Location
Miami New Drama, The Colony Theatre
1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Dates
Monday, August 31st: 11AM – 7PM
Tuesday, September 1st: 11AM – 7PM
Gandhi and the Jew
World Premiere
Written by: Harley Elias
October 5th, 2026 – 1st Day of Rehearsal
November 7th, 2026 – Opening
November 29th, 2026 – Closing
Equity SPT Tier 9; $885/week AEA min
Summary
A world premiere from Miami New Drama, in its 10th Anniversary Season. The fifth collaboration between the company and playwright Harley Elias, and the third commissioned premiere as part of Miami New Drama’s acclaimed Jewish Play Initiative.
A friendship that changed the world.
Drawn from years of research, multiple journeys to South Africa, and hundreds of unpublished letters, Gandhi and the Jew uncovers an unlikely and profound bond between Mahatma Gandhi and Hermann Kallenbach, a Jewish architect shaped by exile and persecution.
Together, they help invent the philosophy of nonviolence. But as history darkens and the fate of European Jews becomes urgent, their shared ideals fracture, setting them on a collision course over the future of a Jewish state.
This is the story of a friendship that changed the world, and the conflict that nearly broke it.
Roles
UPPER HOUSE / GANDHI — South Asian, 30s–50s. Brilliant, witty, quick, exacting, tough, pedantic, a nag, and almost impossibly unyielding. Not an impersonation of the familiar historical icon, but someone who makes us forget we know who Gandhi becomes. Less saint than a formidable, sometimes maddening young man: peevish, brilliant, relentlessly testing himself and everyone around him.
LOWER HOUSE / HERMANN KALLENBACH — Ashkenazi Jewish, 30s–50s. A Lithuanian-born German Jewish architect: classically Colin Firth handsome, robust, athletic, big-hearted, big build, muscular. Devoted but diffident, passionate but discerning, with great interior conflict. A spiritual seeker finding his way through a tumultuous time, searching for a sense of self, belonging, and conviction, and not afraid to go toe-to-toe with an icon of the twentieth century.
The Golem of Havana
An Original Musical
Written by: Michel Hausmann
December 21st, 2026 – 1st Day of Rehearsal
January 30th, 2027 – Opening
February 28th, 2027 – Closing
Equity SPT Tier 9; $885/week AEA min
Summary
Miami New Drama’s biggest celebration of the year. A revolution of our own, marking the highly anticipated return of the very first production Miami New Drama ever staged at the Colony Theatre. A Holocaust survivor’s family. An Afro-Cuban housekeeper who prays to the sea. A wounded revolutionary hiding in the back room. And a teenage girl who believes a comic-book monster can save them all.
Set in late-1950s Havana, The Golem of Havana follows Rebecca, a young Jewish girl who turns to a mythical protector of Jewish folklore, the Golem, as her family navigates poverty, political unrest, and the electric final days of the Batista regime. When she’s drawn into the orbit of Teo, a young revolutionary, myth and reality collide.
The Golem of Havana throws Jewish legend and Cuban revolution onto the same stage and lets them ignite, in a musical that moves from klezmer to mambo to bolero without ever stopping to breathe.
Funny, ferocious, and heartbreaking, it asks the question every exile carries: when no savior comes, who will you choose to be?
Roles
REBECCA FRANKEL (Female, 14–17 / Plays late teens) — A bright, imaginative, and passionate Jewish-Cuban teenager with a love for comic books and storytelling. She uses her creativity and faith in comic book heroes, like her original creation, the Golem, to navigate complex political and family struggles. Strong singer.
PINCHAS FRANKEL (Male, 40s–50s) — Rebecca’s father. A mild-mannered, hardworking Jewish tailor who fled Hungary to build a new life and open his own shop in Havana. Devoted to his family, gentle-natured, but caught in difficult moral choices amidst political turmoil.
YUTKA FRANKEL (Female, 40s–50s) — Rebecca’s mother. A Holocaust survivor from Hungary whose past trauma makes her cautious, protective, and cynical. Stubborn and strict on the outside, but deeply fierce in her commitment to keeping her family safe. Strong dramatic singer.
TEO RONDÓN (Male, 17–20) — Maria’s son. An idealistic, fiery young Cuban rebel fighting against the Batista regime. Driven by the loss of his father and a desire for justice, though he is deeply scared and wounded under his tough exterior.
MARIA RONDÓN (Female, 40s) — The Frankel family’s housekeeper and a devoted follower of Yemayá. Warm, resilient, and deeply spiritual, she is fiercely protective of her son, Teo.
ARTURO PÉREZ BRITO (Male, 40s) — A charismatic, well-dressed, and slick advisor to the military and friend of the Frankel family. Charmingly opportunist and smooth-talking, but aligned with the corrupt Batista regime.
FULGENCIO BATISTA (Male, 40s–50s) — The President/Dictator of Cuba. Authoritative, charismatic, and cultured on the surface, but ruthless and uncompromising in maintaining his hold on power.
OLGA (Female, 20s) — Yutka’s deceased sister who appears in Rebecca’s nightmares and flashbacks to Hungary in 1944. Represents the memory and lingering trauma of the Holocaust within the family.
SANCHEZ / POLICE OFFICERS / SOLDIERS (Male, 30s–50s) — Intimidating government officials, police, and military officers who enforce Batista’s authority through fear and force.
The Great Behind
World Premiere
Written by: Carmen Peláez
March 1st, 2027 – 1st Day of Rehearsal
April 3rd, 2027 – Opening
April 25th, 2027 – Closing
Equity SPT Tier 9; $885/week AEA min
Summary
In this bold, hilarious reinvention of Cyrano de Bergerac, Sylvia is a brilliant Miami librarian with a lethal tongue, a body everyone notices but no one truly sees, and a secret: she is hopelessly in love with her best friend. When he falls for Sylvia’s beautiful new coworker, Sylvia agrees to write the love letters that will win his heart, giving another woman the words she cannot bring herself to speak.
Written by beloved Miami native Carmen Peláez, in her fifth work with Miami New Drama, The Great Behind is a sexy, wildly funny, and deeply romantic new comedy about beauty, desire, and the terrifying courage it takes to be truly seen. How long can you give someone your words before you lose your own?
A Miami Cyrano. Same Wit. Bigger Hips.
Roles
SYLVIA (45) — A passionate, fiercely independent children’s librarian at the Miami Public Library. She is confident, quick-witted, and protective of books, yet deeply insecure about romantic vulnerability due to her body image. Note: The role of Sylvia is already cast.
OSCAR (45) — The handsome, charming co-owner of Sala De Mis Penas. Romantically hopeless and oblivious, he falls in love with the soulful, poetic letters written by Sylvia, believing they are from Cristi.
ANDREW (45) — The resident DJ at Sala De Mis Penas (“DJ Dolor”) and Sylvia’s closest confidant. He is wise, supportive, and secretly holds a deep affection for Sylvia.
CRISTI (35) — A modern dancer turned library activities director. She is very attractive and superficial in her dating habits, but well-intentioned and honest when realizing Oscar loves the mind behind the words.
LIZ (40) — The uptight, rule-following library director who frequently clashes with Sylvia over banned books and library decorum.
City Hall
World Premiere
Written by: Aurin Squire
March 29th, 2027 – 1st Day of Rehearsal
May 1st, 2027 – Opening
May 30th, 2027 – Closing
Equity SPT Tier 9; $885/week AEA min
Summary
Performed inside a real city hall, City Hall transforms the audience into the electorate, the chamber into the stage, and every performance into a live vote on the city’s future.
As rising seas threaten to swallow the city, a billionaire developer offers the solution the city cannot afford: he will fund the infrastructure needed to save it, but only if democracy steps aside and his company takes control for a generation. What follows is a gripping, high-stakes battle between survival and sovereignty, speed and accountability, private power and the public good.
Immersive, urgent, and different every night, City Hall is a love letter to democracy that asks its audience to do more than watch. It asks them to decide: when the system is failing, do you fix it or give it away?
Roles
MAYOR — Procedural anchor who values democracy, but fears its downfall after seeing his family escape a fallen democratic nation.
CLARA KEY (Environmental Scientist) — Presents hard data on the existential threat of global warming while vetting the validity of opposing claims.
RUTH DROBOT (Pro-Business Lawyer) — A sharp attorney representing billionaire Edmund Ray’s conglomerate, arguing that private takeover is the only cure for government incompetence.
SOLOMON BAND (Pro-Democracy Activist/Professor) — An optimistic, old-school idealist fighting to keep power with the people, despite being dismissed as an out-of-touch hippie.
ROBERTO (Pro-Business Witness) — A Hialeah furniture store owner who lost faith in local government after skyrocketing flood insurance and trusts Ray’s backed financial assurances instead.
BRITTANY (Pro-Democracy Witness) — A Seattle transplant who warns that corporate control inevitably leads to skyrocketing rent, homelessness, and displacement.
TBD
Cianuro Espumante
World Premiere
Written by: Karen Valecillo
June 8th, 2027 – 1st Day of Rehearsal
June 19th, 2027 – Opening
July 18th, 2027 – Closing
Equity SPT Tier 9; $885/week AEA min
Summary
A birthday celebration. A sudden death. A killer still in the room.
For the first time ever, the Agatha Christie Estate has authorized a direct Spanish-language adaptation of an iconic Christie mystery, reimagined for Miami.
When a glamorous birthday celebration ends in sudden death, what appears to be a tragic suicide unravels into a web of secrets, ambition, and betrayal. One year later, the guests reunite, and another body falls. As the brilliant detective Hercule Poirot invites the audience to play along, every glance, every toast, and every silence becomes a clue.
A seductive, suspenseful game of truth and illusion, set in the heart of Miami, where beauty, power, and greed collide. Cianuro asks: how well do we really know the people we love, and how far will we go to protect what we’ve built?
The world’s first Spanish-language Agatha Christie mystery. Solved by you.
Roles
Note: Actors must have a native command of the Spanish language.
ROSE BARTON — An elegant, passionate, and wealthy woman celebrating her birthday, unaware it will be her last night. She is Jorge’s wife, Esteban’s lover, and Antonio’s artistic patron.
JORGE BARTON — A refined, calculating man who organizes Rosa’s birthday party. Tormented by her sudden death, he tries to uncover the real killer one year later.
POIROT — A sharp detective who trades the classic trench coat for a guayabera and linen pants to withstand the heat. He guides the investigation by meticulously dissecting every detail.
IRIS — A woman who held a complex mix of envy and sisterly love for Rosa. She ends up becoming her sister’s sole heir and Antonio’s partner.
ANTONIO — A talented musician who transitions from playing piano at the venue to becoming a renowned star thanks to financial backing.
ESTEBAN — A rising political figure whose ambitious career relies heavily on campaign funding. He was secretly involved with Rosa.
SANDRA — A seemingly demure and conservative woman who is fiercely ambitious and cold, willing to do whatever it takes to secure her husband’s political success and her own status.
