ILL MILLERD is lean-
ing back in a chair in
mae? his dingy Granville

“tsland Arts Club office, stifl-
ing a laugh.

It’s not the kind of response
you'd expect to such a sombre
topic — that is, how long can
heads of Canadian theatre com-
panies go before they suffer artistic
burn-out?

Most arts professionals would
agree the exhaustion settles in
within five or six years, So that
makes Millerd, who is celebrating
20 years with the Arts Club this
year, an extraordinary case.

“Once a year { go to an annual
conference for artistic directors. -
There's only a few of us, and we
look at each other and wonder
what keeps us old workhorses go-
ing,’ Millerd, who grew up-in
West Vancouver, says with a cat-
that-ate-the-canary grin.

Appearing relaxed in casual .

_ dress, Millerd prefers to look back
on the last two decades as distinct
periods rather than one terribly
Jong spati.

: « Itall began in 1972 when he left
the Vancouver Playhouse to
become production manager of
the Arts Club. - ~

Millerd was named artistic and
managing director just one year ,
later, and through what was to
become a long and passionate
relationship .with the Arts Club, it

Evelyn Jacob
SPOTLUGHT FEATURE

would not be a stretch to say that
he transformed theatre in Van-
couver.

For the first time. audiences
could see quality theatre year-
round and work by Canadian
playwrights to boot. .

Longtime friend and associate
Marlene Dixon remembers one of
the first shows Millerd brought into
the Seymour Street stage, David
Freedman’s Creeps. -

“it had a lot of coarse language
in it. People weren't used to that,”
recalls Dixon. “Bill took a real
chance putting it on, and it did
very well. | think people were
really ready for that kind af
theatre,”’

Millerd always believed that
Vancouver should make the most
of its talent, and he gave many
local actors, technicians as well as
directors their first break, people
like Ruth Nichol, Norman Brown-
ing, Winston Rekert, Michael J.

Fox, and ditectow Larry Lillo ane
Morris Panych.

“There was tots of musical tal-
ent here, but there was nowhere
for it to be seen, So when Bill built
the Arts Club Revue Theatre in
1983 actors didn’t have to go back
East anymore,” says Dixon,

Millerd gave Vancouver two
more Arts Club theatres, first in
1979 and again in 1983, and sadly
witnessed the loss of his beloved
Seymour stage. (The Arts Club is
planning to replace the Seymour
stage with a brand new theatre in
the downtown core, which he
hopes will open in 1994.)

In 20 years he has seen many
changes and has also felt the pain
of losing several close friends.
1991-92 was a particularly difficult
stretch, with the deaths of Ray
Michal, Susan Wright and Gordon
Campbell. And there are many
others who are battling AIDS.

“You hold your breath and
wonder if everyone is scing to
survive this,” Millerd says, becom-
ing sombre. ‘After 20 years you
have to face your mortality. But
there’s been a real closeness
among the theatre community -~
you can see that in people’s reac-
tion to Larry’s (Lillo) illness.’

Dixon says Millerd is ‘totally
committed” to the theatre, so
much so that if it were not for
longtime companion Marsha Sib-

See Millerd’s page 48

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NEWS photo Noil Lucent

BILL MILLERD was. named artistic and managing director of the
Arts Club in 1973.

romantic Saturday night accomodation and
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