Jerry Cruz
Music Director

Jerry Cruz is the Theatre Team Director/Advisor, Choral Director and Assistant Director of Music for Santa Paula High School, and Colorguard Advisor and Music Assistant at Fillmore High School.  He is a Career Technical Education teacher with the Ventura County Office of Education, where he teaches Choir and Stagecraft at the Santa Paula High School Campus. With more than 25 years of performance experience Jerry has performed as an instrumentalist, vocalist, dancer, actor, conductor, and pit percussionist. As an advisor and teacher Jerry has directed Musicals, Plays, Marching Band, Choir, Concert Band, Percussion Ensembles and Colorguard Dance Teams. Behind the scenes Jerry has directed, choreographed, and written for the stage.

Jerry is an alumnus of Santa Paula High School and has attended Texas Tech University, Ventura College, and California State University Channel Islands.  He has worked with many great Performing Arts Associations such as Ventura College Opera and Musical Theatre Company, Theatros de Las Americas, Channel Islands Choral Association, Santa Paula HS Cardinal Music Boosters, Heritage Valley Percussion, and Santa Paula Theater Center. 

Jerry began his performing arts adventures in the 5th grade playing percussion, picked up the Piano shortly after and loved the experience of conducting when he became a Drum Major in high School.  In College, the theatre and vocal bugs bit him where he is still infected to this day. Jerry has seen the backside of the Curtain for performances such as “The Fantastiks”, “Trial by Jury”, “Cabaret”, “Charlotte’s Web” and remembers way back when he once played a brown teddy bear in a 2nd grade Christmas production.

Production Credits also include “Beauty and the Beast”, “Grease”, “Footloose”, “Tarzan”, “Alice in Wonderland”, “The Wiz”, “Seussical”, “Lady Pirates of Capt. Bree”, “Not Another Shakespeare Fest.”, “Once Upon a Mattress”, and “Peter Pan, A musical Adventure”.  He has written/produced with the Santa Paula Theatre Centers Ghostwalk, and has Technical Credits on two DVD one man show productions, MacArthur and Lincoln by Gary Saderup. He has consulted for National TV Commercials like Dodge, Chevrolet, and Hertz Rentals.