Violeta Picayo is a bilingual Cuban-American actor, director, and choreographer. A born and raised New Yorker, she is passionate about creating works of and for her home city. Guided by a deep interest in the inherited body, Violeta has made her artistic home with some of New York's most dynamic theater companies. She is an associate artist of Anne Bogart's SITI Company, and a company member at One Year Lease and at Bedlam.
Selected New York credits include: The Medium (SITI Company, BAM), Sense and Sensibility (Bedlam, NY Times Critics' Pick), Julius Caesar (Pocket Universe), Parsley (SuperGeographics, 2021 workshop). On-Camera: Mary Stuart (Bedlam), A Despicable Woman (Kostov, España), Bedlam: The Series (Bedlam), Fernanda (AFI). Violeta has worked regionally at the American Repertory Theater, Portland Center Stage, Bristol Riverside Theatre, the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, and City Theatre. Internationally, she has worked in Argentina, England, Scotland, and Greece. She is a proud graduate of Vassar College, the National Theater Institute, and the SITI Conservatory.
Violeta is currently directing the world premiere of The Strangers Came Today by Emily Zemba, produced by Society. In the year ahead, she is continuing to perform SITI Company's A Radio Christmas Carol and The Medium. Additional works in development include Helen. by Caitlin George, produced by the SuperGeographics. Violeta is a company member of The SuperGeographic Ensemble Theatre.