The Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, Inc. has named David Miller, shown here on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, as its executive director. Miller hopes that the theater will be reopened after renovations by mid- to late October.
The Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, Inc. has named David Miller, shown here on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, as its executive director. Miller hopes that the theater will be reopened after renovations by mid- to late October.
WADE SULLIVAN | HD Media
HUNTINGTON — There could be a new generation of children in the Tri-State who soon will be able to say their dance recital was on a stage where Taylor Swift performed in 2007.
Local dance recitals and movie nights are among the type of programming the new director of the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center is exploring, along with the more traditional big-name concerts and comedy shows.
The Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center has appointed David Miller, 37, as its executive director. Miller, who started July 1, is bringing in new ideas that include collaborations with local businesses and the return of movie nights.
Longtime appreciation of theaters
Miller grew up in Ashland, Kentucky and attended Morehead State University. He previously worked as director of marketing at the Paramount Arts Center in his hometown and Mountain Health Arena, now the Marshall Health Network Arena.
“I knew pretty early on that … this place has been good to me, like the Tri-State has been good to me, my hometown and my friends and family have been great. So I knew I didn’t want to leave,†he said.
Going to educational shows at the Paramount in the 1990s and 2000s had a bigger impact on him than he realized at the time, Miller said — it gave him a deep appreciation for performing arts, showbusiness and historic buildings.
One of his earliest memories visiting the Keith-Albee was attending a midnight screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.â€
“There was nothing like that happening in Ashland, and so I had to come over here. A friend of mine introduced me to that, which was like a whole different kind of theater and interactive thing that I just never experienced, and since then I’ve been here a lot for Marshall Artist Series events,†he said.
The Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, at 925 Fourth Ave. in Huntington, is pictured on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
WADE SULLIVAN | HD Media
His job as executive director will include a lot of tasks. Currently, he is laying the foundation for how the theater will run: what ticketing system it will use and what management software. He’ll also hire more administrative staff.
“Now when I go to try to start getting shows booked here or letting promoters know that we’re going to be available to do shows, they already know the theater. It’s an iconic theater within the industry and people are ... saying, ‘I already know, you don’t have to give me the pitch. We’re just excited that you’re going to be open,’†he said.
He predicts a wide variety of shows and programming in the Keith-Albee’s future, as he doesn’t want to pigeonhole the space into a venue that hosts just one type of event, he said.
There will be occasional day programming for students from local schools, and movie nights that fill in gaps, for example. This includes dance recitals and local performers, and everything from live podcast shows, touring Broadway musicals and concerts of all styles of music.
“The community side of programming doesn’t make as much money, but that’s the point of the building more than anything, is the community of it,†he said. “If this can’t be a building for the people [who] live in the Huntington area, then what’s the point?â€
He takes the mentality of “What can this be?†not, “What is it going to be?†He even jokes that Keith-Albee could be the first theater to host WWE wrestling.
He said his dream concert to book would be Paul Simon. He’d also like the Keith-Albee to host a live comedy show taping that people everywhere can watch on Netflix.
Miller: Keith-Albee is a 'sweet spot' for various performers
Miller said he is tired of Huntington and the Appalachian region being overlooked by big performers when they go on tour, but he believes he can change that.
“There’s a lot of people that have never played in West Virginia, like big names that have never had an opportunity to come through,†he said. “So 2,400 seats is kind of this sweet spot for people that are up-and-comers and people that are established.
“There’s an intimacy to this number of seats in a building like this to where I think artists are able to really feel like they’re having an interactive moment in the space, as compared to arenas or stadiums where it’s just a massive scale.
He is excited to bring movies back to the theater. It’s not only nostalgic for people who grew up going to the Keith-Albee, but is also a low-barrier way to introduce people to its other programming.
“And outside of the artistic side of it, I’ve seen what buildings like this can do to a downtown for economic development,†he said.
While working at the Paramount, he said one sold-out show a month could pay a month’s rent for restaurants in downtown Ashland.
