Freddie Miller is a current PhD student.
What are you studying at Pitt?
My research looks at the American musical in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries with a focus on musicals that appear after moments of crisis and how audiences respond. I am also working towards an Immersive Practice Credential in dramaturgy, continuing my work as a freelance dramaturg.
How has the PhD program helped you move towards your personal and professional goals?
The reason I am pursuing a PhD is to teach. The biggest draw to Pitt’s program for me was the exemplary training graduate students receive in pedagogy. The coursework has also sharpened my critical thinking skills, which translates to my work as a dramaturg. My ultimate goal is to keep one foot always in the classroom and one in the industry—the program at Pitt affords me that opportunity. I truly believe our students are best served when their educators have their finger on the pulse of the industry they are being prepared to enter.
Is there a research opportunity, production, internship, class, etc. that has been instrumental to your time at Pitt or in helping you form your post-graduation goals?
Working on Pitt Stages’ 2023 production of Abduction was an amazing opportunity to collaborate with writers on a new work of musical theatre. The majority of my work as a dramaturg has been with revivals, which almost always have a fixed script with little room for alteration. Abduction was a superb chance for me to explore a musical’s developmental process alongside our undergraduate students, and prepared me for future new work processes.
What do you hope to do when you graduate?
My hope is to continue in the classroom as well as working professionally. My work as a dramaturg has led me thus far to some pretty exciting collaborations with other universities, high schools, and professional theatre companies. If a career outside academia is in the cards, I’d love to be a literary manager for a theatre. What do you enjoy doing outside of academics?
I love going to the gym, cooking, and finding new coffee shops to write in.
Is there something you would like to share that you wish we asked you about?
Maybe it’s the dramaturg in me—but I’ve mastered the art of creating the perfect Spotify playlist for any occasion. If you’re OK with a lot of showtunes and Sara Bareilles, give me a follow!