We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cecilia Wisky. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cecilia below.

Cecilia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I think I have to separate my answer into two different moments in my life: my first dollar as an actress in my country and my first dollar as a theatre worker in the USA. When I received my first payment as a performer in Buenos Aires, Argentina I was 23 years old and I was still in acting school. I remember seeing the audition call for a Children’s theater company and applying just for fun to the winter season of Paseo La Plaza, a very well known cultural space in Buenos Aires. That was my first audition ever and I got the role of Ursula from “The little Mermaid”. I remember preparing a monologue from Maleficent and mixing the lines with such confidence that the Director highlighted it when offering the role. The process was very exciting. Every day that I was in the bus on my way to the theater I couldn’t stop thinking how lucky I was. And the moment “ THE MOMENT” I received my money I felt the most privilege person in the world.
Ten years later, I was receiving my first dollar as an Assistant Director in NY for the production of Much Ado about Nothing produced by The Masquerade Theater. Working on a Shakespeare play meant something huge for me. It was a play with a large cast and being able to dive succesfully into that complexity was a proof for myself that theatre is what I’m meant to do for the rest of my life. It was definitely a transforming experience for me as an artist and also I got a bonus for my performance as an AD!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am an Argentinian actor, theatre director and producer currently working in New York City. I started my journey ten years ago when I first enrolled at Julio Chavez training studio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There, I got the foundations for acting and directing and enhanced my craft over the years. While living in Argentina, I worked as an actor, assistant director for movement pieces and director. Later I enrolled at Stella Adler studio of acting in New York City where I graduated from the Professional Conservatory in June 2024. I had the great opportunity to meet and connect with such talented artists and amazing people from all over the world. And of course to make some good friends! In August 2024 me and my colleague and friend Carmen Ezcurra founded Cambalache Theatre Company, where I am the Producing Artistic Director. Our mission is to bring to the New York scene a theatre socially engaged, that is built by professionals with different backgrounds and nationalities, international and local artists. We produce our own shows and also we offer casting and production services. I particularly work as a director, executive producer, casting director and actor. We also partner with theatre companies or ensembles to produce our show. Our last work includes a partnership with First Maria Ensemble for the production of Bodas de Blood, an adaptation of Lorca’s Bodas de Sangre, at Teatro Circulo, NY.
For me it’s very important to be part of the Latino NY scene and to collaborate with international and local artists as it’s a way to keep and share our culture with the world. I’m currently working on the production of my own play planning the opening to mid June of this year.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I love to tell stories. I’m interested in telling stories about women, people who struggled and strive to greatness and also stories about broken people. I think all of us are a bit broken in different ways and through theatre, there’s the possibility to see the light through the cracks. With my work and with Cambalache, I’m looking to be a home to international voices and artists looking for a place in the New York scene. For me theatre is about community and I would say that part of the goal was and is to create a community of artists that stand for each other and find creative spaces to grow and thrive.

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

This is hard to answer! I would say that the most rewarding aspect of it it’s to own my life. There’s not set path for being an artist and it’s a very risky decision to make and to sustain. Being able to use most of my time for my own projects is a privilege and it keeps me very focus on working toward excellence knowing that art is always imperfect.
On the other side, being able to see a project come true is the most exciting thing. I remember the premiere of Bodas de Blood in New York having goosebumps about the fact that we were in the USA doing a bilingual play, with an international cast, starting the play with all the cast ( Latino/European/ American) signing in Spanish. I felt so powerful.
With “The Most Massive Woman Wins” I felt so rewarded as well. That play is about women struggling with their body images and how it shaped their lives and world point of view. I worked as a director there and I remember telling the actors in the last rehearsal: “I’ve done my work, now the play is yours. Have fun and make justice to this text.” I ended up crying like a baby watching the second show. Being able to tell stories that matters and can change a person day or life (why not?) it’s very rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ceciliawisky @cambalachetheatrecompany

Image Credits

Jonathan Slaff (Bodas de Blood)