Sergio Trujillo is a theater director and choreographer. Born in Colombia and raised in Toronto, Canada, he is now an American citizen and resides in New York City. Trujillo was the recipient of the 2019

Tony Award for Best Choreography The Tony Award for Best Choreography is awarded to acknowledge the contributions of choreographers in both musicals and plays. The award has been given since 1947, but nominees were not announced until 1956. Winners and nominees 1940s 1950s ...

for ''Ain't Too Proud'' and the 2015

Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...

for Best Theatre Choreographer for ''Memphis''. He is the first ever Hispanic recipient of the Tony Award for Best Choreography. He received his first Emmy Award nomination in 2021 for NBC’s ''Christmas in Rockefeller Center''.

Biography

Trujillo was born in

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

and moved to the Canada suburb of North York, Toronto with his family at age 12. He is very close with his mother, Sara Trujillo, and his sister, Amparo Casilimas. His beloved father, Reynaldo Trujillo, as well as his brother, Reinaldo Trujillo, are deceased. Trujillo named his production company Two Kings Productions in memory of his father and brother. He studied science at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

and then attended chiropractic school. However, he left school to pursue a dance career in New York City. Of his desire to be a choreographer he said: ''"I knew that “Fosse” would be my last show as a dancer when I began feeling limited by somebody else’s work. I didn’t get to express myself, and I needed to do something about it''."Herstein, Beth
"April 2009 interview with Sergio Trujillo"
talkinbroadway.com, 2009 In 2011, Trujillo had the honor of having four shows simultaneously running on Broadway:

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

winning Best Musical ''Memphis'' (Olivier Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk and Astaire Award nominations), Tony and Olivier Award winning Best Musical ''

Jersey Boys ''Jersey Boys'' is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is presented in a documentary-style format that dramatizes the formation, success and eventual break-up of th ...

'' (Greenroom Award, Olivier, Drama Desk, Dora, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), ''The Addams Family'', and ''

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing ...

'', the recipient of the 2010

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

Broadway and off-broadway

Trujillo made his

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut as a performer in ''

Jerome Robbins' Broadway ''Jerome Robbins' Broadway'' is an anthology comprising musical numbers from shows that were either directed or choreographed by Jerome Robbins. The shows represented include, for example, '' The King and I'', '' On the Town'' and ''West Side Stor ...

'' in 1989. He also appeared in ''Guys and Dolls'' (1992), ''Victor/Victoria'' (1998) and ''Fosse'' (1999). He made his choreographic debut in 2005 with ''All Shook Up'', followed up by ''

'' the same year. Trujillo is the choreographer of the Broadway production of '' Summer: The Donna Summer Musical'' which earned him a 2018 Chita Rivera Award for Dance and Choreography. Other Broadway credits include: ''

On Your Feet! ''On Your Feet!'' is a jukebox musical that played on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre. Based on the lives and music of 26-time Grammy Award-winning husband-and-wife team Gloria and Emilio Estefan, the musical has a book written by Alexander Dine ...

'' (Tony Award Nomination, Astaire Award), ''Hands on a Hardbody'' (Drama Desk nomination), ''Leap of Faith'' (Drama Desk Nomination), and ''Guys and Dolls'' (Astaire Awards nomination). Off-Broadway he choreographed Paul Simon's ''The Capeman'' at the Public Theater, ''Invisible Thread'' (2015 Lucille Lortel Award Nomination), '' Bare: A Pop Opera'' (2004), ''A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'' for

City Center A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...

Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Ha ...

, ''

The Great American Trailer Park Musical ''The Great American Trailer Park Musical'' is a two-act musical, written by David Nehls and Betsy Kelso. It explores the relationships between the tenants at the Armadillo Acres Trailer Park in Starke, Florida, particularly between Pippi, "the ...

'' (2005),

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

— Shakespeare in the Park (New York City's production of Romeo & Juliet (2007), ''Kismet'' for Encores! and ''Saved'' (2008) for

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. Under the ...

(

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatre ...

nomination). He directed ''Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine'' on Broadway at the

Minskoff Theatre The Minskoff Theatre is a Broadway theater on the third floor of the One Astor Plaza office building in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1973, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization and is named ...

and was the director/choreographer of digital concert ''¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices''.

Regional and international theater

He was the director and choreographer for ''Arrabal'' at the

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

which earned him an

Elliot Norton Awards The Elliot Norton Awards are presented annually to honor the best achievements in Boston-area theater. The genesis of the awards was the Norton Medal, which was first awarded in 1983 and was named after long-time theater critic Elliot Norton (1903 ...

for direction,

Cirque Du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

’s ''Paramour'', as well as ''

Flashdance the Musical ''Flashdance'' is a stage musical based on the 1983 film of the same name with a book by Tom Hedley and Robert Cary, music by Robbie Roth and lyrics by Roth and Cary. The show had its world premiere in 2008 at the Theatre Royal in Plymouth, as pa ...

'', which had a North America tour from 2013 to 15. His regional theatre credits include ''Mambo Kings'' (San Francisco), ''Zhivago'' and ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

'' at the

La Jolla Playhouse La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. History La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, a US tour of '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (performer, mid-1990s) and ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'', the story is set in the mid-1 ...

'' in 1999 and 2009 at the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

, Canada. He also choreographed at the

Village Theatre Village Theatre is a major regional theatre located in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre. The theatre was founded in Issaquah, Washington, in 1979 and built a second lo ...

for their musical staging of ''

The Wedding Banquet ''The Wedding Banquet'' is a 1993 romantic comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Ang Lee. The story concerns a gay Taiwanese immigrant man (played by Winston Chao, in his film debut) who marries a mainland Chinese woman ( May Chin) t ...

'' (2003). In the West End he choreographed ''

Peggy Sue Got Married ''Peggy Sue Got Married'' is a 1986 American fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola starring Kathleen Turner as a woman on the verge of a divorce, who finds herself transported back to the days of her senior year in high sch ...

''.Credits at Playbill.com
In 2007, he also choreographed the Disney musical ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'' in

Scheveningen Scheveningen is one of the eight districts of The Hague, Netherlands, as well as a subdistrict (''wijk'') of that city. Scheveningen is a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. The beach is po ...

. Additional theatre credits include: ''Carmen; An Afro-Cuban Musical'' (

Helen Hayes Award The Helen Hayes Awards are theater awards recognizing excellence in professional theater in the Washington, D.C. area since 1983. The awards are named in tribute of Helen Hayes, who is also known as the "First Lady of American Theatre." They ar ...

nomination), ''Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (

North Shore Music Theatre North Shore Music Theatre is the largest operating regional theater in New England. It is located in Beverly, Massachusetts and is one of the few remaining theatre-in-the-round stages left in the United States. The theater is owned by Massachuset ...

), ''Kiss Me Kate'' (

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

), ''Needfire'' (

Royal Alexandra Theatre The Royal Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as the Royal Alex, is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located near King and Simcoe Street. Built in 1907, the 1,244-seat Royal Alex is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in Nort ...

), a musical adaptation of ''Twelfth Night'' (

), and segments of Chita Rivera's ''Chita and All That Jazz''.

Opera

Trujillo choreographed ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

'' for

Los Angeles Opera The Los Angeles Opera is an American opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth-largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center. Leadersh ...

and '' Salome'' for the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

Personal life

Sergio Trujillo was distinguished as one of the Top 100 Colombians in the world by President

Juan Manuel Santos Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by profession and a journalist by trade, ...

and was voted as one of the top 50 Creative Colombian Artists in the world by Forbes Magazine. He is the first choreographer ever invited to serve as a voting member of the American Theatre Wing’s Advisory Committee for the Tony Awards, and serves on the advisory boards of R.Evolutión Latina and New York Theatre Barn. He is an active member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Trujillo married his long-time partner, actor

Jack Noseworthy Jack Evan Noseworthy Jr. (born December 21, 1964) is an American actor known for his roles in ''Event Horizon'', '' U-571'', '' Barb Wire'' and ''Killing Kennedy''. Early life Noseworthy earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Boston Cons ...

, in 2011 after 21 years together. Trujillo and Noseworthy welcomed son Lucas Alejandro Truworthy, in 2018.

Awards and nominations

Source: Internet Broadway Database * 202
Emmy Award
for Outstanding Choreography - Christmas in Rockefeller Center (nominee) *2019

— '' Ain't Too Proud'' (winner) * 2016 Tony Award Best Choreography — ''On Your Feet!'' (nominee) * 2015

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

Best Theatre Choreographer — ''Memphis the Musical'' (winner) * 2013

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

Outstanding Choreography — ''Hands on a Hardbody'' (nominee) * 2012

Outstanding Choreography — ''Leap of Faith'' (nominee) * 2010

Outstanding Choreography — ''Memphis'' (nominee) * 2009

Outstanding Choreographer — '' Saved'' (nominee) * 2006

Outstanding Choreography — ''Jersey Boys'' (nominee) * 2010

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

for Outstanding Choreography — ''Memphis'' (winner tie) * 2016

for Outstanding Choreography — ''On Your Feet'' * 2018

for Outstanding Director, Large Theater — ''Arrabal'' (winner)"36th Annual Elliot Norton Awards Recipients"
wixstatic.com, retrieved June 11, 2019 * 2003

Ovation Awards The Ovation Awards are a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They are given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Winne ...

for Outstanding Choreography — ''Empire: A New Musical''

References

External links

*
Internet Off-Broadway Database listingSergio Trujillo
on the

American Theatre Wing The American Theatre Wing (the Wing for short) is a New York City–based non-profit organization "dedicated to supporting excellence and education in theatre", according to its mission statement. Originally known as the Stage Women's War Relief ...

's documentary series "Working in the Theatre" on

choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...

in 2016. {{DEFAULTSORT:Trujillo, Sergio 1963 births American choreographers American male dancers Colombian choreographers Colombian emigrants to the United States Colombian expatriates in Canada Colombian male dancers Gay men Laurence Olivier Award winners LGBT choreographers LGBT dancers LGBT people from Colombia Living people American people of Colombian descent Tony Award winners University of Toronto alumni