On Facebook and here on the SITI Company blog, SITI has been spotlighting alumni of our many training programs. Today, we have the great pleasure of spotlighting Violeta Picayo, who is alumna of SITI’s inaugural Conservatory class. Born and raised in Greenwich Village, she is a graduate of Vassar College and the National Theater Institute. She spent time studying theater and dance in Buenos Aires, Argentina and has performed internationally in Argentina, Greece, and Scotland. Violeta is currently working in New York and is a company member at BEDLAM, performing in their production of Sense & Sensibility. She was kind enough to answer some questions for us!

1. When did you first train with SITI?

The SITI Conservatory 2013-2014.

2. What are you most excited that you’re doing or working on right now?

I’m working on two things that I’m very excited about! I’m performing in BEDLAM’s Sense & Sensibility, and have performance dates coming up for a role I’ve never performed before. I’m really excited for the opportunity to do something totally new in this piece that I know very well.  I’m also planning to get back into RadioBABEL rehearsals. RadioBABEL is a new piece inspired by the invention of radio and the story of the Tower of Babel. I’ve been working on this off and on for a while now, and it looks like everyone involved will be in the same place for a chunk of time. We’ve been collaborating with people all over the world, so I’m excited to get a core group of us in the room together.

3. What is the most important thing you learned from SITI?

The courage to make big specific choices quickly, and the acute awareness to assess the impact of those choices. SITI has given me a toolset and an artistic home that I can’t imagine working without.

4. What in your creative life are you proudest of?

Usually I’m proudest of whatever I’m working on at the moment. That’s something I learned from training with SITI. SITI gave me the tools to examine any collaboration as the collision of my previous experiences. So right now, I’m proud of using and strengthening my ability to create with artists who speak a very different language than I do.

5. Tell us about a piece of art that has recently inspired you.

I recently saw Small Mouth Sounds, which is one of my favorite shows I’ve seen this year. It takes place on a silent retreat, so the play has very little text. The physical storytelling was so complex and as an audience member, I felt like a character in that. Within the story, the audience was introduced to a whole new way of seeing everyday gestures, which is something I’m particularly interested in right now.

Keep up with our blog to read and learn about more SITI Alumni and what they’re up to by following SITI’s blogs at siti.org/blog. If there’s an alum you want an update on, email us at alumniupdates@siti.org!