Jhett Tolentino

Jhett Dizon Tolentino
Jhett Tolentino at Malacañan Palace in December 2016
Background information
Birth name	Jhett Tolentino
Born	(1976-12-28) December 28, 1976
Origin	Iloilo City, Iloilo, Philippines
Occupation(s)	Theatre Producer
Years active	2011-present
Associated acts	Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Matthew Broderick, Ricky Martin, Bradley Cooper, Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Hudson, Conrad Ricamora, Ruthie Ann Miles, Leslie Odom, Jr., Cynthia Erivo, Sophie Okonedo, David Hyde Pierce, Harry Connick, Jr., Marlo Thomas, Michael Cera, Tavi Gevinson, Kieran Culkin, Audra McDonald, Jeremy Jordan, Laura Osnes, Michael Urie, Danielle Brooks, Stephen Bray, Frank Filipetti, Estelle Parsons, Bill Condon

Jhett Tolentino is a Filipino theatre producer based in New York City, who is also known for being the second Philippine-born to win a Tony Award. He has won three Tony Awards since his Broadway debut in March 2013 and has received his first Grammy Award in the February 2017. He owns Jhett Tolentino Productions, LLC.

Education

Tolentino attended Calumpang Elementary School (which was since renamed as Esteban Juntado, Sr. Memorial Elementary School) from 1983-1989. He entered University of Iloilo as a high school freshman and took up his secondary education from 1989-1993. He continued attending University of Iloilo and obtained his Bachelor of Science in Accountancy degree in March 1997.

He has pursued his high school education by applying to a scholarship program being promoted by the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Parish. Apparently, the scholarship grant is funded by the Meguko Society, a student organization operating at the Jesuit-run Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. The Meguko Society caters to educational needs of indigenous children from India and the Philippines. Tolentino was awarded scholarship grants from high school to undergraduate by the organization.

He wanted to pursue a Tourism degree but has decided to take a degree in Accountancy due to the lack of course offering in the region.

When he moved to the United States, he received his certificate in Nursing Assistance from the American Medical Career Training Center in Jamaica, New York in December 2005.

Career

Right after graduation, Tolentino worked in Iloilo City at Mercantile Credit Resource Corporation as a general bookkeeper, and was promoted as an accountant after three months, while serving as the company's corporate secretary. He worked at Mercantile Credit Resource Corporation from 1997-2002. He moonlighted in multinational Hong Kong-based companies from 1999-2001: as internal auditor for JP Capital Partners Ltd., and as sales and marketing executive for Inside Fashion.

In 2002, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area for a sales and marketing job at The Good Guys, while moonlighting as a waiter for Continental Caterers and as a babysitter. Soon, he decided to move to the New York Tri-state area for a mortgage and finance job in 2004, where he has learned much about the theatre industry. He has sidelined as a nursing assistant in 2006, and when the market crashed as part of the 2008 recession, he worked in the healthcare profession fulltime.

While in New York, working in finance and healthcare, he has found theatre-going his best way of leisure, he started writing reviews of theatre shows in his blog which gained the attention of theatre personages. Some have even described his reviews as 'merciless'. As his blog started to gain traction, actual connoisseurs of Broadway and Off-Broadway in New York have started to take his reviews more seriously and has influenced Tolentino to venture into theatrical productions.

In February 2016, Tolentino was given recognition by the government of the Republic of the Philippines through the National Commission for Culture and the Arts-Ani ng Dangal for giving international recognition to the Philippines; and was among The Outstanding Young Men and Women of the Philippines who were awarded the same year by President Rodrigo Duterte at Malacañan Palace in December of the same year.

Personal life

Tolentino is the youngest child of Gloria Dizon, a native of Prieto Diaz, Sorsogon and Arthur Tolentino, a native of Iloilo whose roots come from Bataan. Tolentino grew up in a severely impoverished area of Barangay Calumpang, Molo, Iloilo City, which was a few meters across the shore of the Iloilo Strait.

Tolentino has three other siblings residing in the Philippines: Maria Judelfha (married to Jimmy Mabaquiao with three children: John Arthur, Jimdel Ryu, and Jill Marian), Juanito Jay, and Junniver (married to Florelyn Herrero with two children: Precious Jewel, and Josh Florence).

Gloria Dizon succumbed to cancer at age 62 in September 30, 2008 due to cancer, which became a heavy pushback for Tolentino.

Affiliations

Music Credits

Theatre Credits

Notable Awards and Nominations

Special Citations

External links

• The Color Purple Cast Recording wins 2017 Grammy Award
• Jhett Tolentino wins first Grammy
• Internet Broadway Database: Jhett Tolentino
• Lucile Lortel Archives: Jhett Tolentino
• Broadway World: Jhett Tolentino