Kirstin Leigh Daniel is a theater educator, actor, director, and designer. She has continually worked at and trained with Shakespeare & Company since 2006, after graduating from Emerson College with a degree in Theatre Education. For 16 years, her home base was Asheville N.C., where she taught theater and made plays with grades K-12 as well as the local colleges and universities. She holds a Masters in Production and Design from Southern Oregon University and she earned her Master of Arts at The Shakespeare Institute in Shakespeare and Creativity, where she created and performed new work at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Kirstin is the founding artistic director of Venture Shakespeare, an ensemble based company that uses original practices to create engaging rehearsals and performances for both players and audiences alike. She has been a company member of The Cardboard Sea, which creates new work, since 2015. She is a company sharer for Anerke Shakespeare, a director-less ensemble which is supported by the Global Shakespeare Project in London, UK.