Miami New Drama Inc
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It reported loans to or from officers, directors or other insiders.
- It owes more than it owns.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
MIAMI NEW DRAMA IS A NONPROFIT PROFESSIONAL THEATER COMPANY BASED IN MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, DEDICATED TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION OF NEW THEATRICAL WORK AND TO THEATER-MAKING AS A MEANS OF SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT, CULTURAL CONVERSATION, AND HUMAN CONNECTION. AS THE NATION'S LARGEST BILINGUAL PROFESSIONAL THEATER COMPANY, AND AS THE RESIDENT COMPANY AND OPERATOR OF THE HISTORIC COLONY THEATRE ON LINCOLN ROAD, MIAMI NEW DRAMA CREATES WORK THAT REFLECTS THE DISTINCTIVE MULTICULTURAL AND MULTILINGUAL CHARACTER OF SOUTH FLORIDA WHILE CONTRIBUTING NEW PLAYS AND MUSICALS TO THE AMERICAN THEATRICAL CANON.
- Income
- $4.3 million
- Spending
- $4.5 million
- Spent on programs
- 83%
- Reserves
- -2.3 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- government grants, 38%
- Employees
- 155
- Volunteers
- 5
- Highest pay
- $121,923, director
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 33 out of 100. Higher than 5% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 102% of what it owns.
Living within its means
8 of 15Spending exceeded income by 4% of income.
Income trend
10 of 15Income fell 5% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1583% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 6 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 78 out of 100. Higher than 29% of charities in its peer group (arts and culture, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
25 of 2518 of 23 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
0 of 7Reports no written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
0 of 5Reports no independent review process for its chief executive's pay.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
0 of 10Reports at least one of: diversion of assets, excess benefits, loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $3.7 million spent. DURING THE 2024-2025 FISCAL YEAR, MIAMI NEW DRAMA PRESENTED 135 PERFORMANCES REACHING APPROXIMATELY 25,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS. THE SEASON MARKED AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN THE COMPANY'S EVOLUTION AS AN ORIGINATING THEATER AND LAUNCHING PLATFORM FOR NEW WORK: EVERY PRODUCTION IN THE MAINSTAGE SEASON WAS DEVELOPED OR COMMISSIONED BY MIAMI NEW DRAMA. THROUGH THIS SUSTAINED INVESTMENT IN NEW WORK, THE COMPANY BRINGS TOGETHER LEADING NATIONAL AND NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PLAYWRIGHTS, DIRECTORS, DESIGNERS, ACTORS, MUSICIANS, AND THEATER ARTISTS TO ORIGINATE AMBITIOUS PRODUCTIONS IN MIAMI BEACH WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR CONTINUED LIFE ON STAGES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY. THE SEASON INCLUDED THREE WORLD PREMIERES. LINCOLN ROAD HUSTLE, WRITTEN BY BILLY CORBEN AND HARLEY ELIAS AND CONCEIVED AND DIRECTED BY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MICHEL HAUSMANN, TRANSFORMED MIAMI BEACH'S ICONIC LINCOLN ROAD INTO A LARGE-SCALE IMMERSIVE THEATRICAL ENVIRONMENT, WITH AUDIENCES MOVING AMONG BUSINESSES, STOREFRONTS, AND PUBLIC SPACES AS INTERCONNECTED STORIES UNFOLDED SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE PRODUCTION RAN FOR 10 WEEKS, BRINGING THOUSANDS TO LINCOLN ROAD AND DEMONSTRATING MIND'S COMMITMENT TO CREATING WORK THAT ENGAGES DIRECTLY WITH ITS COMMUNITY AND REIMAGINING HOW AND WHERE THEATER CAN TAKE PLACE. MIAMI NEW DRAMA SIMULTANEOUSLY PRESENTED THE WORLD PREMIERE OF BAD DOG BY HARLEY ELIAS, A NEW PLAY EXPLORING ART, IDENTITY, REPRESENTATION, AND CULTURAL POLITICS AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF MIAMI'S INTERNATIONAL VISUAL-ART WORLD. PRODUCING TWO ORIGINAL WORKS CONCURRENTLY-ONE THROUGHOUT LINCOLN ROAD AND ANOTHER INSIDE THE COLONY THEATRE-REPRESENTED A SIGNIFICANT ARTISTIC AND OPERATIONAL UNDERTAKING AND DEMONSTRATED THE COMPANY'S CAPACITY TO DEVELOP AMBITIOUS NEW WORK ACROSS RADICALLY DIFFERENT THEATRICAL FORMS. THE SEASON ALSO FEATURED THE WORLD PREMIERE OF BIRTHRIGHT BY JONATHAN SPECTOR, EXPLORING QUESTIONS OF IDENTITY, HISTORY, BELONGING, AND CONTEMPORARY JEWISH LIFE. THE PRODUCTION CONTINUED MIAMI NEW DRAMA'S JEWISH PLAY INITIATIVE, A COMMITMENT TO DEVELOPING SIGNIFICANT NEW AMERICAN PLAYS THAT USE THEATER TO FOSTER DIALOGUE AROUND COMPLEX CONTEMPORARY ISSUES. COMPLETING THE SEASON WAS THE RETURN OF VIVA LA PARRANDA, MIAMI NEW DRAMA'S COMMISSIONED DOCUMENTARY THEATER WORK CREATED BY BETSAYDA MACHADO AND LA PARRANDA EL CLAVO IN COLLABORATION WITH JUAN CARLOS SOUKI. ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED AND PREMIERED BY MIAMI NEW DRAMA, THE PRODUCTION COMBINES FIRST- PERSON TESTIMONY WITH THE ANCESTRAL MUSIC, DANCE, AND TRADITIONS OF THE MULTIGENERATIONAL AFRO-VENEZUELAN ENSEMBLE LA PARRANDA EL CLAVO. ITS RETURN REFLECTED THE COMPANY'S COMMITMENT BOTH TO CREATING WORK ROOTED IN THE CULTURES AND EXPERIENCES OF MIAMI'S COMMUNITIES AND TO SUSTAINING SIGNIFICANT COMMISSIONED WORKS BEYOND THEIR INITIAL PREMIERES. NEW-WORK DEVELOPMENT IS CENTRAL TO MIAMI NEW DRAMA'S ARTISTIC MODEL AND REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE OF THE AMERICAN THEATER. SINCE ITS FOUNDING, MIAMI NEW DRAMA HAS PRODUCED 20 WORLD PREMIERES, WITH AN ADDITIONAL 15 NEW WORKS IN VARIOUS STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT AT THE CLOSE OF THE FISCAL YEAR. THROUGH COMMISSIONS, READINGS, WORKSHOPS, DEVELOPMENTAL PRODUCTIONS, AND FULLY REALIZED WORLD PREMIERES, THE COMPANY PROVIDES PLAYWRIGHTS AND CREATIVE TEAMS WITH THE ARTISTIC RESOURCES AND AUDIENCES NECESSARY TO DEVELOP NEW WORK FROM ITS EARLIEST STAGES THROUGH PRODUCTION. THE NATIONAL TRAJECTORY OF WORK ORIGINATED AT MIAMI NEW DRAMA DEMONSTRATES THE IMPACT OF THIS MODEL. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR, A WONDERFUL WORLD: THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG MUSICAL, DEVELOPED AND GIVEN ITS WORLD PREMIERE BY MIAMI NEW DRAMA, OPENED ON BROADWAY. ITS JOURNEY FROM MIAMI TO BROADWAY PROVIDED SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE OF THE COMPANY'S GROWING ROLE AS A LAUNCHING PLATFORM FOR NEW AMERICAN THEATER. TOGETHER WITH A PIPELINE OF NEW WORKS IN DEVELOPMENT, THIS MILESTONE REFLECTS MIAMI NEW DRAMA'S COMMITMENT TO ESTABLISHING MIAMI NOT SIMPLY AS A DESTINATION FOR THEATER CREATED ELSEWHERE, BUT AS AN IMPORTANT POINT OF ORIGIN FOR NEW AMERICAN THEATER CAPABLE OF REACHING AUDIENCES NATIONWIDE. EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT REMAINED CENTRAL TO MIAMI NEW DRAMA'S CHARITABLE MISSION. DURING THE FISCAL YEAR, THE COMPANY SERVED APPROXIMATELY 2,000 STUDENTS AND WORKED DIRECTLY WITH SIX SCHOOLS THROUGH ITS STEAM AND IN-SCHOOL RESIDENCY PROGRAM. THESE SUSTAINED PARTNERSHIPS BRING PROFESSIONAL TEACHING ARTISTS AND THEATER-BASED LEARNING INTO SCHOOLS, USING THE PERFORMING ARTS TO SUPPORT CREATIVITY, COLLABORATION, COMMUNICATION, AND INTERDISCIPLINARY LEARNING. STUDENT PERFORMANCES AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES FURTHER EXPANDED ACCESS TO PROFESSIONAL THEATER FOR YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGHOUT MIAMI-DADE COUNTY. MIAMI NEW DRAMA ALSO CONTINUED ITS STEWARDSHIP AND OPERATION OF THE HISTORIC COLONY THEATRE, MAINTAINING THE LANDMARK VENUE AS AN ACTIVE CULTURAL INSTITUTION SERVING RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO MIAMI BEACH. IN ADDITION TO THE COMPANY'S OWN PRODUCTIONS AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, THE COLONY THEATRE PROVIDES A PLATFORM FOR VISITING ARTISTS, CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITY EVENTS, AND OTHER PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMMING, CONTRIBUTING TO THE CULTURAL VITALITY OF LINCOLN ROAD AND THE BROADER SOUTH FLORIDA COMMUNITY. THROUGH THE CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF ORIGINAL WORK, INVESTMENT IN ARTISTS, EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND STEWARDSHIP OF THE COLONY THEATRE, MIAMI NEW DRAMA CONTINUED DURING FISCAL YEAR 2024-2025 TO ADVANCE ITS MISSION WHILE STRENGTHENING MIAMI'S PLACE IN THE NATIONAL THEATRICAL LANDSCAPE. DURING THE 2024-2025 FISCAL YEAR, MIAMI NEW DRAMA PRESENTED 135 PERFORMANCES REACHING APPROXIMATELY 25,000 AUDIENCE MEMBERS. THE SEASON MARKED AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE IN THE COMPANY'S EVOLUTION AS AN ORIGINATING THEATER AND LAUNCHING PLATFORM FOR NEW WORK: EVERY PRODUCTION IN THE MAINSTAGE SEASON WAS DEVELOPED OR COMMISSIONED BY MIAMI NEW DRAMA. THROUGH THIS SUSTAINED INVESTMENT IN NEW WORK, THE COMPANY BRINGS TOGETHER LEADING NATIONAL AND NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PLAYWRIGHTS, DIRECTORS, DESIGNERS, ACTOR
Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since March 2015.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.