Santiago Sosa, moved to the United States from Ecuador after he graduated high school; earning a BFA from Texas State University and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin. He has worked at American Players Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Great River Shakespeare Festival, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Writers Theatre, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Nashville Rep, Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Island Shakespeare Festival, Muse of Fire Shakespeare at Sloss, Door Shakespeare, Forward Theatre Co., Definition Theatre Co., Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville Children's Theater, Studio Tenn, Shakespeare Rep, and From the Branch of which he served as its artistic director for 6 years; directing over 15 productions that toured to over 100 cities around the United States. After grad school, Santiago  moved to Chicago where he worked in theatre, commercials, voice overs, and print work while training in comedy at The iO Theatre. He served as an artistic associate of the Nashville Shakespeare Festival (NSF) for 4 years; working as an actor, director, fight choreographer, costume designer, voice and text coach, and the Apprentice Company Director.  When not working at NSF he also served as an adjunct professor, teaching Shakespeare, Period Styles, Voice and Diction, Advanced Voice, Stage Combat, Beginning Acting, Technical Theater for Directors, and Theatre Appreciation at Vanderbilt University, Middle Tennessee State University, Lipscomb University, and Belmont University. He served as the Fred Coe artist in residence at Vanderbilt University, twice, (2016, 2019) teaching Shakespeare and directing a production of A Shayna Maidel (2016) and Twelfth Night (2019). Since 2016, Santiago has turned most of his attention back to directing after an eight year hiatus from the director’s chair. In the fall of 2019 Santiago moved from Nashville to Lawrence, Kansas where he began working as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Voice and Movement at the University of Kansas. In 2021 he wrote, adapted, and devised Musings of Fire, a multimedia, Covid safe, co-production for KU and the Island Shakespeare Festival. In the fall of 2021 Santiago took a new appointment as an assistant professor of Voice and Movement and Head of Performance at the University of Alabama-Birmingham.

Santiago is the recipient of the Horton Foote Scholarship for Playwriting, Robert Yeager Award for Directing, First Night Award for Outstanding Costume design (Julius Caesar), and the Advanced Opportunity Fellowship for Acting. He is also certified in multiple weapons by the Society of American Fight Directors and Dueling Arts International.

As a director, dialect designer, and text coach, I believe in approaching stories through the lens of honesty and personal connection. When working on a production I hold, dearly, Miguel Ruiz's The Four Agreements and the ideas of collaboration, creativity, and dynamic choices; encouraging transparency, hard work, and discipline, while emphasizing kindness and generosity.  I strive towards making shows a living, breathing piece that is constantly focused on the importance of keeping the script and the cast and crew’s ideas and suggestions at the forefront of all that I do.  With Shakespeare, language is so important to me: I love to see and continue to remind actors to speak because they absolutely need to, not because they feel like it; too communicate truths and needs, simply and clearly, whislt encouraging to be meaningful, definite, and dynamic.

I believe in helping actors find their voice and what makes them unique; investigating how we, together, can bring the story to life.  I believe in healthy and holistic approaches in all facets of theater making

I have found myself growing as a storyteller the more I have found that making the process about the play, and trusting all who help bring it together is what brings the most joy and creativity to the process.  I LOVE the process.  I love to tell stories with a firm belief that excellence is found through the nuance of the narrative and it's players; always encouarging kindness and courage.