SOMEWHERE, THERE ARE ROOSTERS to Make NYC Premiere at Chain One-Act Festival
Directed by Gama Valle, the immersive one-act is inspired by Ecuadorian author María Fernanda Ampuero's short story.
Peruvian playwright and actress Noelia Flores will premiere Somewhere, There Are Roosters as part of The Chain One-Act Summer Festival 2026, presenting an immersive theatrical experience inspired by "Auction" ("Subasta"), the acclaimed short story by internationally acclaimed Ecuadorian author María Fernanda Ampuero.
Directed by Gama Valle, the one-act play follows Gloria, a woman who accepts a late-night taxi ride after a failed date, only to awaken inside a clandestine human auction where wealthy men bid on kidnapped victims. As she awaits her fate, memories of a childhood shaped by cockfights expose a lifetime marked by misogyny, violence, and survival.
More than a psychological thriller, Somewhere, There Are Roosters transforms the audience into participants. Upon entering the theater, spectators receive auction paddles and become bidders in the unfolding sale, confronting the unsettling line between witness and accomplice. The play unfolds in a charged, clandestine atmosphere filled with the sounds of cumbia, a musical tradition deeply rooted across much of South America. The music becomes part of the world of the auction—festive, familiar, and unsettling—heightening the contrast between celebration and violence. Through this immersive experience, the production explores how systems of power normalize the commodification of human lives and the objectification of women's bodies.
"This play asks what happens when violence becomes entertainment and when human beings are reduced to commodities. Gloria's story is deeply personal, but it also reflects the experiences of countless women whose lives have been shaped by systems of oppression," says playwright Noelia Flores.
Noelia Flores is a Peruvian actress, playwright, and theater maker based in New York City. Her work explores migration, memory, colonialism, and structures of power through the experiences of Latin American women. She is the author of Somewhere, There Are Roosters, IRMA, Who Awaits the Queen of Bolero?, and 1992, with productions in Peru and New York. As an actress, she received the TALIA New York Award for Best Monologue Performance and won the XV International Monologue Festival "Monologando Ando" at Teatro Círculo. Her recent theater credits include Diente de León (IAITI Theater), LLONTOP, DO NOT TURN OFF MY TELENOVELA, Shooting Zombies, and A Spanglish Affair.
The production stars Noelia Flores as Gloria and Josafat Concepción as the Auctioneer.
Somewhere, There Are Roosters
Part of The Chain One-Act Summer Festival 2026
The Chain Theatre
312 West 36th Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY
Performances
Thursday, July 23 at 8:30 PM (English)
Saturday, July 25 at 8:00 PM (English)
Sunday, July 26 at 2:00 PM (Performed entirely in Spanish)
Running Time: Approximately 25 minutes.
Tickets
Purchase tickets here:
https://www.chaintheatre.org/2026-summer-oneact-festival/block-24
Receive 20% OFF your tickets by using the promo code ROOSTER26 at checkout.
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