What the Royal MTC has planned for the next season
The 2022-23 season for the Royal Manitoba Theater Center (MTC) is slated to wrap up in early February, and now the theater has revealed what Manitoba residents can look forward to next season.
The theater announced its 2023-24 season on Friday night, which is set to begin in mid-October.
On the main stage, the theater begins with Clue, the crime thriller based on the classic board game.
“It’s a laugh out loud, really, really silly farce,” said Kelly Thornton, the theater’s artistic director.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun for the Winnipeggers.”
Two musicals follow the thriller. First on Tap is a musical classic in The Sound of Music. That will run over the holiday season and then begin in 2024 with Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which tells a story about the life of Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Carole King.
“There are two incredible musicals that are very different. One is a classic like The Sound of Music and one is a jukebox musical,” Thornton said. “Musicals warm our hearts and it’s such a joy to hear people sing.”
She added that she’s particularly looking forward to the Carole King show as she’s the one overseeing production.
These three productions will be followed by three more on the main stage, beginning with The Mountaintop, a reinterpretation of last night’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr lived.
This is followed by the Lehman trilogy, which is about the three Lehman brothers who found their way to America and how they became woven into American history.
After all, The Comeback marks a world premiere for the Royal MTC.
“It’s a beautiful made in Manitoba story written by Trish Cooper and Sam Vint. They’re a real couple, Sams Métis and Trish are Scottish settlers and … they presented it as an incredible comedy of their lives, the mashup of their two families, the Kulturkampf and the comic antics of the Kulturkampf.”
Four productions take place at the Tom Hendry Warehouse: First Métis of Odesa, Among Men, The Piano Teacher and Guilt: A Love Story.
This is the second theatrical lineup Thornton has been able to create since joining Royal MTC in 2019.
She said it felt great to give people a reason to return to the theatre, especially after being unable to attend because of the pandemic.
“It was really important to create a season that everyone enjoys, something for everyone in the season,” she said.
“I really wanted to bring what we’re known and loved for, the scope and scale, back to our stage next season because I know that’s what we do best and that’s what brings joy to our audience and people are attracted to theater – returning audiences, but also new audiences.”
The entire schedule for both stages can be found online.
