Helping to open up the conversation about inclusion and diversity in casting has been a dream come true.

Michael Arden

Categorized in : True Conversation Dream Diversity

We don't ever realize how precious life is while we're living it.

precious realize living life

Haiti is a proud nation, rich in heritage and spirituality. How they have been able to not only survive but thrive is a testament to how the Haitian people have come together to rebuild, create new families, and care for one another.

rich care together people

Sometimes, disaster can inspire ingenuity.

ingenuity disaster sometimes inspire

I would want everyone to love someone in the purest sense of the word - an unconditional love in which you don't expect anything in return.

someone you want love

Unless we build theater and performing arts, then we're not going to be creating future patrons. We need to make it accessible.

going build need future

At the end of the day, we need to realize that segregation is not the human condition at its best. Which isn't to say we need to all be the same. It simply means we need to embrace each other's differences to help tell our stories together.

end-of-the-day best day together

At its core, 'Spring Awakening' is about the perils of miscommunication and what happens when people are denied a voice.

voice happens spring people

My grandparents, Jim and Pat Moore, were an incredible couple. They drove me to the community theater, where I did plays as a kid.

grandparents kid me community

I remember sitting at home in West Texas listening to my 'Songs for a New World' CD over and over.

new home remember world

The love I have for my husband is intertwined with his, and we are two individuals looking in the same direction - as opposed to staring in each other's eyes all the time.

eyes looking time love

I often think about what love can inspire in the world, not just in the eyes of the object of your affection.

eyes think love world

I refuse to go onstage without looking into the eyes and touching everyone I'm working with... we're all in it together, and everyone's an equal part when we're onstage.

eyes looking go together

I found that the same things I loved about performing were the things I liked about directing and creating a piece - striking a chord that was in tune with the world and was reflecting back what I saw, just from a different angle.

loved back things world

I've played gay, and I've played straight... I'm proud to be a gay man myself, and I'm thrilled to get the opportunity to play a variety of different gay men.

myself man opportunity men

A lot of times, comedy writers will go for the gay joke, and I've been vocal about saying, 'Go for the smart joke.'

saying comedy smart gay

As someone who lives with an animal, I think it's important to learn how to responsibly care for souls who don't have their own voice. They can't advocate for themselves.

think care voice animal

I really enjoy 'The Beauty Is' from 'Light in the Piazza.'

really enjoy light beauty

Kelli O'Hara is incredible.

incredible

I read 'Huffington Post' as if I am a shareholder.

post read am i-am

I think Rafael Nadal is pretty spectacular. I have a feeling he might be part animal.

pretty feeling think animal