Michael Arden

“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.”

“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.”

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

“I love Disney.”

“There is no distinction, no echelon of actors within a company. A company is only as strong as its weakest link.”

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

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

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

“Every decision you make has a consequence.”

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

“I tend to ask more questions than I should as an actor.”

“Say you have a young black kid, and you come to see a Sondheim show. You love the material, but you look on stage, and you don't see anyone who looks like you. That puts a barrier between the audience and what they're trying to absorb.”

“I'm interested in people's relationship to objects, so I think a lot of my work is very tactile.”

“So many gay men are mothers to so many young people, me included. I've had gay men who were more mother to me than my own mother ever was.”

“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.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

“The most exciting thing I've seen is directors not only being open to actors coming in the room with different abilities but actively looking at ways that the story can be enlarged with disabled actors.”

“I had a sort of rocky upbringing, and I think the theater was a safe place for me.”