Miami-Dade County Auditorium On.Stage Black.Box Program

About the Program

Category: Arts, Culture and Historic Preservation (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

In 2012, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs launched the On.Stage Black.Box program series at the Miami-Dade County Auditorium (MDCA) to establish co-presenting partnerships with non-profit cultural organizations with the objective to cultivate the work of outstanding, diverse arts groups and individual artists while developing new audiences for some of Miami’s artistically-excellent cultural organizations and performance artists. Owned and operated by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Miami-Dade County Auditorium is a 2,372-seat theater in Little Havana, Miami. The On.Stage Black.Box series takes place on the stage of MDCA. With the proscenium curtain closed, the stage area behind the curtain becomes an intimate “black box theater,” a flexible performance space, with seating capacity ranging between 100-250 seats. Historically, the Miami-Dade County Auditorium, which opened its doors in 1951, has served as an incubator for supporting the work of arts groups and artists of color. Soon after the immigration from Cuba to Miami began in the early 1960s, the surrounding neighborhood became known as Little Havana and MDCA began to take on a Hispanic/Latino flavor. Sociedad Pro Arte Grateli, a Sunday salon group from the island, began producing shows for the new Floridians. At first, presenting musical revues of popular music from Cuba, then Spanish language translations of hit Broadway musicals and finally zarzuelas presented for the expanding diverse cultural audience. The On.Stage Black.Box series draws upon the rich cultural tapestry in Miami, featuring exciting new commissions with exceptional artists such as Grammy-winning singer and composer Albita; high quality presented works such as Companhia Urbana de Danca from Brazil; and outstanding co-productions such as “Tio Vania de Antón Chejov” directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz. In addition to the performances, the On.Stage Black.Box series provides outreach activities, educational workshops, master classes and accessible programs for people of all abilities.