ArtesMiami donated cash and publicity services to support English Only, a new play by Nicholas Griffin, produced by Miami New Drama at the Lincoln Road Colony Theater, from January 29th to February 20, 2026. The play occurs in Miami in the 1980s. As described by Miami New Theater, “The streets are tense, the airwaves are burning, and the fight for the soul of the city has begun. Based on explosive true events, English Only unfolds in the wake of the Mariel Boatlift, when 125,000 new arrivals to South Florida ignited a fierce grassroots campaign to make English the county’s sole language—sparking a showdown with activists determined to keep Miami-Dade bilingual. A gripping, high-stakes portrait of a city—and a country—at a crossroads.”

According to Michel Hausman, Miami New Drama Director, “We’re really telling the story of 1980 with the mirror to 2026,” he says. “It’s impossible not to. Maybe had we done this play in 2015 it would have read completely different. Hopefully in 10 years, this is not an issue we have anymore, but it sure as hell is an issue we have right now.”

Source: The Miami Herald