Jonathan Kruk was born in Texas, but grew up in Westchester on tall tales and day dreams. His storytelling began as an effort to entertain his kid brother at bed time. Now, he considers it a blessing to give almost 300 performances and workshops each year. Jonathan is noted for his lively interactive children's fairy tales, Hudson River Lore, and curricular based school performances. Using varied voices, movement, and language of the senses, his performances feature heroes of the American Revolution, finger fables, rainbow dragons, and witches who knot their noses to stop them from running.

In 1977 Jonathan graduated from Holy Cross College, Worcester MA, with a degree in English, without career plans. He drove a Volkswagen cross country, worked as a camp counselor, shoe clerk, mason tender, and as Henry Kissinger's office plant waterer. A few years later, he traveled to London and studied educational theater. He earned a Masters degree in Education at NYU in 1983, performed ritual theater with Gabrielle Roth, and gave his first professional storytelling performance at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in 1980.

Versatile and flexible, Jonathan uses the oral tradition to enchant children with the following programs: Finger Fables & World Faery Tales, New York's Local Lore, Medieval Manners & Manors, True Myth, Stories for the Holidays, Story Maker's Workshops, and Tall Tales to Urban Legends.

Jonathan created a new program, Shakespeare is Elementary with his "kid" brother, actor James Kruk. It's unadulterated scene study for third and fourth graders!

Recently, Jonathan appeared on The Travel Channel telling The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. His storytelling helped Queens 203 fourth graders prepare for the ELA exams. The annual New York State School Librarians featured him at their 2002 conference in Rye NY. Jonathan linked his performance of Transforming Tales to an techno art exhibit at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. He entertained families at the Tribeca Film Festival, and Beacon's DIA Museum opening celebration

He gave a residencies at schools throughout metropolitan New York, the Hudson Valley and Connecticut. Every Halloween, Jonathan is the Legend Weekend Storyteller for Historic Hudson Valley. 2002 was his 22nd annual Magic Tale Tour of Elfin Lands at Pound Ridge Reservation. He performed with Rich Bala to help celebrate 225th Revolutionary War anniversaries at Washington's Newburgh Headquarters, Stony Point, Fort Montgomery, Kingston, Cortlandt and at Fraunces' Tavern. Also with Rich Bala, he worked with students at The Rome, NY School for the Deaf.

Workshops include presentations at the Cooperstown Farm Museum, and Gotham Center.

Currently, Jonathan works with M234 fifth graders on story journals through an Early Stages, Inc. 9/11 fund grant. He'll be lead performer for the last Huntington Renaissance Faire. He's keynote speaker for The Native Plants in the Landscape Conference, in Pennsylvania.

He has appeared on PBS, NY Crossroads, the Food, History, Outdoor and National Geographic Channels. Revolution on the River, his Hudson River Ramblers CD, was selected Best in the Valley 2001 by Hudson Valley Magazine. Also, his children' cassette, The Rainbow Dragon & Other Tales was lauded for car travel with kids by New York Newsday. The Sons of the American Revolution awarded Jonathan their bronze medal for citizenship in 1999.

Jonathan lives in a cozy cottage in Cold Spring on Hudson, where he bikes about the Highlands, gardens, practices yoga, collects old bricks and serves as President of the Chamber of Commerce.