Skilled in science and art: Student runs the show in theater while also studying public health

Juliette Sosa ValleBy day, college senior Juliette Sosa Valle may be out on the Cahaba River, "the Amazon of the Southeast," monitoring the health and safety of the water.

But at night, she is backstage, working behind the scenes to help present "sparkling" theater performances.

This double life, as a student embracing two very different interests, was made possible at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Sosa Valle, 22, will graduate from UAB on Dec. 14 with a double major in theater and public health with a concentration in environmental health sciences.

But first, Sosa Valle is helping bring to life "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812," a spectacular "sing-through" musical presented by the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Theatre. It is one of the biggest, most challenging productions Theatre UAB has produced, with shows Wednesday, Nov. 13, through Sunday, Nov. 17, at UAB's Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. "The Great Comet" is "so exciting, beautiful and amazing," she says, telling the audience, "Make sure you stay in your seat, so you watch the whole show!" because the production is interactive.

As stage manager, Sosa Valle is responsible for every part of the show, from rehearsals to performances, before the curtain comes up until after it comes down, to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Successful stage managers need excellent organizational and communication skills, an understanding of design, people and technical theater, and not least, the ability to work under pressure. Sosa Valle is "one of the best," said Kelly Allison, professor and chair of the Department of Theatre. "She is a great student, with a 4.0 grade point average in a double major, and a wonderful person.

"Juliette is extremely talented, one of the best stage managers to graduate from this program during my 27 years here," Allison said.

Choosing UAB and discovering Theatre UAB

Sosa Valle was only planning to study science when she came south from Iowa in 2020. She and her dad researched the universities with the best public health programs across the country. She wanted to attend a school in the South - she wanted to develop a bit of a "cool" Southern accent - and in that region, her top choices were UAB and Emory University. After touring both schools, she chose UAB's School of Public Health.

She discovered theater and expressed an interest while taking classes as a college freshman during the pandemic. Her first college friend was a theater major, and they studied together. Since she was so organized, her friend suggested she look into stage management. After she took a class taught by Allison, he offered her a student assistant stage management position on "Much Ado About Nothing," Theatre UAB's first performance back from the pandemic in fall 2021. Sosa Valle was given an opportunity to stage-manage "Noises Off" the following semester, then went "full-on into theater" and declared it as a second major.

"It just clicked," she said. "Working in the theater world is exciting, and it's a good way to train all the sides of your brain. It brings me joy to know that I can do things in many different subjects."

She stage-managed Theatre UAB's "Into the Woods" in 2022, "Fun Home" in 2023 and "The 39 Steps" this past spring, and worked props in "Two Gentlemen of Verona" in 2024. She also managed stage productions for Opera Birmingham and was an assistant stage manager for the first co-production between the UAB Department of Theatre and Red Mountain Theatre, "Sister Act." Even though she has done a lot in theater, stage managing is her favorite.

"I love the reliability of it; people can rely on me for communications, for questions, for making sure everything goes right," Sosa Valle said. "I've been a part of making sure people get their props and their costumes and any questions answered, and it is just so cool and beautiful to see it every single night."

Monitoring the health of the environment

Originally from Puerto Vallarta, on the Western coast of Mexico, Sosa Valle lived minutes away from the Pacific Ocean and loves being on the water. Upon moving to land-locked Iowa, she became interested in the area's rivers and, when she came to Alabama, began to explore the waterways of the Cahaba River watershed, a place of rich biodiversity that has been referred to as "the Amazon of the United States."

Sosa Valle interned with Cahaba River Keeper last summer, part of a team monitoring the health of the waterway, which she loved. In the evenings, she worked with Red Mountain Theater on the production's run crew for "Mary Poppins." "Sister Act" last spring is what put her through the doors there, and she still works with RMT.

"It is fun to be able to use my skills at a professional level, and to take my work schedule and just show up, tinker with some paint and props, and then go to class and that is a paying position," Sosa Valle said.

"Whenever I apply to public health jobs, I mention my theater skills because there is something different in the brain that just makes you more organized, more professional, more on top of things, especially as a stage manager. I just see things from a different way, and that is very beneficial for you and your work."

As graduation nears, she looks forward to her whole family's coming to see her walk across the dais. While both public health and theater are important to her, she is first applying to environmental jobs, in conservation, preservation, sustainability, and river keeping and monitoring. She is starting her search in the New England and Pacific Northwest areas.

"I like knowing that I can make a difference in the environment and then teach others how to take care of the environment as well," Sosa Valle said. "I'd like to start a career in public health first and then figure out how I can fit theater on the side."

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