Micheal Arden, an American actor, singer, musician, and theatre director, addressed the rise of white supremacy and antisemitism in the United States while accepting his award for best direction of a musical at the 2023 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 11, night.

Michael Arden delivered a lengthy speech at the United Palace in New York’s Washington Heights, dedicating it to “the battalion of people who made Parade and who bring it to life so beautifully and terrifyingly every night.”

He then shifted his focus to the show’s larger themes, which tell the story of a Jewish man and factory worker in Georgia in the early twentieth century who was falsely accused of murdering a teenage girl and later lynched by an antisemitic mob.

“Parade tells the story of a life that was cut short at the hands of the belief that one group of people is more or less valuable than another and that they might be more deserving of justice.”

“This is a belief that is the core of antisemitism, white supremacy, homophobia, transphobia, and intolerance of any kind. We must come together,” Arden said.

“Keep raising your voice, standing up against intolerance of any kind, anywhere you see it,” he concluded. “Keep them loving and uplifting each other, standing up for each other. Continue making challenging art and vote every chance you get.”