Paul Kilpatrick
Brian Miracle is a Milwaukee-based freelance actor, who will soon bring to life a stage adaptation of the beloved movie It's a Wonderful Life with Morning Star Productions. He plays the main character, George Bailey, in this classic story of hope and second chances. Miracle took the time to answer Off the Cuff’s questions about the lifestyle of a freelance actor on the Milwaukee theater scene.
What motivates you about It’s a Wonderful Life, and about the role of George Bailey?
I can relate to him, and I want people to know good work and selflessness are never in vain or naive. The thing that binds us, God, is always there to make life wonderful. This is a massive, seemingly insurmountable obligation to those who count on him.
Being I had never seen the film in its entirety, it perplexed and confused me, made me wonder if it celebrated a recovery and diligence of perseverance and optimism. I completely missed the base story he asked "God" to make him never born. That epiphany of blessings counted and self-worth after strife, and the alternative of a world without the good works you've done, is uplifting to experience and try to mirror.
Have you ever worked with Morning Star Productions before?
Morning Star is an optimistic company. They pay well, but there’s unfortunately a limit to how many gigs you can get there. This is probably the seventh show I've done with the Atwoods and company, and I adore them. After well over 30 years of producing, I'm in the company of tenured professionals that have delivered exquisite theater, even on a poppers budget. I worked on original pieces and rarely seen pieces, like Domino Heart by Matthew Edison, where I played a Wolf of Wall Street type character and have done set design/building, in line with my construction trade.
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You are the owner of Miracle Construction, as well as an actor. Why two activities that are so different from each other?
Construction is what allows me to pursue my passion, with a couple roles per year. You can sprinkle acting in, as long as you're doing well enough financially elsewhere. My aspirations are rooted in a desire to beautify and create something helpful to the lives around me. The only difference between theatre and construction is an impactful provocative story is only felt, in the aftermath, and not seen and touched.
How come you need a second job? How can one work as a freelance actor in Milwaukee?
(laughs) You kind of... can't. Taking up an acting project is like having another full-time job for a couple months. If you want to try, you have to be with a union, and even then you need to have supplemental income. I have one friend, Jonathan Wainwright, who is doing Scrooge now at The Rep. He is an incredible actor, he was one of my first heroes, and he is making a living off of it. But being successful in theater in Milwaukee is pretty much what the salary at The Rep would be if you were part of the ensemble—they make $28,000-$30,000 a year, and those are the 0.5%. For most people, it is not feasible.
Theater is a luxury. For so long, we relied on government subsidies, but when the recession hit, I had a production company for 10 years and I had to close up shop. Making money from theater is very difficult, it is building something out of nothing. It requires so much money, and then actors deserve good payment and I refuse to ask professional actors to do a job for $50.
It’s a Wonderful Life runs Dec. 1-9 at Eastbrook Church, 5385 N. Green Bay Ave. For more information and tickets, visit morningstarproductions.org.
