Michael McFadden found his calling at 16 — and stuck with it. He’s spent the past 30 years travelling the world with hit plays. Bermuda’s next on his list.

Hopefully The Colour Purple will go down better here, than his production of 42nd Street did in Seoul, Korea in 1991.

“At the time musical theatre really wasn’t well known in Korea,” he said. “There was a line in the play about expectant parents who hoped they had a daughter who would grow up to be famous.

“Koreans didn’t get it. They didn’t understand why anyone would want a daughter. The culture was quite sexist at that time. I’m sure things are better today.”

His luck was only slightly better in Beijing. People were shocked that Fame contained a scene about a drug overdose and government censors wanted it removed. Fast talking helped Mr McFadden to keep it in.

He arrives here tomorrow for auditions for The Colour Purple. Troika Bermuda is putting on the musical adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel in August.

Mr McFadden’s Maryland-based company, Phoenix Entertainment, was behind the show’s 2010-2013 tour across the United States. It is about the awakening of a downtrodden young woman, Celie.

“I’ve been all over the world, but I’ve never been to Bermuda,” he said. “I’m very excited about it.”

Generally, he is looking for cast members with powerful voices who are willing to work hard and collaborate.

“Celie will probably be one of the hardest characters to cast,” he said. “She has some beautiful belty numbers to sing.

“It is the kind of show that requires you to dig deep inside a bit. Alice Walker said it is about love. When she was asked what that meant, she said, ‘You know how big love is. Love can hold anger and hatred and hold so many things. When you are trying to give something it has a lot of pain, but that is part of love’.”

Aside from his work here, Mr McFadden is part of a US tour of Ragtime. He grew up in Fairfield, New Jersey, and knew in high school that he wanted to be a stage director.

“My mother always said she wasn’t surprised because I always wanted to play all the parts,” he said. “I was always more fascinated by what happened behind the scenes. I liked to be in a room solving problems and collaborating with others.”

At 16, he started his own theatre company, Ramsey Theatre. His high school let him stage productions there, as long as proceeds went to the school drama programme.

“Honestly, I am one of the few people able to make a living following their passion,” he said. “I have never held another job outside this industry since high school. I have spent my life working in theatre.”

• Auditions are at CedarBridge Academy on Saturday at 12pm and 2.30pm. Call-backs will be on Sunday. The Colour Purple will run August 24 until September 4. For details see www.troikabda.com