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

Hi Breeda, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

In the midst of CoVid, as I sat on my porch in my robe, I asked myself a big question. “What would I do if I could do anything?”. The answer came quickly and confidently. I would write a one-woman show and perform it all over the world. I had never written a play, I had no agent or connections in the theater world and I was terrified of remembering an entire script. Like my experience as my mother’s caregiver, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. But I did know I needed help. I reached out to a friend who did know about playwriting and directing plays. He said he would help and I asked how to begin. He said, “Just start writing your stories”. So that’s what I did. After six months of putting all my thoughts and ideas down on paper (or digitally to be honest) and then we met up and he read my “script”. It was rough and needed work. A lot of work. He made suggestions and I revised the script. He cut out sections and I edited. We met weekly and then set up a workshop with 30 kind friends who gave their feedback and helped me shape the play. After ten revisions and months of rehearsal, we booked a theater for the world premiere. CoVid was still a big issue and no one was attending gatherings at this stage. We took a risk and booked it anyway. Everyone except me wore a mask and we sold nearly 300 tickets to the weekend premiere in Ann Arbor, Michigan in October 2021. We covered our costs and made a little bit of money. More importantly, the reviews and comments from audience members was overwhelmingly positive. They laughed, they cried. They said they had never experienced anything so engaging and authentic. My director, Brian Cox, described a one-woman show as a high-wire act wihout a net. The show runs for 100 minutes with one intermission and I’m the only one on stage. But that’s not really true. Backstage before every performance I summon the presence of my parents and ask them to lift me up and carry me through. I know they won’t let me fail.

“Mrs. Kelly’s Journey Home” has been performed across the U.S. and will make it’s Irish debut in Ireland at the An Tain Performance Centre in Dundalk, Co. Louth on September 22, 2023. Here is what a Chicago producer said, “Breeda Kelly Miller brings to life a funny and often profound look at her mother’s journey from her native Ireland through to the end of her life, charting the type of experiences felt by generations of immigrants and adults caring for their aging parents. This is a theatrical memoir filled with humor and poignant moments, with Breeda performing each role, introducing us to her parents, their families and friends. “Mrs. Kelly’s Journey Home” will keep audiences riveted from the opening line to the closing blessing. It is a moving, joyous exploration of love, roots and family”.- Vicki Quade, Chicago playwright and producer

I have spent the past two years focusing entirely on the success of creating, producing and performing this show. I put my professional speaking business on hold in order to give this play everything I have. I originally thought this play would appeal to just two audiences: Irish people and people who like Irish things and those interested in older adults and senior care. I was dead wrong. People from all ages, ethnicities, races, religions and life experiences have told me how this play has touched them more deeply than any other theatrical experience. Some have said it helped them to heal, some just said they hadn’t had a good laugh in a long time and loved every minute of it.

Theaters and organizations are now calling me and a local PBS station is interested in producing a performance for television. I think my risk is paying off.

Breeda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a recovering caregiver and I help other caregivers realize the importance of self-care. You can’t care for anyone else if you are a wreck. I came to this understanding the hard way. I was my mother’s caregiver for nearly six years while caring for my three young teens, two with special needs. Caring for an elderly mother with dementia while navigating teen drama. Good times. After hospice care in our home, my mother passed on to heaven. I realized how much I had learned and how many other caregivers needed help. I wrote the book I wish I’d had and called it Caregiver Coffeebreak. It’s a breezy little tip book filled with “distilled wisdom” to help caregivers navigate this challenging time without losing themselves in the process. I began speaking professionally and my stories were requested over and over. An appearance at a local Moth Story Slam led to a performance on The Moth Radio Hour on public radio.
I have learned the power of a good story to teach and to inspire. People won’t remember statistics or fancy slides but they will remember the way a story made them feel and the lesson they learned. My play, Mrs. Kelly’s Journey Home is the culmination of my years as a caregiver, a daughter with four brothers living in an immigrant family, and my belief that finding humor is essential to surviving difficult times. Even when we can’t find a cure, we can find joy.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The biggest challenge I face right now as a playwright, producer, and actor is getting butts in seats for performances. Theaters and organizations are sold on the show, they have either seen it, read the reviews, or watched a video preview. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done but people don’t know about it….yet. My struggle is to get sponsors to support my performances, and to help market the show. My solution has been to partner with appropriate and strong nonprofits to market the show and fill the theater. I have a strong background in event planning and fundraising and I know how challenging it is to attract donors to events. My model is to offer an evening performance that is a fundraiser with a VIP post-show dessert reception with me and then to present a matinee performance the next day at a very low cost (or complementary) to the families served by the sponsoring nonprofit organization.

Many theaters have been generous, and I often suggest that they propose their favorite nonprofit as the partnering organization. They are more likely to donate the space (or provide at a low cost). The staff of the theater always needs to be paid of course. My fee varies based on location and honestly, the specific non profit involved. It’s a win-win. It’s complicted and has a long lead time with lots of committee presentations but I just keep on moving forward.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Grants. Understanding them and realizing that just because I am not a 501c-3, the organizations I partner with usually are and they can apply for a variety of grants to fund my performances which will allow them to make more money with a fundraising event. There are foundation grants, state grants, and corporate grants and it takes a bit of research but it has been worth it to learn what grant is a good fit to support my work.

Getting clarity about funding sources is essential for creatives to find ways to continue to serve audiences and to be effective. You have to be able to present your vision clearly and succinctly and be able to keep going to get your message in front of the right people. When someone says No, I just hear Not Yet.      

Contact Info:

• Website: BreedaMiller.com
• Instagram: @BreedaMiller
• Facebook: Breeda Miller
• Linkedin: Breeda Miller
• Twitter: @BreedaMiller
• Youtube: BreedaTV