A bottle cap scribed with "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" sparked Jonathan's career as a storyteller. It moved him to create fable and fairy tale programs children step into. He tells the lore of the Hudson River, the American Revolution and Medieval times. Jonathan's best known for his theatrical solo shows of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and "A Christmas Carol."
Jonathan's been featured on The Today Show, CBS Sunday Morning, BBC Great Train Journeys, The Travel & History Channels. Jonathan’s performed at Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Festival, New York City's Dragon Boat Races, the New-York Historical Society, the Mark Twain House, and the California Center for the Arts. He's keynoted for New York Reading Teachers Association, the National Native Plants Conference, and the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York. Jonathan's written two books on local lore for The History Press. Currently, He’s storyteller-in-residence for the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum.
Travel: CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI, VT, Out of Region
Audience: PreK, Elementary, Teens, Adults
Genre: Folktales, Historical Tales, Faith-based Stories
Awards:
- United Solo Theater Festival Best Satire Award
- Citizenship Medal from the Sons of the American Revolution
- Three Parent's Choice Awards
- National Association of Parent Publications
- Selected "Best Storyteller in the Hudson Valley" by Hudson Valley Magazine
- Citation from the NYS Assembly for Arts in Education
Testimonials:
Jonathan Kruk was the best enrichment program ever! I liked all of the stories and especially the first one. Mr. Kruk was so good at telling stories that he made me feel like I was watching them. ~ Third Grader Bedford Hills Elementary School
Jonathan brought student volunteers on stage to help act out his tales. This was done in such a way that it added more depth to the story and more laughs as each student impromptu acted out their role. This was something I have never seen before. Jonathan skillfully managed the young storytellers and incorporated every unexpected twist into the story. It was magical. ~ Rima Khoury, Bonsall School PTA Chair, Bonsall CA
Jonathan Kruk has a way with the spoken word, the telling gesture, the sprinkling of humor and the appropriate costume for a smorgasbord of stories. --The New York TIMES July 2013