Artist.
Collaborator.
Leader.
Joey Del Santo is a New England based multifaceted theatre artist, performer and administrator currently studying at the National Theater Institute located at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center as he pursues a Bachelor’s of Arts in Theatre & Music from Wheaton College Massachusetts.
Joey previously served as the Education Administrator at the Stadium Theatre Performing Arts Centre & Conservatory in Rhode Island where he managed a theatre education program serving over 300 students ages 4 to adult. Joey’s tenure leading the Stadium’s education program saw increased production values for conservatory productions, high retention of students and a focus on providing individualized feedback and personalized plans for student’s next steps as developing artists. Prior to his time as Education Administrator, Joey worked as a teaching artist in the program developing and facilitating classes and workshops in technical theatre and musical theatre performance.
Joey has worked as a Lighting Designer for numerous productions at the Stadium and around southern New England including Almost, Maine and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime for which he won the Broadway World Rhode Island Regional Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play or Musical in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Other notable credits as Lighting Designer include Hamlet and A Die is Cast at Wheaton College, Noises Off!, 12 Angry Jurors and Freaky Friday: The Musical at the Stadium Theatre and Alice in Wonderland at The Ballet Center.
In March of 2024, Joey’s original play Definitive was presented in Wheaton College’s Kresge Experimental Theatre. The play was produced by Kresge Theatre Company, Wheaton’s student-led theatre group for which Joey has served as President & Artistic Director since May 2023. As President & Artistic Director, Joey led a large-scale reimagining and rebrand of the company which resulted in a massive growth in membership, increased member retention, the largest production season in the company’s history and the first season to gain back revenue through ticket sales. Under Joey’s leadership, KTC has become an essential part of the arts ecosystem at Wheaton and a much needed laboratory for theatre makers on campus. As Artistic Director, Joey has produced fully-realized productions of The Pillowman, Definitive and Much Ado About Nothing as well as events including scene showcases, monologue slams and open mics. Joey views collaboration and relationships with collaborators as the core reason for KTC’s success.
Aside from his work as an administrator, director, playwright and lighting designer, Joey enjoys spending time on stage. Past roles have included Fender in Hairspray, Steve in Rent, the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, Lt. Ward & Others in Annie and Eugene & Teen Angel in Grease.