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Ana Santos headshot

Ana Santos

Actor, Singer, Director, and Teaching Artist

Ana Santos (she/her) is an actress, singer, director, costume designer, and teaching artist from Cidra, Puerto Rico. Her work is rooted in the belief that theater is a powerful vehicle for storytelling, cultural preservation, and social transformation. Throughout her career, she has built a multidisciplinary practice that bridges performance, education, and community engagement across Puerto Rico, Europe, and the United States.   

Ana studied Sociology and Theater at the University of Puerto Rico, where she was introduced to Augusto Boal's techniques under the mentorship of actor-mime Rafael Fuentes and refined her vocal training with Dr. Amílcar Rivera-Díaz. She continued her artistic formation at the Universidad Nebrija in Spain, where she pursued performing arts. Later, she expanded her training in improvisation at The Second City Training Center in Chicago.   

Ana has performed as a soloist with David Hernández y su Chicago Street Sounds and as a vocalist with NuBambu, while collaborating with artists such as Mimi Betinis, Danny Rivera, and Dos Santos. Her theater collaborations include Grinlight Theatre Company, DePaul University’s Carnaval Festival of New Latin@ Works, Santo Domingo Productions, Vision Latino Theatre Company, the Guanajuato State Institute of Culture, LatinUs Theater Company, Water People Theater, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Urban Theater Company, El Vivero, and Le Théâtre Universitaire de Franche-Comté. Ana is a proud ensemble member of Aguijón Theater Co in Chicago, where she continues to expand her artistry through collaborative and socially engaged work. Her credits with the company include La Chunga, Epopeya, Adverses, Romeo y Julieta, Casa Propia, and La Gran Tirana: Descarga Dramática, among others. She considers Aguijón Theater an artistic home and an ongoing incubator for creative exploration, experimentation, and growth.  

Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Key to the City of her hometown of Cidra; the 3Arts Make a Wave Award; the 2019 ALTA Awards for Outstanding Solo Performance and Outstanding Actor in a Principal Role; the 2020 Latino Awards Chicago for Outstanding Actor in a Principal Role in a Play; the 2023 Jeff Award (Non-Equity) for Performer in a Principal Role in a Play; and a 2024 Jeff Award (Non-Equity) nomination in the same category. Whether performing on stage, directing, designing costumes, or teaching, Ana is dedicated to creating work that amplifies diverse voices, celebrates cultural identity, and builds community through the transformative power of the arts. 

Ana Santos's Website
A Latino woman in a red dress performs in front of a microphone. Measure for Measure, 2022 Image by Liz Lauren

Featured Artworks

  • A Latino woman wearing a large crown stands on stage with red curtains. Another performer bends over and leans on her shoulder. La Gran Tirana: Descarga Dramatica, 2026 Presented by Aguijon Theater Company Image by Rafael Servin Ortega
  • Three performers stand on stage. A Latino woman is in the center and holds a piece of paper out so the others can see. In the Heigths, 2019 Presented by Vision Latino Theater Company Image by Dylan Cruz
  • A Latino woman and a man lean over a table facing one another. Uz, el pueblo, 2025 Presented by Aguijon Theater Company Image by Carlos Garcia Servin
  • A Latino woman wearing a yellow apron and flowers raises their arms on stage while performing. Uz, el pueblo, 2025 Presented by Aguijon Theater Company Image by Rafael Servin Ortega
  • A Latino woman trapped in a chainlink fence cage on stage. Epopeya, 2016 Presented by Aguijon Theater Company Image by Abel Gonzalez Melo
  • A Latino woman sings in a maid uniform on stage. Adverses, 2025 Presented by Aguijon Theater Company Image by Carlos Garcia Servin
  • Three performers pose on stage surrounded by a city skycap and other small props. Casa Propia, 2018 Presented by Aguijon Theater Company Image by Carlos Garcia Servin
  • Measure for Measure, 2022

    Presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater