A theater professor at Radford University recently launched a podcast, called "Staying Me, While Being You" about mental health, specifically for actors and theater students.
A recent episode features a Radford graduate, Queen Miller, who said being true to herself was important for her mental health.
Growing up, Miller she struggled to make peace with the person she felt she was, and the person other people saw when they looked at her.
“I was always picked on for being weird and having facial expressions,” Miller said. “But theater, they invite that. It was something that I got to breathe into I got to be myself into.”
When she was growing up, in a small town on the eastern shore, Miller remembers teachers saying her test scores weren’t good enough to study honors English. And that she would never make it as a professional performer.
On top of that, she said she felt inhibited as a teenager, when she began her gender transition. She was born a male, but identifies as a woman.
“So I had to suppress that,” Miller said. “I couldn’t authentically be myself. And that took a crazy, crazy toll on my mental health. I mean out of this world that I cannot explain, we would be here all day, you know.”
After high school, she began studying at a community college near her home. But she struggled to feel motivated, and almost dropped out. Then, she heard about Radford’s theater program. She decided it couldn’t hurt to apply. She got in, and transferred over.
“She always had a presence,” said Robyn Berg, one of Miller’s first professors.
Berg said Miller radiated positivity, and kindness. “And you know, she came here when we were all wearing masks and the world was in upheaval and to have a positive attitude in the midst of the pandemic was huge!” Berg said.
Miller said theater helped her get to know herself better. She was cast in a leading role in a Shakespeare play, as a woman. She began going by her new name, Queen Miller.
“All we can do is be the most authentic versions of ourselves,” Berg said. “And Queen has spoken to that authenticity a lot. And I think the closest I can come to defining what is presence is someone who is so authentic to who they are, that, there’s no veneer.”
In October, Berg launched a podcast, called “Staying Me, While Being You.” It explores mental health, specifically for actors, and performers.
“How do we truly stay ourselves while stepping into the shoes of another person? Being you: a character,” Berg explained.
Berg co-hosts the podcast with a licensed therapist. They both saw how the pandemic took a toll on the mental health of actors and theater students.
But a lot of what they talk about on the show is universal, even for those who’ve never been on stage.
“The more we put on masks and layers and try to be someone we’re not that does have an impact on our health and wellness,” Berg said. “And so I think being authentic is a huge gift to your own wellness.”
On the podcast, Berg also talks about basic self-care and the kinds of things we tend to forget when we’re under pressure. Like getting enough sleep, drinking water, and encouraging others around you to take care of themselves too.
These are things Miller thinks helped her make it to graduation.
“Students tell me, ‘I love being around you, I love opening up to you.’ And I try to keep that space because it’s so important that we talk about how we feel,” Miller said. “That’ll give you permission to move on from it. So you’re not sitting in that. Because when we sit in that, that’s when our mental health can disintegrate a little bit.”
Miller graduated from Radford University with honors this month. Just before graduation, she also wrote, acted, produced and directed her own play. It’s about a young Black trans woman, on her journey to become a professional actress in New York City.
“Not only did I come here to study theater, and also study my passion, but I got to be the real me,” Miller said.
Miller plans to keep acting, and writing. Eventually, she wants to go back to school for her master’s degree.
You can hear more of Queen Miller’s story in the latest episode of the podcast Staying me while Being You, which is on apple podcasts and Spotify.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
