Meet Erika C. Miller (Amalia) 
What’s your favorite way to communicate your feelings to a loved one?
Face to face has always been best for me. I’m left handed so handwriting has never been my strong suit. I might also add that with the face to face bit its probably easier for me to sing than use my own actual words.
Have you ever had a work-related romance? If so… how’d it go?
If theater is considered work related, then YES. I met my husband working together in a production of Joseph and the Amazing…. We took a little bit of a break after that show and rekindled our romance about a year and a half later, working together again on the second production of the fledgling theatre company that would eventually become the Chance. We’ve been together ever since and this past March celebrated our 13 year wedding anniversary!
Write out your personal ad.
Quirky, shy, thirty-something seeking a gentleman who is kind, respectful, has a sense of humor, loves family and pets. Must be willing to join on travel excursions to far off places, enjoy a variety of foods and restaurants, likes to dance and loves live theatre.
Tell us about something that happened on a blind/first date.
Going to an all girls high school didn’t help this awkwardly shy girl get a date, so I was setup for junior prom. The week prior we were going to meet for dinner and a movie with friends to get acquainted, and I was stood up! The morning of the prom my mom called me in the middle of dance class to tell me she had burnt a hole in my dress while ironing it! As if that wasn’t bad enough, my date showed up late, was a complete pill the whole night, and wouldn’t dance with me or hangout except for when we ate dinner. Not to mention he couldn’t even remember my name! Then, at the end of the night he actually had the nerve to try and kiss me. There was NO WAY that I was going to let that happen, so I shook his hand and said see ya! I never heard from or saw him ever again…Thank goodness!
What do you connect to in this story?
Love. Relationships. Awkward moments. Trying to make a life with someone. The fear of inadequacy. The joy and heartache that romance can bring. And always being late!
How do you prepare to work on a project like this?
Lots of reading and research to get to know the story, the characters, the time period, the location and anything else that can help inform me about my character and my story arc. In this case, since it is a musical, I also start working on the music as soon as I can so I can exercise my vocal muscles and get the music into my body. I am a slow reader and I don’t memorize super fast, so I have to go over my script nightly after and before rehearsals to examine the scenes and eventually make the transition into being memorized. My favorite part of the process is when we’re finally off-book and know our scenes and characters well enough to really dig into the scenes and discover new things that we hadn’t figured out before! It’s exhausting but invigorating!
What was your first job in theater?
My first real “professional” job in theater was when I was in high school. I had had professional singing jobs before then, but specifically as an actor in musical theater, it was summer repertory with Hillside Repertory at Occidental College. The show was HMS Pinafore and I was in the chorus. I remember our leads were so gracious and talented. I enjoyed watching the process almost as much as participating. Sadly the days of Hillside Rep are long over as they had to shutdown years ago, but I will always remember my time out there. (And then again the following summer when I got my first supporting role as the angel Virtue in Anything Goes.)
What excites you about this story and why should people come see it?
Everyone should come and see this show so they can take a moment to escape the hustle and bustle of the season and enjoy a love story that is both charming and timeless. I love the characters in this show and the cleverness of the lyrics. It is classic Musical Theatre at its best. I didn’t grow up with the show but certainly wish I had and I hope that anyone who doesn’t know the show will come to know it and love it as I do now.
Tell us something most people don’t know about you.
Though I grew up in a suburb of LA, I was a bit of a farm girl as a kid. My whole block had farm animals and I took care of our chickens, ducks and geese. I would climb my neighbors fences and help groom their horses, take care of their goats and bird sanctuaries when they were on vacation and I had a pet guinea pig and rabbit. Admittedly I really miss those days of fresh eggs and roosters waking us up in the morning. It was great fun for an only child in the 80’s.
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