Augusto Yanacopulos

Born in Chile with Greek ancestry, Augusto Yanacopulos dedicated himself to the arts from a young age, attending the School of Fine Arts in Santiago de Chile where he studied drawing and painting. Upon his arrival in Chicago, he deepened his visual arts prowess at the American Academy of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. Additionally, as a student and performer of classical ballet, Yanacopulos was part of the Massi Ballet of Chicago for over a decade.

Beyond painting and dance, his passion for theater led him to co-found Aguijón Theater of Chicago in 1989 alongside Rosario Vargas. A cornerstone of the company, Yanacopulos continues to demonstrate his versatility and commitment in multiple roles: actor, stage director, set designer, and lighting technician. His contributions, particularly in lighting design, scenic painting, and set design, are considered true gems at Aguijón Theater.

Among the many productions that have captivated critics and garnered public recognition are Jorge Díaz’s El génesis fue mañana, Sophocles’ Antigone, The House of Bernarda Alba and Yermaby Federico García Lorca, Abel González Melo’s Within, Luis Rafael Sánchez’s The
Passion of Antígona Pérez, Jean-Paul Sartre’s The Respectful Prostitute, Mario Vargas Llosa’s La Chunga, and Kiev by Sergio Blanco.

His artistic brilliance was honored in 2018 with the ALTA Award for Best Prop Design for Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden. More recently, in 2023, Yanacopulos received two Jeff Awards (Non-Equity) nominations: Best Lighting Design for Norge Espinosa’s Cintas de Seda, and he won the Jeff in the Artistic Specialization (Props Design) category for Rey Andújar’s La Gran Tirana: Descarga Dramática.

Kerry Reid of the Chicago Reader lauded his ingenuity, noting, “Stacks of colorful suitcases move around the set, cunningly designed by Augusto Yanacopulos…”