[Wattleigh]

Miller Outdoor Theatre



https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...Pos=1#cxrecs_s

Face to Face: How Miller Outdoor Theatre has stayed a Houston institution for 100 years

By Brianna Griff – Associate editor, Houston Business Journal
May 9, 2023

The Miller Outdoor Theatre is celebrating its 100-year birthday with several unique events to highlight the theater’s contribution to Houston. Miller Theatre is the only outdoor theater of its type, offering free performances for eight months of the year.

The birthday party is set for May 12 when a performance by the Houston Ballet will be proceeded by a two-hour preshow event that includes performance artists, a juggler, face painting and complimentary birthday cake by Bolillo Bakery.

Miller has been central to Houston culture since it was dedicated in 1923. Events have always been free to the public, even in its first iteration as a concrete bandshell before it was replaced in 1968 with the beautiful space it is today. Visitors can still see remnants of the theater’s past, including towering pillars and shady oak trees.

The Miller Theatre is celebrating the past but has an eye to the future with proposed projects to improve the space and experience for everyone, such as improving viewing by staggering seats and installing screens.

Cissy Segall Davis has been the Miller Theatre’s managing director since 2008, but the theatre has been a part of her life since the early 1960s. Davis began her career at what is now LiveNation before working for Theatre Under the Stars, which meant working directly with the Miller staff. After running her own public relations firm where she says she marketed most of Houston, Davis was invited to work for Miller full-time.

“I’m lucky I get to follow my personal passion every single day,” she said.