Three-session interview with Santiago García, theater director, theorist, playwright, and founder of renowned Colombian theater ensemble Teatro La Candelaria (www.teatrolacandelaria.org.co), conducted by Chicano theater scholar Alma Martinez. In this extensive interview, García discusses key topics germane to his artistic work, narrating his first experiences in theater, the artistic trajectory of La Candelaria (founded in 1966, and still one of the most important theater groups in Latin America), and his personal take on popular theater, collective creation, the influence of Brechtian theories in his artistic work, the role of the director in collaborative artistic collectives, and the state of the scenic arts in Colombia in the context of economic and political crisis. Santiago also comments on the influences and points of contact between Latin American and Latino theaters based on his personal experiences traveling and working with different theater groups, including Chicano theater ensemble El Teatro Campesino; under the rubric of the "popular," García analyzes the artistic affinities and ideological choices present in collective creation across the Americas. Finally, the artist share his thoughts on La Candelaria's rendition of "El Quijote," based on García's personal adaptation of this literary masterpiece. A carnivalesque mixture of cultures and traditions, this play highlights shared traits between the Spanish novel and Colombian culture, while performing a commentary on illusions, fantasy and utopia, elements that the author finds absent in present-day Colombia.