We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annamaria Miller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annamaria below.

Annamaria, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on is my original stage production SIGHT. Set in ancient Rome, the story follows a blind girl who must navigate a world that refuses to see her worth. Through war, betrayal, and spiritual oppression, she discovers that true vision comes from the heart—not the eyes. What made SIGHT so powerful wasn’t just the story—it was what happened around it.

I wrote, directed, and produced SIGHT while managing homeschooling four children, and recovering from a major physical limitations (bulging discs in my spine). I had no major funding or production team, and yet the play drew a cast of committed African American youth and adults who poured themselves into every rehearsal. We performed the show at a church in Huntsville, Alabama, with a sold-out crowd of over 500 in-person attendees and 2,000 live views.

What made SIGHT most meaningful was watching the cast—many of whom had never acted before—experience a deep spiritual and emotional transformation. They weren’t just telling a story; they were living it. One cast member said, “This play gave me my voice back.” Others told me it helped them reconnect with their faith and sense of purpose.

Creating SIGHT reminded me why I founded LTAYAA Academy—to empower underserved youth through literacy, storytelling, and the arts. Despite every obstacle, SIGHT proved that we don’t have to wait for perfect conditions to create something meaningful. We just have to be willing to see the vision—and trust it enough to bring it to life.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Dr. Annamaria Miller—an educator, writer, director, and the founder of LTAYAA Academy and LTAYAA Productions. I’ve always been a creative at heart. My journey began with a love for acting as a child, performing in church and school plays, and eventually taking on more formal roles including commercials, a docudrama, and background work on shows like Chicago PD. One of the most formative moments in my acting journey was touring with The Wiz, where I played Dorothy—a role that allowed me to step into storytelling on a larger scale and sparked a lasting desire to create my own narratives.

While I’ve written and directed many smaller creative projects over the years, I officially launched LTAYAA Productions to create impactful stage works that uplift, challenge, and inspire. Our first two productions were deeply inspirational and community-focused, rooted in themes of faith, identity, and resilience. Though our literacy and language programming under LTAYAA Academy is still in development, these early productions have laid the foundation for our vision: to eventually merge arts and education to support literacy and language growth among youth from underserved backgrounds.

What sets my work apart is the heart behind it. Every script I write, every production I direct, is meant to serve as more than entertainment—it’s a message, a mirror, and a movement. I’m deeply intentional about casting, community engagement, and using the arts to address the invisible struggles people carry.

I hold a PhD in Literacy with a specialization in English as a Second Language, and I’ve spent much of my life helping others find their voice—whether in classrooms, on stage, or soon, through film. As I continue to build LTAYAA’s programming and productions, my goal is to create safe, powerful spaces where stories are told boldly, and youth are empowered to find purpose in their voice and power in their words.

I’m most proud of the courage it’s taken to launch something from the ground up with limited resources but unlimited faith. What I want people to know is this: LTAYAA is just getting started, and our work—on stage, in classrooms, and one day on screen—will be rooted in vision, truth, and transformation.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was believing that if I was tired or stretched thin, it wasn’t the right time to create. I thought meaningful work could only happen when everything in life was calm and in order—when I had more time, more energy, or fewer responsibilities. But that mindset almost caused me to delay the most powerful project I’ve ever created: COTTON.

When I began working on COTTON, I was raising three school-aged children, caring for a toddler, and supporting my husband in ministry as a pastor’s wife. Life was full, and I was tired—not from burnout, but from the constant motion of everyday life. Part of me questioned whether I had anything left to give creatively. I considered shelving the project until “things slowed down,” but something in me wouldn’t let it go.

COTTON told a story that needed to be heard—a young Black man’s journey from feeling like he was nothing to realizing he was made for more, woven through the haunting history of the cotton fields. It wasn’t just a script—it was a calling. And so, I moved forward—writing at odd hours, rehearsing with a full plate, and trusting that God would carry what I couldn’t.

The process taught me that obedience and excellence don’t require ideal conditions—they require faith, discipline, and heart. I had to unlearn the lie that creativity only flows from rest and ease. Sometimes, the deepest work comes in the middle of the mess, when you trust that what you’re building is bigger than your current capacity.

COTTON reminded me that even in exhaustion, purpose can rise. And that’s a truth I’ll never forget.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Absolutely. At the core of everything I create—whether it’s a stage production, an educational program, or a future film—is a deep desire to restore voice, identity, and purpose, especially in young people from marginalized communities.

My mission is to use storytelling as a tool for transformation. I believe that when people—especially youth—see themselves in powerful, redemptive narratives, something shifts. They begin to believe they matter. They start to reclaim parts of themselves that the world may have overlooked or silenced. Whether it’s through the raw history explored in COTTON or the spiritual resilience portrayed in SIGHT, I want my work to remind people that their story isn’t over—and that they’re made for more.

Eventually, I plan to expand this mission through LTAYAA Academy by helping students strengthen their literacy and language skills through drama and film. But even before that full vision unfolds, the heartbeat remains the same: to speak life into broken places, to shine a light on stories that don’t get told, and to equip the next generation to tell their own.

My creative journey is about more than art—it’s about impact, healing, and hope.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ltayaacreates/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LTAYAAcreates
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LTAYAAcreates
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@ltayaacreates?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Image Credits

Victor Pile Photography