Los perfiles de la espera [2003 version] = The profiles of waiting.

Originally conceived in 1998 for two actresses, and later a one-woman show (its final version, here shown), the piece is centered on the labor of waiting. The character represents the many women, at home or in their workplaces, who are living the anguish of waiting for their disappeared family members. We see the woman in her private space, as she performs mundane tasks; as the character attempts to stay engrossed in her housework, traumatic memories of violent events - recorded in her body - are repeated time and again. Lodged in her body, the scars of violence, death, and terror inevitably puncture every gesture, every task. When the character does speak, it is a fragmented collage of commonplace phrases mixed with texts from Rodoreda, Galeano, Borges, Vestrini, and actual testimonies from the families of the disappeared. The actions of the character rise above the silence and make us witnesses of a world plagued by fear, where hope and courage are the unique materials of survival. Teatro La Máscara is the oldest feminist, all-women's theater in Colombia. Founded in 1972 in Cali, La Máscara was a political theater initially comprised of male and female actors; by the early 1980s, when only the women wanted to continue the theatrical trajectory of the group, Lucy Bolaños decided to make it a women's ensemble fully dedicated to a feminine dramaturgy on gender issues. Committed to feminism and social change, they have stayed true to this mission, despite the many social and economic pressures they've had to endure in an environment plagued by violence and machismo, which constantly seeks to 'invisibilize' their work; La Máscara is not only creating and staging plays, but also working with marginalized communities, actively participating in political protests and demonstrations, and being involved in the organization of theater festivals. Through their work, they keep re-thinking women's role in the construction of a peaceful Colombia. Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics