The George B. Miller Award
In 2021, Scripts announced a new youth initiative in collaboration with Youth Theatre Ireland, The George B. Miller Award.
The project will offer three emerging playwrights the opportunity to each work on writing a play through the course of the years with the support of writing and dramaturgical professionals.
The final plays will be presented as staged readings by Youth Theatre Ireland at Scripts 2022. The George B. Miller Award will be bestowed on the overall playwright.
We are so excited to give young people the skills and opportunities to write and produce new writing for the stage.
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More details be be announced soon.
George was a friend, colleague a mentor to Scripts.
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His death leaves a palpable loss in the the hearts of theatre makers on both sides of the Atlantic.
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To emulate and channel the ideas that characterise George's approach to new works, we are delighted to launch this award in his honour.
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It will offer emerging young playwrights the opportunity to have the experience that George created for countless playwrights during his lifetime; dramaturgical advice, a reading by actors and a talkback session to explore the complexities of the themes and how they relate to the world around us.
THE LATE GEORGE B. MILLER
1944 - 2021
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George worked in theatre, film, radio and television for almost six decades as an actor, director, playwright, designer, producer, news director, journalist and arts educator.
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When he died he was the Artistic Director of Selkie Theatre (USA/Ireland) and was previously the Artistic Director of the award-winning Theatre Outlet outside of Philadelphia for 16 years.
A graduate of Rutgers and Princeton, he served on the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and was Resident Artist with the Lehigh University, the US National Parks Service, Birr Theatre & Arts Centre/Scripts, Mid-Atlantic Network of Youth Service Workers and the Playwrights Center of Minneapolis.
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George with wife and producing partner, Kate Scuffle, divided their time between Ireland and the US and lived in Connemara for several years. In Ireland, George taught, served as a Drama Facilitator and produced Irish/American works as Selkie Theatre and Selkies WomensWorks projects, and co-created the Selkie Seisiúns play development series.
With Jasango Theatre, he directed many popular productions including the premiere of the radio play, Meat & Blue WKD, the winner of the PPI Radio Drama Awards Silver Medal.
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George especially loved teaching and mentoring, encouraging and inspiring students and emerging artists. He created successful arts education & community outreach programmes in the US, Italy and Ireland as well as playwriting development workshops and showcases.
Up until his last breath, George was still creating. At the age of 77. he was directing Flashpoint from his hospital bed. It was a special joy to him to be creating with and passing the baton to the next generation of change makers in the arts, government and journalism.
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Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.