{"id":325240,"date":"2026-06-30T22:21:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T22:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/325240\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T22:21:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T22:21:19","slug":"audience-becomes-part-of-the-story-in-miamis-play","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/325240\/","title":{"rendered":"Audience becomes part of the story in Miami\u2019s play"},"content":{"rendered":"

Miami New Drama once again finds a way to reinvent the theatrical experience with the world premiere of its original one-man show, \u201cTodo Lo Que No Dije\u201d (\u201cEverything I Didn\u2019t Say\u201d).<\/p>\n

The company reimagines the Colony Theatre stage, turning it into a black-box theater where audiences become collaborators rather than spectators.<\/p>\n

From the get-go, theatergoers get their first indication that they aren\u2019t in for something conventional. Instead of taking their seats in the historic auditorium, they are directed onto the stage, where 122 seats are configured for a playing area in the round. A table scattered with vintage postcards hints at what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n

\"The The discovery of an old postcard sends the Narrator on a journey to reconnect with his father in \u201cTodo Lo Que No Dije\u201d (\u201cEverything I Didn\u2019t Say\u201d). (Photo by Ari Feldmiller, courtesy of Miami New Drama) <\/p>\n

For 90 minutes and seated just a few feet from the character, only identified as Narrator, they will become participants in a story; the intimate setting changes the relationship between audience and performer at every show.<\/p>\n

Two years in the making, written by Harley Elias and directed by Michel Hausmann, the play follows a man whose discovery of an old postcard sends him on a journey to reconnect with the father he hasn\u2019t spoken to in decades. Along the way, he shares memories and family history, bringing audience members into the play as different characters from his life \u2013 a private investigator, a nurse in a Madrid nursing home, a security guard, a man with a tattoo, his father. How the interactions unfold is one of the production\u2019s pleasures, and it would be a spoiler to reveal them. It\u2019s all part of a theatrical experience that is difficult to categorize.<\/p>\n

\"Playwright Playwright Harley Elias wrote \u201cTodo Lo Que No Dije\u201d (\u201cEverything I Didn\u2019t Say\u201d), a one-man show now at Miami New Drama. CAMILO BUITRAGO GIL (Photo courtesy of Furiosa Productions) <\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to write something that was a solo show that wasn\u2019t just a story that was said and done in the past,\u201d Elias said. \u201cWhat I was after was a mystery and a search for something that\u2019s kind of in the present moment that is, you\u2019re not sure where it\u2019s going to go, and you\u2019re not sure how it\u2019s going to resolve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although audience members are invited to read postcards, interact with the Narrator, lend personal items, and step into the action, Elias said he was careful not to let those moments become theatrical tricks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want it to feel gimmicky at all,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted it to feel emotionally true and grounded in a present storytelling with the audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The play itself also represents a departure for Elias, whose previous Miami New Drama collaborations, \u201cLincoln Road Hustle,\u201d which he co-wrote with Billy Corben, and \u201cBad Dog,\u201d which Elias based on his time working in a gallery, all have included larger ensemble productions.<\/p>\n

\"The The first actor that came to mind to bring to life \u201cTodo Lo Que No Dije\u201d (\u201cEverything I Didn\u2019t Say\u201d) was Christian McGaffney. (Photo by Ari Feldmiller, courtesy of Miami New Drama) <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the play I was born to write,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a more personal play than anything I\u2019ve ever written.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding the right actor proved equally important.<\/p>\n

Hausmann immediately thought of Venezuelan actor Christian McGaffney, who previously appeared in Miami New Drama\u2019s \u201cLas Aventuras de Juan Planchard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked with Michel Hausmann 17 years ago in my first theatrical experience in Caracas, a play by Mois\u00e9s Kaufman, and Michel was directing it.\u201d McGaffney, who is now based in Los Angeles, was 20 years old then. The play was \u201cGross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Christian Christian McGaffney starred in the Venezuelan film shot in Miami in 2021, \u201cSim\u00f3n,\u201d where he plays a freedom fighter who escapes to Miami to obtain political asylum; it\u2019s now on Netflix. (Photo courtesy of SimonTheFilm\/Black Hole Enterprises) <\/p>\n

\u201cI was just a telenovela guy who wanted to experience theater. Michel gave me my first opportunity in theater.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2021, during COVID, McGaffney was in Miami shooting Venezuelan movie \u201cSim\u00f3n\u201d where he plays a freedom fighter who escapes to Miami to obtain political asylum; it\u2019s now on Netflix. \u201cThat was my first job here in Miami and then I was back two years later to work with Mois\u00e9s for \u2018Juan Planchard.\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n

Elias said McGaffney\u2019s natural rhythm matched the voice he\u2019d imagined while writing.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was one guy that could do this,\u201d Elias recalled Hausmann telling him. \u201cIt\u2019s Christian.\u201d<\/p>\n

For McGaffney, reading the script for the first time was unlike any project he had encountered.<\/p>\n

\"Founder Founder and artistic director of Miami New Drama, Michel Hausmann, worked with Harley Elias in crafting \u201cTodo Lo Que No Dije\u201d (\u201cEverything I Didn\u2019t Say\u201d). He directs the world premiere. (Photo courtesy of Miami New Drama) <\/p>\n

\u201cI had a lot of questions,\u201d he said. \u201cIs this a drama? Is this a comedy? Is this a comedy with a heart? It was beautiful to actually work with Harley and Michel and start discovering what this play was about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The collaborative rehearsal process allowed the actor, playwright and director to shape the work together.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was more of us really exploring what we think would work and also what we think wouldn\u2019t work in order for us to understand the play better,\u201d McGaffney said.<\/p>\n

Because audience members become part of each performance, McGaffney said no two shows are the same. The difficult part, but one he\u2019s mastered, is that every show requires him to remain fully present while adapting to different volunteers who, by the nature of the show, create unplanned moments.<\/p>\n

\"The The audience is spectator and collaborator in Miami New Drama\u2019s \u201cTodo Lo Que No Dije\u201d (\u201cEverything I Didn\u2019t Say\u201d). (Photo by Ari Feldmiller, courtesy of Miami New Drama) <\/p>\n

The script is in Spanish, but every performance includes live English translation through headsets, allowing English-speaking audiences to also be immersed in the action.<\/p>\n

For Elias, that accessibility is essential because the play ultimately transcends language.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is more pure theatrical experience and storytelling,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s that kind of old theater experience where you say to someone, \u2018Listen, you have to be there.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The surprises continue after the applause and up until the time the audience gets ready to head back out into Lincoln Road. Vintage postcards scattered around high-top tables in the lobby invite everyone to fill them out, send them to someone they love or even to themselves. Drop them in the big blue Miami New Drama postal box in the lobby and they will be mailed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like the show; it\u2019s another way to connect,\u201d Elias said.<\/p>\n

\"Miami Miami New Drama reimagines the Colony Theatre stage, turning it into a black-box theater for \u201cTodo Lo Que No Dije\u201d (\u201cEverything I Didn\u2019t Say\u201d) now at the Colony Theatre through Sunday, Aug. 2. (Photo by Ari Feldmiller, courtesy of Miami New Drama) <\/p>\n

Born in Caracas where he lived until he was about 25 or 26, McGaffney said that doing a no intermission show, being on stage the whole time, and having to be the multitasker of so much interaction takes a lot of stamina. There\u2019s also something else that has been an unexpected source of where he puts his energy during his time in Miami.<\/p>\n

He has been volunteering at a donation center in Doral that is collecting for those affected by the recent earthquakes in Venezuela.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a sweet-and sour situation for us as Venezuelans doing the play. I\u2019ve had Venezuelans come up to me in the lobby who just want to talk and to express how grateful they are that they could see something like this in the midst of everything. Right now, while things are so tough, it\u2019s also a good place to be taken away for a bit, to soothe the soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you go:<\/p>\n

WHAT: \u201cTodo Lo Que No Dije\u201d (\u201cEverything I Didn\u2019t Say\u201d). Performed in Spanish with live English translation available via headsets.<\/p>\n

WHERE: Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach<\/p>\n

WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; 2 and 8 p.m., Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday. Through Sunday, Aug. 2.<\/p>\n

COST: $65, $70, $80 and $85 (a portion of ticket sales will be donated to We Love Foundation<\/a> to support earthquake relief efforts in Venezuela)<\/p>\n

INFORMATION: 305-674-1040 and miaminewdrama.org<\/a><\/p>\n

ArtburstMiami.com is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don\u2019t miss a story at www.artburst.com.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Miami New Drama once again finds a way to reinvent the theatrical experience with the world premiere of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":325241,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-325240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=325240"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/325240\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/325241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=325240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=325240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=325240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}