Since participating in HHS productions in the 1960s and 70s, such as, Oliver, King and I, Carousel, Charlie’s Aunt, The Wizard of Oz, and The Variety Show, HHS alum, Martin Van Treuren’s passion for theatre has flourished into a successful acting career.
After his graduation in 1971, Van Treuren attended Montclair State University as a Speech and Theatre major. After graduating from Montclair, he began pursuing his goal of being a professional actor. Van Treuren, who now lives in New York City, has had great success in his pursuit and has been cast in many renowned Broadway musicals and dramas. Some of his roles have included Lord Savage and The Spider in Jekyll and Hyde, Old Max in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Charity Man in A Christmas Carol, and Sid Phillips and The Villain in Singin’ in the Rain.
When asked his favorite role, Van Treuren said, “I’m proud of my work on Broadway, especially in Jekyll & Hyde. It’s hard to pick a favorite but if I had to, I would have to say when I played both Ruth and the Major General in The Pirates of Penzance Off Broadway. That show was done outdoors on the Good Ship Peking at the New York City Seaport. It was rip-roaring fun and I loved doing it.”
Apparently his love of The Pirates of Penzance was contagious, as noted by Marilyn Stasio in the famous theater newspaper, Variety: “Anything and everything seems funnier when Martin Van Treuren is on deck….This canny pro grabs the stage simply by enunciating his lines with the toothy relish of a gourmet who finds these plump words on his plate very tasty indeed.”
While attending HHS, Van Treuren participated in a plethora of school plays. Van Treuren is very thankful for the experience and support he received during his time in HHS. He is still very thankful to have had the guidance of his two teachers, Elizabeth Ann Poole and Marie Patella. He said, “I owe a lot to Elizabeth Ann Poole and Marie Patella, two teachers, who gave so much of their time and shared their enthusiasm with us. Without their guidance and love for the theatre I may not have found my career path.”
Out of the productions Van Treuren participated in in HHS, he said his favorite role was the lead in Charlie’s Aunt, during his junior year. He noted this as his “break out role” and the first time he had ever made his audience laugh, which he said got him “hooked.” When asked what inspired his career path, he said, “Well certainly my experiences in high school, thanks to Miss Poole and Miss Patella. Also at that time, I started going into New York City with my friends to see Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. The magic I saw happen on those stages inspired me to get my theatre degree in college and eventually audition for professional jobs.”
Hawthorne is very proud to have such a successful actor call Hawthorne High School his alma mater. Van Treuren hopes to catch a performance of the upcoming HHS production of Singin’ in the Rain–a play he performed in on Broadway early in his career.
A complete list of Van Treuren’s credits, as well as photos of this star in action can be found at http://martinvantreuren.com/.