Digital Programme: Hamlet

Performer
Octavio Bernaza was born in March, 1995. At 17 days, his parents and brother actively encouraged ‘early stimulation’ (intervention), and at 15 months, he began pre-school at Kallpa, a school for people with disabilities. Aged seven, he enrolled in Colegio Los Reyes Rojos, where he completed his secondary studies. He started swimming at four months old and became a freestyle swimming champion at the 2010 Pan American Games in Puerto Rico. At the age of 10, he began tennis lessons and participated in international championships. After finishing high school, he studied styling while also working at weekends as a waiter in his family restaurant. From 2014 to 2017, he took dance classes at D1 and went on to win national championships in group Salsa dance and pair Bachata, as well as the 2017 Latin International Dance Cup in Orlando in group Salsa and second place in pair Bachata. In 2016, he worked as an assistant to the Minister of Labor. From the end of 2016 until February 2018, he worked part-time at retail while continuing his dancing. In 2018, he was called to work full-time at his family’s restaurant, but the demanding hours and limited rest time led him to work in the hotel industry. In 2019, he was invited to perform in Hamlet and has since performed more than 160 shows in 33 cities and 11 countries around the world, including events such as the Paris Autumn Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival.

Performer
Lucas Demarchi was born in Buenos Aires in October, 2000. He has always been a cheerful person, greeting everyone as if they were his friends. At 15 days old, he started early stimulation. He lived in Córdoba, where he practised competitive swimming. He attended a regular school until the age of 12 when he moved to Peru and joined Kallpa. There, he participated in sports, theatre, singing and dance. He has designed stage sets and costumes. He studied cooking at the Instituto Columbia and participated in a play at Liberarte Talleres Especiales.

After living in Peru for six years, he returned to Argentina just as he began rehearsing Hamlet, but he has continued travelling back to Lima periodically to rehearse. He loves dancing, often performing in the street and passing the hat. Last year, he participated in the Special Olympics in Lima. He plans to study Psychology at university and is a creative individual who can craft things sometimes with only a wire. In 2019, he was invited to perform in Hamlet and has since performed more than 160 shows in 33 cities and 11 countries around the world, including events such as the Paris Autumn Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival.

Performer
Jaime Cruz is 24-years-old and had a deep passion for sports, technology and theatre from a young age. He joined Kallpa and later attended Colegio Champagnat, where he completed his studies. He worked as an assistant at the Ministry of Labor and studied computer science, before working as a waiter. Since the age of five, Jaime has been involved in swimming, serving as the captain of his team and winning the national butterfly stroke championship at the Special Olympics.

He has taken workshops at Teatro La Plaza and travelled to Colombia and New York, where he represented the Peruvian Down Syndrome Society at various conferences. Jaime is also an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and is involved in organisations like Liberarte, Retos and Best Buddies. In the past year, he has been working in a well-known coffee shop chain, honing his work and customer service skills. Jaime enjoys playing basketball, football, practicing yoga, going to the theatre, watching Peruvian films, reading, and spending time with his friends. In 2019, he was invited to perform in Hamlet and has since performed more than 160 shows in 33 cities and 11 countries around the world, including events such as the Paris Autumn Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival.

Performer
Manuel García was born in December 1992. Aged 15 days, Dr. Elba Zúñiga guided his parents in early stimulation, starting a routine of continuous learning. He also received psychomotor therapy and reading therapy at the Centro Médico Peruano Japonés. At six years old, he enrolled in CEBE San Juan Bosco, where he studied with friends with different abilities and participated in various theatre performances, which sparked his passion for theatre. At 10, he transferred to CEBE Santa Teresa de Couderd, where he learned baking. He studied electronic organ to an advanced level. He also studied Kung Fu at the Club Peruano Chino, earning a red belt with a star. He met Professor Jonathan Oliveros, who taught him musical theatre, and he continues to be his student at the Liberarte Theater School. In 2019, he was invited to perform in Hamlet and has since performed more than 160 shows in 33 cities and 11 countries around the world, including events such as the Paris Autumn Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival.

Performer
Diana Gutiérrez was born in January 1990 at the Almenara Hospital, the youngest of six siblings. From a young age, she received many therapies in various centres. She completed primary school until the age of 16 at an inclusive school and finished her alternative basic education at 20. Since childhood, she has practised swimming, aerobics and dance, and she studied computer science at 24. She attended the Himawari Center, where she received work training. She joined the Peruvian Down Syndrome Society (SPSD) and participated in a Life Project workshop. She had her first job as a store assistant and later worked as a messenger for the United Nations Development Programme. Diana is currently a self-manager at SPSD. In 2019, she was invited to perform in Hamlet and has since performed more than 160 shows in 33 cities and 11 countries around the world, including events such as the Paris Autumn Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival.