Michel Hausmann is the founder behind one of the largest bilingual theater companies in the country.
He’s the artistic director of Miami New Drama – a company that’s known for putting on plays that reflect our community and are often created by our community.
There's stories about the Cocaine Cowboys. About a Jewish family on the brink Cuban revolution. And coming soon, a story about the 1980 McDuffie rebellion.
But Michel’s path to Miami has not been straightforward.
He studied film and thought he would become the man behind the camera. But the chaos and immediacy of a live theater brought him back.
Michel says theater is a lot like life — unpredictable and sometimes dangerous.
He founded his first theater company in his home country of Venezuela where he faced censorship from the government. One of his shows was tear gassed.
He fled the regime of Hugo Chavez. And found himself facing censorship here in South Florida as well.
District officials in Miami-Dade County Public Schools barred students from attending one of the company’s plays as part of a school-sponsored trip. Earlier this year, that decision was reversed.
On the Aug. 30 episode of Sundial, Michel joined us to talk about his love for the stage and his motivation to stay true to his art — despite pushback from those in power.
On Sundial's previous episode, Filipina-American author M. Evelina Galang joined us. She’s a professor of English at the University of Miami and directed their creative writing program for 10 years.
Listen to Sundial Monday through Thursday on WLRN, 91.3 FM, live at 1 p.m., rebroadcast at 8 p.m. Missed a show? Find every episode of Sundial on your favorite podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify.
