Bruce Millan and Barbara Busby, Founders of Detroit Repertory Theatre, Announce Retirement

As of July 1st, founders of the Detroit Repertory Theatre, Bruce Millan and Barbara Busby have retired after 64 years of leadership of the iconic cultural institution.

Their vision of an anti-racist society, and their casting policy of hiring blacks in traditionally white roles, garnered them both accolades and criticism in the Detroit Theatre scene over the years. Since 1957, Mr. Millan operated as "the Rep's" Artistic Director and Ms. Busby as Fiscal Officer. Leah E. Smith has been named the new Artistic/Managing Director.

A celebration of their life's work will be held outdoors at the Theatre on Saturday August 28 at 5 p.m. Special guest, Detroit's own Thornetta Davis will perform under a festival tent, with food, beverages, and champagne toasts in their honor. Everyone is welcome to attend, share their stories and applaud the cultural miracle that Bruce and Barbara have created. More details will be forthcoming.

Bruce Millan and Barbara Busby began the company in 1957, while students at WSU. He was a student of sociology and she, a Theatre major. The theatre business in 1957, as the rest of American industry, was deeply segregated. Millan and Busby made it their mission to prove "the power of diversity acting in unity", instituting a race-transcendent casting policy: the best actor for the job regardless of the color of their skin. They assembled a company of black and white actors and created the Millan Theatre Company, a touring group presenting theatre for children. Bruce wrote, Barbara acted, and they both directed the plays that toured metro Detroit, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

In the early days, the company operated out of an apartment on Woodrow Wilson Street in the center of the city of Detroit, right across the street from where the Detroit Repertory Theatre stands today. They moved into what was once a bar and a dry goods store in the early 1960's and began producing plays for adults, still with the same casting policy. Under their leadership, the Theatre became a home for local artists, underground theatre, local jazz music, and a beacon of light in the community. In 1967, it was a safe place for neighborhood residents as tanks rolled down the street during the rebellion.

Under the leadership of Millan and Busby, the Theatre created many outreach programs geared toward making the Theatre accessible and "reaching the unreached" - - Neighborhood Nights, the Free Actors Workshop, the Cultural Fellowship program, the New Playwrights Program, and the Charitable Group Fundraiser program. Through decades of ups and downs in the city, they sometimes took no salary for themselves to keep the Theatre going.

Their service to Theatre, and to Detroit, has garnered many accolades. They have been honored by the State of Michigan, the Detroit City Council, the Office of Wayne County Executive, City of Detroit, the Michigan Council for the Arts and US Senators Donald W. Riegle, Jr. and Carl Levin, who proclaimed on the floor of the U. S. Senate that the Detroit Repertory Theatre was a "cultural miracle and a gem of Detroit."

They received awards for their innovative programs, community service and theatre excellence from many diverse groups: Howard University Alumni; The Interfaith Leadership Council of Southeast Michigan; Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington D. C. -- "for pioneer efforts to artistically serve the underserved"; Michigan's highest artistic award, The Governor's Arts Award; Oakland Press; Wilde Awards; Detroit Free Press Awards; Michigan Coalition for Human Rights Community Service Award.; Detroit Chapter of NOW; Wayne County Community Service Award; The Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award which stated: "your leadership and work in the arts have uplifted and educated so many about the struggle for human dignity, peace, and justice... contributions to our country, city, and community are legendary...a shining example of how compassion for others keeps the legacy of Dr. King alive."

One award they are most proud of is the Rosetta LeNoire Award from Actors Equity Association, the union for professional actors and stage managers, for "commitment to exemplary artistic standards, non-traditional casting, and numerous outreach and education initiatives...From its earliest days your stage has reflected society as a true tapestry of all ethnicities...The dedication to diversity casting and untraditional gender casting has set a shining example of inclusion and expanded opportunities for all."

Anyone who has ever stepped into the Detroit Repertory Theatre has seen Bruce and Barbara. He was always behind the bar serving customers, and she was the box office manager for every single performance from the beginning to March 2020.

64 years later the Detroit Repertory Theatre still stands and thrives on Woodrow Wilson, thanks to the tenacity of Millan and Busby. Their steadfast belief that theatre should be accessible to all -- those who make it, and those who partake in it -- has made them both legends in the cultural landscape of Detroit and the entire country.

To post a comment, you must register and login.