{{Short description|American actor}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} '''George Crichton Miln''' (1850–1917) was an American actor and stage manager who was active in Australia 1888–1890. thumb|George C. Miln

==History== Miln claimed to have been born in England and attended Christ's Hospital Bluecoat School, moved to America and was further educated at Princeton University.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/04284c80e5919bdace28b19c98e501f6/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1817542 |first=Eric|last= Irvin |title=George Crichton Miln: an individualist on the Australian stage |journal=Australasian Drama Studies|issue=19|year=1991|pages=94–106}}</ref> The historian Eric Irvin was doubtful about some details on his biography. Miln was a master of the tall tale, witness the note he sent to one Colonel J. S. Wilson, to whom he had given a large dog.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23976150 |title=A Tragedian's Dog. |newspaper=The Queenslander |volume=XXVI |issue=476 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=8 November 1884 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=748 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

He first came to public attention in 1882<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article107997494 |title=Miscellaneous. |newspaper=The Evening News (Sydney) |issue=4760 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=15 November 1882 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> when he left his position in Chicago as a Unitarian pastor, for the uncertain life of a Shakespearean actor.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article35972548 |title=Our California Letter |newspaper=The South Australian Advertiser |volume=XXVII |issue=8159 |location=South Australia |date=11 December 1884 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

He first appeared on the Australian stage for George Rignold at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney playing a somewhat unconventional ''Hamlet'' on 6 October 1888 with his wife, Louise Jordan, as Ophelia and a local supporting cast.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161891040 |title=Her Majesty's Theatre. |newspaper=The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser |volume=XLVI |issue=1475 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=13 October 1888 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=761 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> This was followed by a vehement ''Richelieu''<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article228407299 |title=Theatrical and Musical |newspaper=The Australian Star |issue=272 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=15 October 1888 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=7 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> and thoughtful ''Richard III''<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article13700593 |title=George C. Miln as Richard the Third |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |issue=15,782 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=22 October 1888 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> with Jordan as Lady Ann. The originality of his interpretations brought a great deal of interest to the theatre though scorned by purists. The company moved to Brisbane, playing, amongst other works, ''Damon and Pythias'' at the Opera House with Miln and F. C. Appleton in the name parts, followed by the Victoria Theatre, Newcastle where they finished with Tom Taylor's ''The Fool's Revenge''. They returned to Sydney, this time playing at the Opera House, then on to Melbourne for a short season, Launceston and Hobart and back to Melbourne, followed by the major towns in Victoria. In May 1890 he pleaded insolvency as a result of losses incurred playing Shakespeare in Melbourne and Ballarat.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26750868 |title=Tragedian Miln's Insolvency |newspaper=The Advertiser (Adelaide) |volume=XXXII |issue=9839 |location=South Australia |date=1 May 1890 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> They finished their tour with nine nights in Adelaide, where amongst others, he played ''Othello'' to the evident approval of theatregoers, such that he must have regretted not bringing it out (or playing Adelaide) earlier.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26764294 |title=Amusements |newspaper=The Advertiser (Adelaide) |volume=XXXIII |issue=9992 |location=South Australia |date=27 October 1890 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> They left for India by the SS ''Valetta'' on 29 October 1890.<ref name=shipping>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47261486 |title=Shipping Intelligence |newspaper=South Australian Register |volume=LV |issue=13,717 |location=South Australia |date=30 October 1890 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

The theatre company Miln directed consisted of "twenty odd artists (more or less)."<ref name="Miln">Miln, Louise Jordan. ''When We Were Strolling Players in the East'', 2d edition. London: Osgood, Mcilvaine, 1895. pp. 12,221.</ref> Miln and his group moved on to perform Shakespeare in Calcutta, Rangoon, Singapore, Shanghai, and Hong Kong before reaching Nagasaki in May 1891.<ref name="Kobayashi">Kobayashi, Kaori. "Touring in Asia: The Miln Company's Shakespearean Productions in Japan" ''Shakespeare and his Contemporaries in Performance,'' edited by Edward J. Esche. Routledge, 2016, pp. 53-72.</ref> Miln's productions of ''Hamlet'', ''The Merchant of Venice'', ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''Macbeth'', ''Othello'', ''Julius Caesar'' and ''Richard III'' at the Gaiety Theatre in Yokohama were "the first Shakespeare productions staged in complete texts in Japan."<ref name="Kobayashi"/> The Japanese writer Kitamura Tokoku and the "founder of modern Japanese Theatre" Tsubouchi Shōyō were members of the audience and Miln's performances were influential in shaping modern Japanese Theatre.<ref name="Kobayashi"/>

When the group was in Tokyo to perform ''The Merchant of Venice,'' the Emperor of Japan was set to attend;<ref name="Kobayashi"/> however, the attempted assassination of the Russian Tsarevich during his visit to Japan became a grave international concern and limited the activities for the Japanese Court for several weeks.<ref name="Miln"/>

==Family== Miln was married to the actress Louise Jordan, who regularly appeared with her husband. She was also known as a writer of travel books, especially of China, and novels, several being based on popular stage plays.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141356652 |title=Portrait from the Past |newspaper=The Australasian |volume=CXXV |issue=4,164 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=27 October 1928 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=20 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Her novel ''Mr Wu'' (1918) was very popular.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article142142897 |title=Questions and Answers |newspaper=The Australasian |volume=CXLIX |issue=4,785 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=14 September 1940 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=36 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> Her ''When We Were Strolling Players in the East'' was published in 1900.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article145934413 |title=Autolycus of the Bookshops. |newspaper=Table Talk |issue=800 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=1 November 1900 |accessdate=23 June 2021 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>

At the time of their 1888–90 tour they had two infant children.<ref name=shipping/>

==See also== *Louise Jordan Miln

== References == {{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Miln, George C.}} Category:1850 births Category:1917 deaths Category:American Unitarian clergy Category:19th-century Unitarian clergy Category:19th-century American male actors Category:19th-century Australian male actors Category:American male Shakespearean actors Category:American male stage actors