Director Julia Rosa Sosa Chaparro To Receive the 2026 Barbara Whitman Award From SDCF

Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation revealed the recipient and four finalists for the 2026 Barbara Whitman Award. Established by theatrical producer Barbara Whitman in 2021, this award recognizes a director who has developed a clear and distinctive artistic voice and demonstrated unique vision in their theatrical work. This award is meant to heighten visibility for a director & their work in the field as well as support the work of the director with an unrestricted award of $10,000.

Julia Rosa Sosa Chaparro has been chosen to receive the 2026 Barbara Whitman Award. Said Chaparro of her selection, “The driving force behind my work is the belief that the world itself is theatrical. It is full of drama, complexity, and breathtaking beauty. My art centers around BIPOC and immigrant communities. That is who I am, so that is my norm. The stories are about their lives, trials, joys, tribulations, and more importantly, their ordinary moments. Representation, to me, is letting people just exist. My work is a love letter to the ordinary and the simplicity of being human; the rest are the real complications of social constructs. The extraordinary emerges in those moments we snapshot and place on stage. And to bring that to the stage is a privilege. It is a way to reflect humanity back to itself, and then to ask: what if we make it entertaining, what if we make it beautiful, what if we make it art.

I love directing. I love this path. But it is not an easy one to enter. You have to push your way in and prove that you can be trusted. I do not take that trust lightly. I am deeply grateful to my mentor Lauren Keating for nominating me, for putting her name behind my artistry and my work ethic. That work ethic and artistry are rooted in who made me. I am Mexican, from Ciudad Juárez. I was shaped by my city, my community, and the people who love and support me.

To now be trusted by Barbara Whitman, Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, and this panel of professionals leaves me speechless. Their belief in me is something I carry with deep responsibility. It is a push forward, an exhilarating challenge, and an opportunity. I am ready to take what you have given me and create something meaningful, something beautiful, something that honors that trust.”

Susanna Jaramillo, Irvin Mason Jr., Sarah Shin, and Diana Wyenn were all recognized as finalists for the award. All finalists will receive a $1,000 unrestricted award.

Chaparro was selected for this honor through a multi-round committee process. The first-round committee included Chris Burney, Luis Castro, Melissa Crespo, Cara Hinh, Dan Knechtges, and Tara Moses. The second-round committee included Autumn Angelettie, Chris Burney, Barbara Whitmam, Maggie Burrows, and JoAnn M. Hunter.

About Julia Rosa Sosa Chaparro

Julia Rosa Sosa Chaparro is a director, playwright and songwriter from Ciudad Juárez, focused on projects that uplift immigrant and BIPOC communities. Her recent directing credits include A Christmas in Ochape at New Native Theatre, Life is a Dream at The University of Oklahoma, and The Heart Sellers at Dobama Theatre.

As a playwright, her work El Toro y la Niña was adapted into a radio play for ReUnion rEvolución: A Latinx New Works Festival. Her first musical, El Romántico, had its inaugural workshop in 2024, exploring the disconnection between fathers and daughters during their teenage years.

Her aesthetic is colorful, playful, musical, and adaptable—simple when needed, maximalist always, driven by curiosity and a commitment to enriching the experiences of actors, designers, and audiences alike. She is currently exploring visual storytelling through her stop-motion animated mini-series Las Chulas.

Julia has received support from the Creative Impact Fund Assembly for the Arts, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the Center for Performance and Civic Practice Learning Lab, and Red Bull Arts. She has participated in programs including the Directing Observership Fellowship at Opera Columbus, Directors Lab Chicago, Los Procesos Creativos by Marta Pazos at Nave 10 Matadero, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival FAIR program. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso.