Choreographer Jon Rua Receives Award from STAGE DIRECTORS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS FOUNDATION

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF), the not-for profit foundation of Stage Directors and Choreographers Society (SDC), has announced that the Breakout Award will be awarded to Jon Rua. The SDCF Awards, which will feature the presentation of the Breakout Award along with the previously announced Gordon Davidson Award and Zelda Fichandler Award, will be hosted by Anne Kauffman virtually on Monday January 24, 2022 at 8pm ET.

This year, the Breakout Award is given to a director or choreographer for a production or selection of work that signals a shift in a career and the beginning of critical recognition - a "rising star" moment. The winner of the Breakout Award, Jon Rua, is being recognized amongst his colleagues for his innovate work as a choreographer for the stage. The finalists for this Award are Billy Bustamante & Alex Sanchez. The Breakout Award committee included Darren Lee, Maria Torres, and Christopher Windom.

The SDCF Awards will take place virtually on Monday January 24, 2022 at 8pm EST and will include the presentation of the Breakout Award, the Zelda Fichandler Award and the Gordon Davidson Award. Anne Kauffman will host the event for the evening. Maria Torres will present the Breakout Award to Jon Rua. Jack Reuler will present the Zelda Fichandler Award to Mark Valdez, and Oskar Eustis will present the Gordon Davidson Award to Emily Mann. The Awards will also feature Christopher Acebo, Mark Brokaw, Donald Byrd, Neel Keller, Casey Stangl, and Tony Taccone. Sarah Bierstock will serve as the script coordinator for the event. The SDCF Awards ceremony is free and open to the public. More information about all the winners and finalists can be found on the SDCF website and tickets for the event can found through Eventbrite.

Jon Rua's career crosses the stage & screen. The Co-Creative Director/Choreographer of the sold out 2019 Madison Square Garden NYE PHISH concert, Jon continues to innovate movement on stage & screen. With such work as Coheed & Cambria ("Old Flames"), West Side Story at Milwaukee Rep, The Muny's Aida & Jesus Christ Superstar, the Co-Choreographer for individual production numbers in Broadway's The Cher Show, SpongeBob Squarepants, SpongeBob Musical Live on Nick, Isn't It Romantic, plus projects with Amway, Travelers Insurance, The Beacons Jams at The Beacon Theater, ABC's Celebrity Wife Swap, NBA, NYMF, Broadway Bares. In 2022, keep an eye out for The Hombres at Two River Theater and Godspell at PCLO.

TEENAGE SOUL, a dance narrative written, choreographed, and performed by Jon Rua, has been commissioned by Milwaukee Rep and has begun its developmental process with the hopes of public performances as soon as 2023! His short film 'Unknown' will be released in 2022, as Jon continues to write his own series.

A multidisciplinary artist, as an Actor, Jon has four Tony Nominated Broadway shows under his belt originating roles such as "Charles Lee" in the Tony & Grammy Award Winning hit musical Hamilton where he also served as the "Hamilton" Standby, "Patchy the Pirate" in SpongeBob Squarepants, 'Jesus Pena' in the docu-based musical Hands on a Hardbody, as well as starring as "Sonny" & "Graffiti Pete" in In The Heights. Other theater credits include "Rooster" in The Muny's Annie; Matthew Lopez's 'Somewhere' at the Old Globe, nominated for a Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play; Kung Fu at the Signature Theater; Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Second Stage Theater, and The Hombres at Two River Theater in 2022. On the screen, Rua has guest starred on Blacklist, Blue Bloods, Law & Order, and in films such as Fall to Rise, First Reformed, and Isn't It Romantic.

Founded in 1965, Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) celebrates, develops, and supports professional stage directors and choreographers throughout every phase of their careers. SDCF works to build a theatrical community that reflects the cultural, racial, and gender diversity of our nation by creating opportunities for artists of all backgrounds to bring their full, authentic selves to their work as creative leaders in the theatre. SDCF's goals are to provide opportunities to practice the crafts of directing and choreography; to gather and disseminate craft and career information; to promote the profession to emerging talent; to provide opportunities for exchange of knowledge among directors and choreographers; to increase the awareness of the value of directors' and choreographers' work; and to convene around issues affecting theatre artists. sdcfoundation.org.

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