EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

 

EVAN KLASSEN 

Evan Klassen officially joined Royal MTC in August 2024. His previous role was as Executive Director of the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario, an important regional theatre and valued partner with Royal MTC on many acclaimed co-productions, including 2023/24's smash hit Clue. Evan has a long and rich history with Manitoba cultural institutions, including Royal MTC and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. With deep roots in our city, he brings a wealth of theatre experience and an unwavering passion for enriching the arts community.

Prior to taking on cultural leadership roles, Evan Klassen enjoyed a 15-year career in Stage Management, including many significant Royal MTC productions. Evan embarked on a path towards arts leadership with roles of increasing responsibility, including Director, Artistic Operations and Production at Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Managing Director of Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops, British Columbia.

A steadfast advocate for the arts, Evan believes in building the sector through volunteerism and serves as Treasurer for the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT). Prior board roles include the London Chamber of Commerce, Winnipeg Arts Council, Manitobans for the Arts, Seven Oaks House Museum, BC Arts Council, BC Interior Community Foundation and the Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society.

Evan is a member of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association and has worked coast to coast as a Stage Manager, including at most of Winnipeg’s theatres and at Manitoba Opera. Evan studied Cultural Leadership at the Banff Centre and is a graduate of the Arts & Cultural Management program at MacEwan University, Theatre Production at the University of Winnipeg and Concord College (now Canadian Mennonite University).

In 2019, when Royal MTC Executive Director Camilla Holland won the Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award from the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres, she named Evan as the winner of the Protégé Award.