FROM BROADWAY TO THE BERKSHIRES, ANNETTE MILLER SHINES
ANNETTE MILLER has wowed audiences in roles from Golda Meir, the first female prime minister of Israel, to legendary Greek-American soprano Maria Callas. She has appeared on Broadway and has been awarded two Elliot Norton awards, including a Special Citation in 2024 for her body of work and her sold-out reprisal of Golda’ s Balcony at Shakespeare & Company and at Boston’ s Emerson Paramount Center.
B y L a u r a M a r s
GREGORY CHERIN
Roles That Resonate
FROM BROADWAY TO THE BERKSHIRES, ANNETTE MILLER SHINES
ANNETTE MILLER has wowed audiences in roles from Golda Meir, the first female prime minister of Israel, to legendary Greek-American soprano Maria Callas. She has appeared on Broadway and has been awarded two Elliot Norton awards, including a Special Citation in 2024 for her body of work and her sold-out reprisal of Golda’ s Balcony at Shakespeare & Company and at Boston’ s Emerson Paramount Center.
Miller’ s talents go well beyond the stage. She has appeared on TV( such as a regular on As the World Turns) and film( Don’ t Look Up, The Next Karate Kid, The Company Men, and many others). On June 28, the spotlight is on her once again, as the guest of honor at Shakespeare & Company’ s annual gala alongside legendary classical actor John Douglas Thompson.“ Being honored is very humbling,” says Miller, whose first performance with Shakespeare & Company was in 1997.“ It celebrates not only a culmination of my work, but of opening up a whole new world to me about the poetry of language. Shakespeare made it possible for me to put all parts of my life together.” In 1992, she and her husband, Michael Miller, lawyer, co-founder of Firestone Financial Group, and longtime Shakespeare board member, were looking for a vacation house not too far from their home in Boston. They found a property that once belonged to The Mount, where Shakespeare & Company had its first home. The renovation of Edith Wharton’ s icehouse and barn became the perfect respite for the Millers and their growing family.“ When I joined the company, work was literally in my backyard,” says Miller, who stars in the upcoming world premiere of Lawrence Goodman’ s The Victim. The play, which runs from June 19 to July 20, opens Shakespeare & Company’ s 48th season.
Although performing at Shakespeare & Company may not be all that Miller is best known for, the theater company is her artistic home. She has been there for nearly 30 seasons, and her stand-out moments include creating the lead role in Golda’ s Balcony in 2002, playing a formidable mother in Mothers and Sons in 2018, and spiraling into a grandmother with dementia in The Waverly Gallery in 2020— all award-winning performances. It was a delight not only to listen to Miller talk about her artistic journey, but also to witness her reciting lines from her past roles during our talk. It’ s no surprise that her passion for acting began at a young age. After attending a performing arts high school, receiving her BA and MFA at Brandeis University, and studying with Stella Adler, she landed roles on Broadway,
64 // BERKSHIRE MAGAZINE Holiday May / June 2023 2025