Jon Monastero was born in Omaha, Nebraska and grew up in Venice, California.

In addition to his work with Ten West, Jon recently performed with the LA Philharmonic in The Composer is Dead at the Disney Concert Hall and Summersounds at the Hollywood Bowl where he played the role of Jack Donkey.

He will be seen this fall playing the role of Arlecchino in the US debut of School of Night at the Mark Taper Forum.

Recent film and TV projects include a leading role in The Procedure - winner of the Best Horror Film Award at the 2008 Beverly Hills Film Festival, Wasting Away and Ingles Ya!  Recent commercial highlights include acting in a Home Depot Canada commercial with Dave Foley from Kids in the Hall.

Theatrical credits include playing the role of Fafalo in the Ziggurat Theatre Ensemble production of Fafalo! (L.A. Times and L.A. Weekly Critic’s Pick), Percy in Percy’s Great Feign as part of Theatre of Note’s Young Writer’s Project, Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night, Hortensio in The Shrew Variations, and the Guard in Antigone. He also performed 2006-2008 in the 24th St. Theater’s award winning Enter Stage Right arts & education program.

He wrote and performed in nine episodes of An American Education as part of the L.A. Weekly recommended Serial Killers show – a late night extravaganza at the award winning Sacred Fools Theater Company.  He continues to write & perform in this ongoing series. Other Sacred Fools appearances include the world premiere of I Wrote This!/Ten West, 360, Fast n Loose & multiple performances in Ten Tops.

Awards include the 2005 Geoffrey Award for Best Supporting Actor from the Santa Monica Theater Guild for the role of Stephano in The Tempest, and the Bigfoot Award from the Youth Education in Entertainment Series for his role as The Velveteen Rabbit in The Velveteen Rabbit at the Morgan-Wixson Theater in Santa Monica the same year.

Training includes Commedia dell'Arte with John Achorn, Joan Schirle, Alyssa Ravenwood and clown with Jef Johnson, Mime with Lorin Salm, improv at Improv Olympic West, improv workshops with John Breen, acting with Barbara Tarbuck at UCLA and commercial acting with Jordana Capra & Craig Colvin at Cocolaca Studios in Los Angeles.

He taught 8th grade US History for seven years and is a three-time honoree of Who's Who Among America's Best Teachers & 2004 Teacher of the Year at Lincoln Middle School in Santa Monica.

An avowed history “nerd”, he portrays Pvt. Watkins, a Confederate infantryman, in living history presentations for middle & high school students in the L.A. area. His work in this capacity was recently featured in the George Lucas Education Foundation’s Edutopia - www.edutopia.org