Cast Set For Industry Reading Of EL DOLOR POR TU AUSENCIA At La MaMa In December
New work by Peruvian playwright Jaime Nieto will be showcased with an all-Peruvian cast in New York.
A cast of Peruvian artists based in New York has been announced for the December 5 industry reading of El dolor por tu ausencia (The Pain of Your Absence) at La MaMa. The reading marks the first time the work of Peruvian playwright Jaime Nieto will be presented in an Off-Broadway venue. Directed by Jorge Bazalar, the event highlights a fully Peruvian ensemble bringing the text to the stage.
Set over the course of a single winter night in Manhattan, the play follows a group of strangers whose paths intersect across subway stations, apartments, streets, and hospitals. Through shifting encounters, El dolor por tu ausencia examines loneliness, the impact of those who leave, and the ways individuals navigate emptiness and search for recognition.
The artists involved represent a growing wave of Peruvian creators establishing their work in New York’s theater community. Diego Chiri, whose credits include the Tectonic Theater Project and Repertorio Español, appears alongside Lorenza Bernasconi, known for Odd Man Out and Evaluna. The reading marks the first time they will present a Peruvian text in the city. “It was time to tell a New York story in our language, our own words,” Bernasconi said.
Jimena Rosas, whose credits include La Reina del Sur and Amores Que Engañan, and Camila Vinatea bring experience from Spanish-language television and stage productions. Rodrigo Calderón, a graduate of AMDA, and Mariano Padilla complete the cast, marking what organizers note as the first gathering of a fully Peruvian ensemble for a New York industry reading. Director Jorge Bazalar joins the project following his recent recognition as Best Director at the 2025 Monologando Ando Monologue NY Festival.
The reading is positioned as a milestone for Peruvian and Latin American representation within New York’s theater landscape. With Peruvian voices appearing infrequently on Off-Broadway stages, the presentation aims to expand opportunities for stories rooted in Peruvian perspectives and cultural experience. The creative team intends to pursue partnerships and development toward a full production in 2026, which would position El dolor por tu ausencia as one of the first contemporary Peruvian theatrical works to advance toward a New York premiere.
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