Tim Miller

Tim Miller may not have been born in a trunk, but he has certainly packed a few over the past two decades.  The controversial author, performer and activist will be appearing at Bailiwick Arts Center for 3 performances March 16-18 in his latest solo work, "1,001 Beds," based on his new book of the same name scheduled for publication also in March.  A Miller interview is bound to be a unique experience, and he certainly did not disappoint in a recent email correspondence, where he candidly discussed everything from his first sexual experience at seventeen (in a sleazy hotel across the street from the Hollywood Bowl before hearing Wagner's Tristan und Isolde) to performing before protests by the Klan carrying Confederate flags outside his shows in Chattanooga.

Miller has been traveling as a solo performer for the past twenty years.  Still boyishly handsome at 42, Miller's work is a testament to a life lived and loved in the public spotlight.  During the early 1990's, Miller notoriously took on the Federal Government, which sought to revoke his grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, along with fellow artists Holly Hughes, John Fleck and Karen Finley.  The artists eventually won their case, although the Supreme Court ruled that the "decency" standards of the NEA were constitutional.

He's still as outspoken as ever, thank goodness, and has emerged as an advocate and champion of human rights, gay marriage and domestic partnership issues.  He describes his latest piece as "a kinky and funny journey through beds and hotels and life on the road as a traveling salesman – oops I mean a performance artist!"  Those beds include a prison cell in downtown L.A., where he was "arrested for arresting the Federal Government for crimes against art.  Let sex and politics bloom!"  Miller promises that there will be one or two Chicago hotel beds in the show too.

Miller isn't terribly interested in delineating the differences between theatre and its more esoteric cousin, performance art.  "The question I would much rather about ANY kind of creative work – whatever we want to call it – is whether it politically kicks butt or licks ass.  Whether it digs deep or ice skates the surface.  My hope in my performances is that anytime we witness one person raise their voice and tell their story – as well as bring our focus to systems of injustice – that it can encourage any of us to find that truth-telling place within ourselves too.  I have received that encouragement in my life from other theater artists and social movements and I hope my performances have emboldened people as well."

Baring his soul, and his body as well onstage demands that Miller keep himself in great physical condition.  So what is Tim's secret to maintaining a gorgeous physique?  "Well, the Naked Performance Artist Diet does tend to keep the pounds off!  Gosh, I think skin is endlessly interesting.  I think the theater and performance has always been a place where the presence of the body is allowed.  I'm sure those audiences in the 5th Century BC were looking forward to seeing the new crop of cute chorus boys in Euripides new play.  The theater is virtually the only place (other than the occasional nude beach!) where the naked body is allowed a public presence.  I am not that thrilled when nakedness is used only as a seduction to display the cutest possible man in the cutest possible light at the cutest possible moment in the show!  In my own work I am more interested in exploring the most vulnerable, human, humorous and messed up parts of myself in a naked performance section."

While nudity will surely work its way into Miller's Bailiwick performance, he has a much loftier agenda than mere sensationalism.  "I feel lucky that I get to gather with people in cities all over the country at my shows to raise awareness, encourage activism, stir the dating pool and test-drive strategies for lesbian and gay equality.  The right-this-instant heat of live performing is an especially handy cattle-prod to encourage people to get behind that steering wheel and hit the road."  Tickets for Tim's Bailiwick performances are $25 and may be purchased by calling (773) 883-1090 or online at www.bailiwick.org.  Visit Tim's web site at http://hometown.aol.com/millertale/timmiller.html.

 
Joe Stead
Theatre In Chicago News Contributor Joe Stead has spent over 20 years as a critic, director, designer and performer. His reviews currently appear online at www.steadstylechicago.com.