Philly Plain Dealer

Family has defined both the successes and struggles of LaNeshe Miller-White’s acting career. While her past experiences with performing had been delightful and memorable, she found that one limitation was the casting of family structures. 

“[a couple of times] I auditioned for something and they were like, ‘You were great, but we’re casting a family and the other actors that we casted don’t look like they’d be your family members,’” Miller-White says. 

Still, her love for acting and performing never faltered, and so many people in Philadelphia, can benefit from that love. 

LaNeshe Miller-White is this year’s recipient of the PAAL Leader in Care Award for her services as an Executive Director of both the Theatre in the X and Philadelphia Young Playwrights. PAAL, or Parent Artist Advocacy League for Arts + Media, is an organization that supports caregivers in the performing arts. PAAL wants to help give access to artist and caregiver support within the performing arts. On September 22nd 2024, PAAL had an award ceremony to honor Miller-White, and the proceeds from registration go towards sponsorships to BIPOC Organizational Care Support. 

Theatre in the X provides quality theater experiences for the African American community and other people of color in West Philadelphia. These performances are able to be viewed at no cost, and they also give opportunities to people of color to participate as playwrights, actors, directors, stage crew members, vendors, and more! “It’s really important to us that we do give opportunities for different kinds of roles–dream roles–to the artists of color that we work with,” says Miller-White.

Miller-White co-created the Theatre in the X because she wanted to give members of her community, especially people of color, an opportunity to discover a passion for theater. “Theater has become something that, for most people, feels inaccessible. I don’t know how many Uber rides I’m in [coming from watching or working on a show] and someone says, ‘What are you doing at the theater? I don’t think I like theater.’” Miller-White laughs. “And I’m like, ‘No, you don’t think you like theater because you imagine it to be this specific [limited] thing!”

The Theatre in the X co-creator wants to help others uncover an appreciation for theater, which is why making the arts accessible is incredibly important to her. LaNeshe Miller-White reminds us that you can’t love or hate something you are never able to experience to begin with. Our future interests might be hiding underneath costs and preconceived notions about belonging. 

“There’s theater that can be reflective of your experiences. So, the access and the knowledge about theater for audiences who don’t see themselves there, or don’t think it’s something for them, is big for me,” Miller-White says. She gives us a clear message that everyone belongs in theater, whether as an audience member or an actor. 

When asked what her favorite role was that she had ever played, she decided that it was Emilia from the Shakespeare play, Othello. But there are more important roles that she continues to play for Philadelphia communities. Miller-White explained that the types of musicals and plays the organization performs are meticulously chosen due to timely events. For example, the theater company decided to do The Wiz, a fun, comedic musical at a time where people needed something uplifting. “So, we tapped into that after we did our first musical, The Wiz, following the killing of Trayvon Martin. [At the time] there was so much heaviness within the black community, and we were like, ‘we’re gonna bring some joy’.” Miller-White explains. 

When Miller-White isn’t working with Theatre of the X, she brings joy by giving young writers the opportunity for their plays to be performed on stage. While working at Philadelphia Young Playwrights, Miller-White creates space for students to form their own theater families and communities.

“I think our shows end up being a reflection of the relationship that the cast and crew build through a very communal process, a process where everyone’s voices are heard, everyone is considered, and people are cared for. That’s really, really important to us,” says a very proud (rightfully so) Miller-White.

Miller-White knows that the main audience takeaway from Theatre of the X is that people view each performance as a “Family Reunion… that sense of community, especially with our Malcolm X Park shows, people always compare them to a family reunion,” Miller-White says when asked how audience members typically describe the shows her theater family puts together. 

Miller-White continues to expand theater viewership and participation for people of all different ages and backgrounds. She creates opportunities for not only attainable theater, but also work for actors and stage crew staff. In the face of unfortunate casting due to “family”, LaNeshe Miller-White has proven that she was successful in creating, or “casting”,  her own. 

If you wish  to support LaNeshe and the arts, below are links to donate towards Theatre in the X, PAAL, and Philadelphia Young Playwrights! While the 2024-2025 musical/play lineup is still being decided for Theatre in the X, Philadelphia Young Playwrights has performances open to the public this Fall and Spring! 

• To support Theatre in the X click HERE
• To support Philadelphia Young Playwrights click HERE 
• To support PAAL click HERE