London Inc. September 2022 - 22

10 Minutes With
ENTER STAGE RIGHT
Evan Klassen, the Grand Theatre's new executive
director, chats about creative process, historic
appeal and the place of theatre in a changing society
EVAN KLASSEN IS the new Grand Theatre executive
director. Born and raised in Winnipeg, he began last
month, succeeding Deb Harvey, who retired after 22
years at the helm.
Klassen, in his early 40s, studied theatre and technical
production at the University of Winnipeg.
Although he has focused his career on backstage and
management, he remembers some early performance
roles: a wizard in elementary school and the butler in
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in high
school. When he shadowed the stage manager of A
Chorus Line, he was hooked.
He and his partner have moved to Wortley Village
with their Husky mix named Tika. They also have a
cottage in Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba, on the
Ontario border. When not working, he's looking forward
to exploring Ontario vineyards, lakeside communities
and his new Wortley neighbourhood.
Congratulations on joining the Grand. You're a
lifelong Western Canadian. Leaving Kamloops
specifically, and B.C. generally, could not have
been easy. What prompted your move? This has
been the right move for many reasons. I've long been
attracted to the Grand's mandate - and the mandate
as a regional theatre company is something that
resonates with me deeply, offering the highest quality
theatre, telling important stories that challenge and
provoke thought - as well as those productions that, of
course, entertain.
Working as an ED for a large regional theatre has
long been a career aspiration, so this role felt like a
natural fit and the right next step. And serving as the
successor to the Grand's long-time ED, Deb Harvey, is
another important factor. The Grand has long been
regarded as a leader in the Canadian theatre sector,
with much credit to Deb. She's leaving the organization
in such a strong position; it's exciting to step into that
milieu. The Grand's team is competent, motivated and
excited about the future of theatre in London.
I'm also excited to be working in an historic theatre
venue. The Grand's Spriet stage has long been regarded
22|londonincmagazine.ca|SEPTEMBER 2022
as one of the prettiest theatre venues in Canada, and
I look forward to enjoying great art in our historic
theatre for years to come.
You obviously love theatre and have focused
much of your education and career on the
management side. Is that your true passion? My
passion for theatre grew out of an excitement for the
creation of the art. I was a stage manager first, and
my career as an SM gave me many of the skills I've
relied on in leadership roles now: a keen eye for details,
an ability to work with personalities of all kinds, a
balancing of priorities, an understanding of the
creative process and the ability to analyze problems,
pose solutions and seek new opportunities. I believe
that as arts administrators and leaders, it is our role to
support the creation of art on our stages.
There's a bit of a cliché about running a theatre
- dealing with artistic personalities and scrambling
to sell tickets, raise funds and balance
budgets. Is there a kernel of truth in that? Of
course, there's a certain amount of truth in it, but I'd
London Inc. September 2022

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