Nydia CAstillo

Puerto Rican Chicago-based actress Nydia Castillo has been a member of Aguijón Theater ensemble since 2001. Her extensive repertoire includes roles in over 15 plays, such as The House of Bernarda Alba, Yerma, Lust According to Ramiro, Monday Falls on León Rodríguez, Eréndira, Adverses, and Not for Sale.

Additionally, her acting prowess extends to other prominent Chicago stages with credits in Bodas de Sangre and Lorca Vive! through her collaborations with Water People Theater. Since 2015, Castillo has been an integral collective member of Urban Theater Company (UTC), participating in various nationally acclaimed productions such as La Gringa and Ashes of Light. For the latter, she received a Best Actress nomination from ALTA, a performing arts organization based in Chicago, leading to her off-Broadway debut in 2019. In 2022, she reprised this character with Teatro Dallas in Texas.

In 2021, Castillo played a pivotal role in the grand opening of LatinUs Theater, the first Latino theater company in Cleveland, Ohio, where she was invited to perform the lead in La Casa de Bernarda Alba. Two years later she returned to LatinUs Theater for a production of Los Soles Truncos, a Puerto Rican classic by René Marqués, followed by Quinceañera – The Immersive Experience, written by award-winning playwright Rick Najera. In 2024 She shared the stage with the renowned Puertorrican comedian Elizardi Castro in his play The Clinic.

In her natal Puerto Rico she was well-known as a runway model, actress and radio personality, and her acting credits include: Puerto Rico Fuá, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Fela, the musical!, among others.

A graduate of the University of Puerto Rico, with an extensive career in the field of education, Castillo holds master’s degrees in counseling from the University of Puerto Rico, and in educational leadership, from Northeastern Illinois University. Since 2020, she has also been the producer and host of Cocina Castillo, a popular YouTube program exploring cooking, travel and culture.