Exit Stage right
Two veteran theatre professors bid farewell to the department they helped build

by Joy Poliquin

The curtain is closing on an era, as two of the last original members of the theatre department retire from UVic this month. Over more than three decades, professors John Krich and Harvey Miller have been key players in the department's growth.

Krich and Miller first met as actors in a rehearsal hall in Pittsburgh 40 years ago, then arrived at UVic as teachers a year apart, when the theatre department held its classes in the old army hospital, chapel and morgue buildings located near the warm-up track.

They witnessed the department's move in 1982 to the current theatre building, and were instrumental in developing the programs, projects and direction that changed the theatre department from a tiny group of teachers and mostly local students into a thriving, diverse and sought-after program.

They weren't always so theatrical. "I worked as a chemist for Clark Candy Company for a year after my BSc," says Miller, who discovered his true niche after returning to school for a master's in education and a PhD in theatre. "I remember thinking when I began teaching that I had the best possible job, because someone was actually paying me to read plays."

Krich came close to pursuing a PhD in paleontology, but the stage beckoned. He came to UVic as a theatre teacher in 1969. Miller followed in 1970.

Their first venture was Victoria Fair, a UVic fine arts summer event that presented three classical plays in repertory at the McPherson Playhouse from 1969 to 1971. "For a while they were calling it the Stratford of the West," says Miller. After it ended Krich began the Phoenix Summer Theatre, which offered theatre entertainment for the local community and a chance for UVic theatre students to experience a professionally oriented theatre environment. It was the first of many such opportunities.

In 1984, Miller began Phoenix Plays, which paired first and second-year playwrights from creative writing with fourth-year directing students from the theatre department. In 1996, the pair were key organizers of the UVic Beckett Festival, one of the most successful international events held at the university. "We had called it the International Beckett Festival," says Miller, "but New York was holding a similar event and heard of us, and we had to change the name. It was a tribute to our publicity."

Their influence has reached into the local community, as well. Krich recently worked on a joint project between the theatre department and the Royal British Columbia Museum. During the Leonardo DaVinci and Circus Magicus exhibits, the museum cast UVic actors to perform skits and play historical characters. "I think it's a great liaison with fine arts and I hope it goes on," says Krich. "To have P.T. Barnum and Annie Oakley walking around the museum is great for both the actors and a visitor's museum experience."

Krich has also worked to establish a relationship with the faculty of law, where theatre students role-play in mock trials. A similar project occurred with the Justice Institute in Vancouver.

Between them, Krich and Miller have taught directing, acting, theatre history and many graduate courses, supervised graduate students, and been involved in over 60 productions. They've also acted and directed outside the departmentsomething they both plan to continue in retirement.

Krich will commute to Chemainus this fall to star in an upcoming production, and Miller looks forward to acting on stage and in film.

Will they miss UVic? Krich laughs: "I won't miss waking up at 6:30 every morning to get to an 8:30 class, but I'll miss being around the students. Every year has been so different, but change happens, and I'm perfectly open to that. Life goes on."

Krich (foreground) and Miller. (Valerie Shore photo)