NEVER LOOK BACK: PERFORMER TREVOR CRANE STILL HUNGRY FOR NEW ROLES

By Eugene Hawkins

The creative life isn’t for everyone. It demands a certain elevated attitude, a mixture of spontaneously combustible aesthetics and sturdy, sober dedication to technique and craftsmanship. It’s a lifelong trek, one which is successfully navigated only by those able to make the best use of each opportunity—an exceptional attribute that just happens to be performer Trevor Crane’s defining characteristic.

Toronto-born Crane, actor, singer, writer, natural born showman, approaches every professional assignment as a passion project. Whether a musical comedy or an intense  drama, Crane rises to the occasion with arresting conviction and admirable zeal, qualities he’s cultivated from his earliest days.

“I was always a sensitive, excitable child. My parents loved the arts, took me to many shows growing up, and I always wanted to be where the 'action' was—where my daydreams of performing could become reality,” Crane said. “My first big theater memory was 'Les Miserables' at 12. It was a game changer, I knew I had to be on stage. Acting became my passion and outlet.”

Actor Trevor Crane

Subsequent training in theater, film acting, voice, movement and screenwriting at the prestigious Toronto Film School enabled Crane to plunge into the performer’s ultimate crucible—the New York theater scene. Relocated to Manhattan, Crane studied with such notable talents as venerable director-producer-vocal coach Tom Todoroff, esteemed on-camera acting educator John Palotta, veteran theater-film actor Roger Hendricks Simon, and made his on-stage Big Apple bones with freewheeling improv group Comedysportz.

Crane wasted no time making a name for himself, debuting in an offbeat cult favorite based on the wild real-life shenanigans of acid-tongued comic Jackie Mason: “My career was propelled forward in New York with my first off Broadway show, 'The Jackie Mason Musical',” Crane said. “The writer-director took a chance on me and I stayed in the show for several years. I still perform in it, reprising my role when it tours—it's been to five states and my hometown of Toronto.”

Next, Crane memorably demonstrated his skills in productions such as the principal character in the stage version of beloved holiday classic The Polar Express Live Show. 

Cast as the Conductor, Crane found another part which has become a perennial career staple: “Doing 'The Polar Express' show was wonderful, and it’s a role I still do,” Crane said. “Seeing the kids’ faces light up, experiencing the songs from the movie, brings a joy that always puts a smile on my face.”

Versatility is a performer’s most critical attribute, and Crane’s illimitable capacity to switch from light to dark, comedy to tragedy, is consistently executed with distinctively chameleonic precision and palpable emotional credibility—the hallmark of any legitimate actor’s craft. Crane doesn’t shy away from heavy dramatics, he embraces them.

“The most significant professional work I've done is 'Bonhoeffer: The Final Days,' because of the importance of the message in the show,” he said. “Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor during WW 2 who defied Nazi orders, was jailed and later executed for his integrity.” 

“The other production I'm most proud of is off Broadway show 'Trial on the Potomac.' It was a thrill to work with [famous impressionist] Rich Little, who played Richard Nixon, and was the best, most professional experience of my life.” 

Crane’s versatile nature recently led him into another notable creative field, as author.

“I wrote a short book last year called 'Side Hustle Journeys' about all the other work I've done since my early 20's between acting jobs,” he said. “Writing it was a new experience and it was exciting and therapeutic to go back and see what I've done. It can help actors and non-actors alike, I believe. It has good stories and a positive message about pursuing one's passion—and, so far, the reviews are good.”

As a performer, he’s built up impressive momentum, moving from one role to the next with admirable elan. Typically, the self-effacing Crane is reluctant to indulge in chest thumping self-promotion, but truth will out: “I am lucky in that most of the projects I‘ve done have not only been well received, but also I’ve made great connections that lead to other work and roles in ongoing plays. Much of what I've done, and it's true for many actors, is work that comes through referral.” 

With his already well-stocked quiver of talent and stagecraft significantly enhanced by this trove of variegated experience, Crane consistently displays both exceptional range and unerring instinct, invaluable capabilities which guarantee a continued professional ascent. The possibilities are endless:

“I'm proud to be cast in an upcoming production of 'Noises Off' that was recently on Broadway,” he said. “The projects I find most interesting are smart, well written comedies and true-life stories. I love to portray real people and act in biographical productions like 'Bonhoeffer: Final Days'—you learn so much about life and the human condition."

“My philosophy is to be open to life and new experiences, but find a balance, too, so one does not put everything into career only. Pursue your passion and do what you love!”