We recently connected with Olivia D’eleia and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Olivia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with something countless entrepreneurs have had to figure out on the fly – how have you dealt with the rise of remote work?

In 2022 i had the opportunity to direct and act a play called, Les bonnes to the bones, which was an adaptation of The Maids by Jean Genet. Play that won an award for most creative play and best female director in the New York Theatre Festival. Since the begging of the creation process, we wanted to be able to make a teamwork with the artistic and creative collaboration from different cities.

visual and sound design work from Buenos Aires, Argentina and Colombia by David Barragan.
costume design was work fromChile by Jorge A Calderon.
Logo design for Trashumante Art Collective was made by Camila Buitrago from Miami
Lights design from Colombia by Ana Ancas.

From my direction, the biggest challenge was to put all the pieces together virtually, but also i considerate this as the biggest achievement of the staging. As an artistic Collective we gave the opportunity to different types of artist to show their work in New York.

As director, ive been keeping working with this methodology in order add artist to this type of projects

Olivia, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Olivia D’eleia, I am Colombian actress, director and audiovisual producer. I graduated from Theater and acting from the Escuela Popular de Arte in Medellin, Colombia. I also completed my studies in cinematic production in Bogota. In addition, I’ve been participate of several workshops with a diverse number of professor in Argetina, place where I lived for 3 years.
Now, I am living in New York City where I’ve working in different types of projects for cinema. I used to teach for a lot of acting academies in Medellin, where I had the chance to write and direct multiple plays, currently I offer acting workshops.

I have a 15 years acting experience and I considerate that one of my biggest specialities is the corporal energy and movement focus in animality; a work that requires a huge corporal conscience.

I’ve won several awards, like for example for best female director and best creative play in the New York Theater Festival in 2022 under the direction of the play called “les bonnes to the bones”. Also i was awarded with the director revelation as co-director with Yolanda Baez in the Latin Alternative Theater Awards In New York City.
I was also nominated as best director in the ATI awards in 2023 for the play “perdona bonita,pero Lucas me queria a mi” in co-direction with Yolanda Baez as well.

Recently I have monologue called Crisalida and I’ve presenting this work as actress and director in several festivals around the city, having as direction assistant by Juan k. Ruiz from Colombia. I am the creative director for 347 New York Films and co-founder of the Palenque Film Festival.

I do all this works inspired with the passion that I feel for my artistic career and with teamwork who are the main based of creations. I’ve always said that the most important is to believe in yourself and do, create always having as based the biggest inspiration, your passion.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I’ve been a woman of soul artist. I’ve always believe that the best work is done by teams the talents are combined and it strength each other. In my career, the most rewarding thing is being inspiration for others and boost them to achieve their dreams. I think that you have to have a constant work in order to make possible everything that we have in our imagination, specially from a creative perspective. I am always in the look to do and tell others act based on their passion, without the interest of being awarded, do things that re drive by love and passion, there’s always opportunities, acknowledge is something that will come afterwards. Just do, create and don’t wait for opportunities, create them. Is an action reaction type of thing.

for me, art has saved my life.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

my new goal are more centered in creation of a play based on different artistic languages. In that every thing are is going to be on scene has something to say, something that impacts. I am working in a project where several disciplines join to alive stories that deserve to be told and known. New York has open me doors in a creative matter, but mostly, has been possible thanks to the connection with really talent people that had add their knowledge in my projects
All I can do is invite you to bring out all those project that because of fear they are under the pillow and make them happen.
believe and create.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @olivia_d_eleia
• Facebook: Olivia D’eleia
• Other: 347 New York Films: @347nyfilms
  Palenque Film Festival: @palenquefilmfestivalnyc