Pulitzer winner, Royal MTC is a comedy farce on the stage of the Winnipeg Free Press

The Royal Manitoba Theater Center has announced its 2024-2025 season plans, with the province's largest theater company planning six productions on the John Hirsch Main Stage and four in the Tom Hendry Warehouse.

There's a Pulitzer winner about allegations of theatrical indecency, an adaptation of a literary classic about women who march to the beat of their own drum, a slice of Broadway life set in an all-American diner, murder mystery comedies and three films. works by Manitoban artists on schedule.

The production numbers are in line with RMTC's current season, indicating artistic director Kelly Thornton's confidence that the organization has found a winning formula, continuing its path back to pre-pandemic figures in terms of subscriber base and one-off numbers. ticket sales.

“I didn't want to cut or disrupt,” says Thornton, now in his fourth year as artistic director, programming his third season in 2019-2020, interrupted by the pandemic.

“Across the country, some companies have shortened runs by a week, reducing the amount of tickets they play. I said, “We need a longer runway. We have to develop a way out of it. We can't shrink.'”

As the 2023-2024 season reached its midpoint, Thornton ran the upcoming season together. Free Click the button.

John Hirsch Mainstage

Wrong play
From October 17 to November 9

Just like this current season, the next RMTC calendar year opens with a murder-mystery farce directed by Dennis Garnhum, the former artistic director of London's Bolshoi Theatre, who helms the popular show. Reference.

Since moving here to work in 2019, Thornton has been interested in bringing the production, written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, who played the original in London and on Broadway, to Winnipeg.

He calls it a “broad, funny comedy” with an “endlessly funny script” built around an amateur theater troupe mounting a murder mystery. A triple co-production between Edmonton's Citadel and Theater Calgary, the show began auditions Wednesday, with three actors from each market participating. The show will enjoy runs in Edmonton and Calgary when it comes to Winnipeg. What could be wrong?

Little women
From November 21 to December 14

Are you Joe? Meg? Face? Amy? A little bit of each? If you haven't considered that question yet, this adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's unforgettable novels will help you figure it out.

The second Mainstage show of the season, Little women Directed by Kathy Herman — who last donned the costume in an RMTC production The sound of music — his RMTC directorial debut. (She played Marmee in the high school play, Thornton says).

He likes it The Sound of Music, Little Women A beloved heritage title with a huge fan base, RMTC occupies its most important position in its lineup: as the anchor of the holiday season.

A waiter
From January 9 to February 1, 2025

First the film, then the Tony-winning Broadway smash with music and lyrics by Grammy winner Sara Bareilles, A waiter A server named Jenna puts everything into her pie-making career.

Thornton sees a seasonal list as always being like developing a menu A waiter — directed by Anne Hodges (Yaga) — decided to place the dessert right in the middle.

Indecent
From February 13 to March 8

From Pulitzer winner Paula Vogel (How I learned to drive), Indecent an epic tale of theater and risk, shamelessness and forbidden love, says Thornton, who directs.

Telling about the controversial English-language debut of Polish-Jewish playwright Sholem Asch God of vengeance on broadway Indecent is another play about a play gone wrong: when two actors of the same sex kiss for the first time on an American stage, power spills over.

“I love everything about it,” said Thornton, who directed this season's series Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.

Casey and Diana
From March 20 to April 12, 2025

Set in 1991 at the height and in the midst of the AIDS crisis, this Canadian production follows the residents of Toronto's Casey House as they await Princess Diana's historic visit.

Written by Dora and Tom Hendry Award-winning theater artist Nick Greene, the show wowed Thornton when it debuted at the 2023 Stratford Festival. “I was shocked,” he says. “It's one of the most unique plays I've ever seen.”

The production has also convinced Toronto's Soulpepper Theater to pick up the play as its 2024 season opener, and RMTC hopes the Aquarian co-production with Hamilton Theatre, with original director Andrew Kushnir to direct the production, will live up to the expected buzz.

ADD: Manaji Idiwin
From April 24 to May 17, 2025

Produced in-house by the Pimootaowin Creators Circle at RMTC, here's the idea for this absurdist comedy from Pine Creek First Nation writer David McLeod.

“A white guy and a Native guy get into an elevator and they have to find a way out,” says Thornton. Expect surprises and twists in McLeod's hands.

The last show to cross over to the main stage via Pimutayowin was Roseanne Deerchild. The secret of good tea — and now there is increasing interest in future runs across Canada.

Tom Hendry Warehouse

Recipe
November 7-23

as adapted from titles in his Gutenthal series The rescue of Jasch Siemens, the murder in Gutenthal and The Second Coming Yeat Spansthumorist Armin Wiebe Recipe Thornton explores the nuances and nuances of the Prairie Mennonite experience for comedy and empathy, which Thornton describes as a “prairie gothic coming of age.”

A co-production with Theater Projects Manitoba, who partnered with RMTC for the first time this season, in a film by playwright David Yee and director Susie Martin. among menthis show is directed by former TPM Artistic Director Ardith Boxall.

Mix my mom's tapes
From January 30 to February 15, 2025

Recently seen scenes of the heist in the role of Don Kirchner Beautiful, Corey Wojcik's relationship with RMTC continues to thrive. This week he will Mix my mom's tapes — a show that appeared at the 2019 Winnipeg Fringe Festival — is on the road as part of the company's regional tour.

Before this run begins, Wojciech already has plans for next winter. Backed by a live band, Wojciech tells the story of the craziest, most emotional day of his life, going back and forth between two hospitals for various reasons.

“I saw this fringe production and always knew it would be a great show across the province,” says Thornton. “I really believed in Winnipeg that I should run and I know he's going to burn down the stage in the warehouse.”

Remember this, frins. You never know who's in the audience.

King James
March 6-22, 2025

Ray Strachan is no stranger to local audiences, having starred on every stage in Winnipeg for years, including the Jewish Theater in Winnipeg. A whipping boyPrairie Theater Exchange Holiday and the Rainbow Period Wizard of Oz. He then stars as Dr. Martin Luther King opposite Cherisa Richards in RMTC's Katori Hall main production. Mountain peak (February 14 to March 9).

But next year, Strachan will step into the director's chair for this story about basketball, season tickets, friendship and the fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers by Pulitzer winner Rajiv Joseph.A Bengal tiger at the Baghdad Zoo).

Coinciding with the final season of NBA all-time scoring leader LeBron James, this warehouse product could become a hardwood success story.

Killing two people
April 3-19, 2025

With a 12-part cast and a pair of piano hands, this murder-mystery-musical delivers a furious coda to match the opening notes of the 2024-2025 season. Wrong play.

Chase Winnicky, another RMTC regular To the forest and Beautifulas well as MTYP production Narniamaking his RMTC directorial debut and joining direct.

Prior to the warehouse run, the show will hit the road on a regional tour of smaller towns and cities in Manitoba from February 20 to March 19, 2025.

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