In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Miami New Drama artistic director Michel Hausmann conceived a socially-distanced outdoor theatrical event that transformed the windows of vacant storefronts along the outdoor mall of Lincoln Road in Miami Beach into seven different performance spaces. A diverse group of playwrights were commissioned to each write a short play centered around one of the seven deadly sins. With actors performing inside behind glass, audiences in small groups of twelve rotated to each piece and experienced it through headphones on the pedestrian walkway.
The design spanned across four different buildings within a one-block radius. One empty retail space was subdivided for three plays, a recently-closed Nespresso store was split in half to house two plays, a vacant restaurant was redressed as a 1970s bar, and the double doors of the historic Colony Theatre’s loading dock were opened to reveal the set for a piece set in an abstracted Carnegie Hall. Due to the limitations of the sizes and capabilities of these found spaces, it was a very close collaboration with Yuki Nakase Link, the lighting designer and technical team to artfully convert them into temporary performance venues.
At the time it was presented, this was the largest Actors’ Equity approved live event happening in the country. Miami New Drama’s innovative solution to making art safely in the midst of a pandemic employed over 100 artists and was a reminder of how fulfilling live performance can be, especially at a time when people were hungry for human connection and community.
Production Credits
Miami New Drama / Lincoln Road storefronts / Miami,FL
Playwrights:
Hilary Bettis
Nilo Cruz
Moisés Kaufman
Rogelio Martinez
Dael Orlandersmith
Carmen Pelaez
Aurin Squire
Conceived by Michel Hausmann
Director – Michel Hausmann
with additional direction by Moises Kaufman and Jade King Carroll
Scene Design – Christopher & Justin Swader
Lighting Design – Yuki Nakase Link
Costume Design – Marina Pareja
Sound Design – Matt Corey
Assistant Lighting Design – Alejandro Perez
Assistant Scene Design – Jodi Dellaventura
Production Stage Manager – Isabella Lisboa
Stage Managers – Shannon Veguilla – Vanessa McCloskey
Tech Director – Steven Nunez
Scenic Artist – April Pullo
Props Artisans – Jameelah Bailey, Stephanie Debrecht
Actors featured in Photos
Stephen G. Anthony
Renata Eastlick
Jessica Farr
Mia Matthews
Gerald McCullouch
Andhy Mendez
Carmen Pelaez
Caleb Scott
Sandi Stock
Christopher Renshaw
Gregg Weiner
Photographer – Ernesto Sempoll – Justin Swader