acting – Page 82 – Answers for Actors

Ralph Miller – Former King or Rook of Summer Stock?

There’s a theater producer known as the fast food proprietor of summer stock. Ralph Miller. Under this man’s ownership three of his four theaters have – as reported by news sources – suspiciously burnt to the ground. And now the law has caught up with the man…but not for arson. Yet.

ORIGINAL POST Nov. 29, 2009: Another jewel in the diminishing crown of employ for theater artists has been lost.

There’s a theater producer known as the fast food proprietor of summer stock. Ralph Miller.

He’s had a long and litigious history with AEA, vendors, insurance companies, other producing entities all during which he has filed for several bankruptcies. The man has been producing recycled summer stock for over thirty years and has been in the position of producer during the demise of several historic theatrical houses.

Under this man’s ownership three of his four theaters have – as reported by news sources – suspiciously burnt to the ground.

–          Woodstock Playhouse
–          Falmouth Playhouse
–          Pocono Playhouse

Each theater now a memory. All once part of the long-ago forgotten Straw Hat circuit. Stages that were the starting places and artistic retreats for many stars and journeymen actors. Each a cathedral to our community gone to cinders.

I recently learned of Pocono Playhouse’s Oct 2nd, 2009 demise. My journey in the arts as actor included several stops at both Pocono and Falmouth playhouses and the remaining (for now) Bucks County Playhouse.

As reported by the Pocono Record on November 17, 2009 suspicions have been raised to the most recent of Mr. Miller’s destroyed properties:

“Months before the Pocono Playhouse burned down, owner Ralph Miller increased the insurance on the building 25 percent.

With a $1.25 million policy in force and just an $85,000 mortgage on the building, Miller could be in line for a million-dollar payout from the October blaze…

…In the past quarter century, Miller has had a series of run-ins with insurance companies, who have accused him of everything from fraud to arson. He has met their resistance to pay with a litany of lawsuits, claiming his properties have been damaged by fire and rain, lightning and animals — collecting more than $2 million in the process.

“I’ve owned 70 properties in my life,” Miller said. “Things happen.”

Things happen to Miller at an alarming rate. The Times Herald-Record of Middletown, N.Y., has found 10 substantial insurance claims by Miller spanning a 25-year period, and those are merely the ones that resulted in litigation or otherwise ended up in the public record.

It’s a pattern typical of what insurance experts call “professional claimants.”

“Given the history I see a lot of red flags and issues that would make anyone, any reasonable person, especially in this business, suspicious of these claims,” said David Rioux, an insurance executive and a former police detective and fire inspector. Rioux is president of the International Association of Special Investigation Units, an organization of insurance-fraud investigators.

The red flags he mentioned include financial difficulties (Miller has filed for bankruptcy protection three times) and increasing insurance coverage shortly before a loss (as Miller did with the Pocono Playhouse).

Miller, who has never been charged with any wrongdoing, claims that he’s a victim of bad luck. He said a lender required him to increase coverage on the Pocono Playhouse when he tried to refinance. Miller blamed his lawsuits on miserly insurance companies.

He has collected payouts on three fires that destroyed buildings: a Bucks County, Pa., warehouse in 1984, the Woodstock Playhouse in upstate New York in 1988 and the Falmouth Playhouse in Cape Cod, Mass., in 1994. The Woodstock and Falmouth fires were ruled arson, but no one was charged with setting them. Miller denies responsibility.

After Falmouth burned, however, Mount Hawley Insurance sued Miller, accusing him of having the fire set and of hiding his history of insurance claims from the earlier fires. Mount Hawley eventually agreed to pay a fraction — about $600,000, according to Miller — of the $1,575,000 policy.”

On November 8, 2009 the Pocono Record followed with:

“Pocono Playhouse owner Ralph Miller and a crew burned costumes and sets behind the theater hours before a blaze incinerated the building last month.

“I was there with three or four others — people from the playhouse, burning old sets, lumber we weren’t using anymore,” Miller said.

Miller said it wasn’t unusual for him to burn trash at the playhouse. Barrett Township permits open burning, a common practice in the area.

But a neighbor whose back yard faces the playhouse, and is just feet from the burn pile, remembers things differently.

Michelle Putre said the trash burning stood out for one reason: “It was unusual, because I’ve never seen them burning there before.”

One theater remains to this man. A 1790 grist mill turned to stage in 1939 by New York theatrical luminaries; Bucks County Playhouse. Once proclaimed the State Theater of Pennsylvania now a tarnished name among those who survive present conditions. The former glorified structure is slowly decaying along the banks of the Delaware River in the pastoral village of New Hope, Pennsylvania.

Bucks County Playhouse is the most historic of summer theaters. It was home to Kaufman & Hart; the birth place of many musicals and plays including; Harvey, Barefoot in The Park; a stage graced by the talents of Kim Hunter, Helen Hayes, Kitty Carlisle, Colleen Dewhurst, Shirley Booth, Lillian Gish, June Lockhart, Grace Kelly, Bonnie Franklin, Kaye Ballard, Sandy Dennis, Robert Redford, Paul Lynde, Bert Lahr, Leslie Nielsen, Jack Klugman, Gale Gordon, Roddy McDowell, Walter Matthau, Merv Griffin and Larry Hagman. It was also one of my homes. Not a happy one. But I adore the institution; not the man.

I fear for loosing another jewel in the forgotten crown of employ for theater artists.

Mr. Miller in the past has allegedly tried to remove Bucks County Playhouse from his collection. Speculation was that he would get more than a monetary return on his release.

In the mid-80s he sold both Bucks and Pocono playhouses to a LA producer. According to an unsubstantiated conversation between Mr. Miller and a close associate, Mr. Miller knew that the new producer would regain a contract with AEA for the playhouses (Mr. Miller was sued by the union and lost his agreement) and renovate physical conditions at both. Once a mortgage payment was late, claims the associate, Mr. Miller would retake control of both playhouses. Whether or not a missed payment was the trigger for regaining ownership is unknown. But Mr. Miller did regain the playhouses with renovations and AEA agreements.

There was a fourth theater lost to fire. One that Mr. Miller did not own but was under the leadership of a close friend and former producing partner at Bucks County Playhouse; Richard Akins. In the summer of 1989, Gennetti’s Dinner Theater burnt to the ground. The stage manager reported that he saw a man he did not recognize in the upper reaches of the house. When the stage manager called out to the unknown person the stranger did not answer and ran. Minutes later the inferno began.

Our theaters are our homes away from home. They are our houses of worship. As I’ve written in a new, unpublished manuscript:

“Theater beyond home borders is our working holiday where we indulge, sweat, toil, form new bonds or burn old bridges. A place for both play and profit. Incubators of innovative works and fertile ground for grafting old chestnuts. On a personal level summer stock and regional theater can be cradles for establishing fresh friendships or renewing treasured relationships. Whether it’s a theater, formerly a barn, that resides under tall swaying pines in the Green Mountains of Vermont or is a Broadway provider in the heart of New York City like the Roundabout; each summer stock or regional theater is safe haven for the theater artist. A home away from home.”

We can’t afford to lose any more homes.

The Ralph Miller Time-line (as reported in The Pocono Record):

1984:

– While Ralph Miller runs the Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pa., a fire – classified as arson – destroys a nearby building he owns. Miller collects $300,000 in insurance.

– Miller buys the Falmouth Playhouse in Falmouth, Mass. for $420,000.

– Miller buys the Pocono Playhouse in Mountainhome, Pa., with no money down and a mortgage of $430,000, using the Falmouth Playhouse as collateral.

1985:

– Miller buys the Woodstock Playhouse from Harris Gordon for $350,000.

1986:

– He closes the Woodstock Playhouse after one unsuccessful season – and failed attempts to sell the theater for $950,000.

1987:

– The Bucks County Industrial Development Agency deeds the Bucks County Playhouse to Miller for $1.

1988:

– Miller sells the Pocono and Bucks County Playhouses for $3.1 million – but the buyers default on the mortgage and Miller loses $20,000 per month in payments – and regains the theaters.

– A 4:30 a.m. fire – classified as arson – destroys the Woodstock Playhouse. Miller collects $375,000 in insurance. The family that holds the mortgage claims Miller forged Gordon’s signature on the check. Miller says he was authorized. He eventually settles with the family of Harris Gordon by deeding them the playhouse land.

1992:

– January: Declares bankruptcy.

1994:

– Settles bankruptcy, must pay $4 million to creditors of $11.5 million owed.

– February: A 4 a.m. fire – classified as arson – destroys the Falmouth Playhouse. It is insured for $1,575,000.

– Miller’s insurance company, Mt. Hawley Insurance, claims Miller “intentionally caused” the fire at Falmouth Playhouse and didn’t notify it of prior fires in Woodstock and Bucks County. It demands a trial.

2001:

– Miller again files for bankruptcy with $7 million in debt and $100,000 in back taxes. Says he may sell the Pocono Playhouse to satisfy taxes.

2002:

– Miller abandons the Pocono Playhouse, when back taxes of $230,000 force a sheriff’s sale of the property.

2003:

– Miller says he will refinance mortgage to pay taxes and keep Pocono Playhouse.

2009:

– August: Miller declares bankruptcy, with $5.8 million in debt – on the day the Bucks County Playhouse is to go to public auction.

– Oct. 2: In a 1 a.m. fire, Pocono Playhouse burns down. An investigation continues.

UPDATES:

The Pocono Record, December 13th 2009:

“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with state and local Pennsylvania police, is investigating the October 2009 fire that destroyed Pocono Playhouse.

The ATF is also investigating two previous fires at the Woodstock, N.Y., Playhouse in 1988 and the Falmouth, Mass., Playhouse in 1994.”

New Hope Gazette, December 09, 2010:

“The Stoneridge Bank of Skippack seized back control of the Bucks County Playhouse after no bids for the property materialized at this morning’s sheriff sale.

Ralph Miller, controversial owner of the New Hope landmark, said yesterday that he was relinquishing ownership of the property.

Miller has been running the theater since 1977, and owed the Stonebridge Bank more than $2 million.”

Philly.com, May 29, 2015:

Ralph Miller, the former longtime owner of the historic Bucks County Playhouse was found guilty by a federal jury of claiming more than $200,000 in fraudulent insurance payments after a 2006 flood devastated the property. Miller could face up to 30 years in prison for convictions on counts of money laundering and mail fraud, said Assistant U.S. Attorney K.T. Newton.

The theater now operates under new ownership which renovated and rejuvenated the property, and brings in top talent.

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Paul Russell’s career as a casting director, director, acting teacher and former actor has spanned nearly thirty years. He has worked on projects for major film studios, television networks, and Broadway. Paul has taught the business of acting and audition technique at NYU and has spoken at universities including Yale, Temple and the University of the Arts. He is the author of ACTING: Make It Your Business – How to Avoid Mistakes and Achieve Success as a Working Actor. For more information, please visit www.PaulRussell.net.

The Casting Couch – Real & Virtual Foreplay

A reader recently reached out to me asking for guidance on a taboo subject that I idealistically would like to believe had perished coitus interruptus long ago. Banished to the age of film noir. Relegated to the sovereignty of sex films. What is it? The casting couch. The practice of demanding sexual favors in return for casting a performer in a theatrical, film, TV production, etc. A coy colloquialism in reference to the office couch of a casting director, director, producer talent rep. or any entertainment industry gate-keeper. (You won’t find this at your local Ikea.)

The reader’s detailing of requested debauchery from a professional began:

“I’m an actor and model based in NY. I find myself on the casting couch being propositioned over and over again. I recently made a friend request [on Facebook] to a manager with, ‘How r u? I’m [name withheld].’ That led them to believe that I was interested in them sexually and when I turned down their advances (because this is not what I am about) they got mad and said that I was leading them on.”

O.K. let’s stop here first.

Not knowing either individual I cannot make a fully informed response. I have no idea if the manager is reputable or one of the many cockroach-like “I’m a play-ah in da game” shysters with a tiny cell phone and an enormous ego. (Far too many of these in our business.) I also don’t know if the reader has in his Facebook profile; pictures and information that would cause a visitor to his page to make assumptions of amorous availability. But there are some red flags in the actor’s accounting of unwanted accosting.

Mistakes were made. On both side of the accept/ignore button of Facebook friendship. The reader erred by not stating immediately his intent of the friend request. The manager fouled by assuming any contact is fair game for foreplay. First let’s address the actor; being that he initiated the dialogue between himself and the manager.

The actor stated “I find myself on the casting couch being propositioned over and over again.” If this history is true then he should have known one of two things. First; he’s going to have this happen to him (unfortunately) again if the past persists in repeating itself. We can not change the behavior of those around us. We can only prescribe our own choices and actions.

Second; if the actor’s professional history routinely replicates then maybe he should be looking at his own actions (or inactions) which may be inadvertently causing others to believe him to be a viable option for their romantic advances. I am not doing a blame-the-victim here. My viewpoint is far from that potential mistaken assumption of some who read this.

I question why this continues to happen in this man’s life. What are the influences apart from the people he encounters who know not professional and personal boundaries? Is he an affable guy with a killer smile? Does he possess an infectious, inviting charm that others mistake as a dinner bell being rung for random randiness? Or is he just too damn hot-n-sexy for the sidewalk that passers-by actually see him before crashing into while texting (a.k.a. crexting… you heard that one here first).

Whatever the case; his having knowledge of the past should have made him cautious of contacting a stranger (i.e. the manager) for a friend request. Also the person he was reaching out to did not know why the actor was making the connection. Reason of motivation should have been made clear from the start. But the actor erred and only after he got an inappropriate response did the actor inform the person he contacted with a friend request his true desire for doing so:

“I’m looking to further my career but not in this way. I asked [the manager], ‘If I was hitting on you then you would be interested but since I hit you up on professional business matters–now you’re not. Am I right?’”

“Professional business matters” that key phrase was missing from the actor’s earlier address to the manager; the “How r u? I’m [name withheld].” Had the actor first written, “Hello. I’m [name withheld]. I’m seeking representation….” then this treatise probably would never have been typed.

Now; the manager.

Again I do not know of this person’s position in our industry. The actor claimed the manager was “legit” but what may be viewed as “legit” by an actor may be from my side of the audition table someone with little credibility who is posing and pretending. If opposite of such — someone of experience with peer respectability — the allegation is deeply disturbing if the actor’s accounting is accurate. Either way – posing or legit — the manager should have checked him or herself by checking out the actor’s online profile before ignorantly responding to the friend request. If the word “actor” appeared anywhere on the actor’s page the manger had two choices. First; ignore. The friend request was unsolicited coming from a stranger (i.e. the actor). Second; inquire of the requester reason for the outreach.

I am not dismissing the actor’s claim. I do believe he has encountered unwanted requests for quid-pro-quo romantic entanglements during his career. Invitations to the antiquated and abusive casting couch, sadly, still exist. And it is sexual harassment. Plain and simple. Having been sexually harassed myself by a casting director I worked for long ago (the story is in ACTING: Make It Your Business) I know what it is like to be a passing interest of passion by someone who is focused more on seeking an immediate conquest than a establishing a long-term commitment.

Uninvited, continual flirtation by any auditor to an actor in any setting is understandably verboten. That same rules applies in reverse. I once received repeated letters of libidinous intent from an actor asking me for a more “personal relationship”. I answered suggesting that I would correspond with him regarding advice pertaining to business only. Dinner, movies and romance were not on my agenda. He pushed back harder his desire for passion. That left me with a residue of creepiness.

If you encounter unwanted solicitations for sex for professional advancement in return do not be shy about bringing to light the unprofessional behavior encountered. To avoid a situation similar to that which sparked this story communicate clearly your intent of outreach. Whether that contact is to network, get a job, or to be friends and nothing more.

The casting couch has no place in our industry except as a comfortable reception divan for anxious actors patiently awaiting their legitimate audition. Those who wish to exploit sexual favor for career progression often develop an unseemly reputation that trumps professionalism and outlasts the momentary passionate conquest.

Next.

My Best,
Paul

Read advice from legendary talent agents,
plus Hollywood & Broadway actors in Paul Russell’s Best-Selling Book ACTING: Make It Your Business!

Paul Russell’s career as a casting director, director, acting teacher and former actor has spanned nearly thirty years. He has worked on projects for major film studios, television networks, and Broadway. Paul has taught the business of acting and audition technique at NYU and has spoken at universities including Yale, Temple and the University of the Arts. He writes a column for Back Stage and is the author of ACTING: Make It Your Business – How to Avoid Mistakes and Achieve Success as a Working Actor. For more information, please visit www.PaulRussell.net.