven – meander back to LA. Dinner at Jocko’s steakhouse in Nipomo. Guests sleep in the car on the way back, lulled and comforted by all the good company/drink/food/memories.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Sneaking backstage at a London Theatre to meet stage/film director Lindsay Anderson changed my life. I was 20 years old at the time and he eventually became my mentor and second father. In many ways, my career and journey to wisdom starts at that moment.

For 21 +years I have voluntarily served as President and Artistic Director of the Silver Lake Children’s Theatre Group. During this time, we have written and produced over 70 original plays. We could not have sustained our level of respect, popularity and success without the support of our students, families and community.

The theatre group not only became a source of friends, but lifetime friends who have contributed to both the theatre company and my own personal happiness/encouragement/resilience.

A remarkable wife of 30 years, and now an extraordinary girlfriend of the last 4 years have been my pillars of love and support, as well as my severest critics and guiding compasses.

Daughters, Izzy and Maddie, who grew up in the theatre program, remain my two greatest sources of inspiration.

Website: https://silverlakechildren39stheatergroup.wildapricot.org/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2261576501/

Other: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Lake_Children%27s_Theatre_Group