Leader of the pack New Royal MTC artistic director Kelly Thornton describes her new job, and talks about her Winnipeg directing debut with Bang Bang By: Frances Koncan Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019 Last Modified: 7:08 PM CDT Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019 Updates

During a Season 3 episode of the Baroness von Sketch Show, calamity strikes a school bus of a Theatre for Young Audiences group touring a production of Titus Andronicus for Kids. The troupe must rely on their theatre training to survive.

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MTC Artistic Director Kelly Thornton said she loves Winnipeg, the culture and the community pride. (Phil Hossack / Winnipeg Free Press)

“We are going to band together,” the group chants. “We are resourceful. We are creative. We are theatre people.”

The sketch isn’t just hilarious, it’s also a frighteningly accurate depiction of any group of theatre people. Trust me: I myself am a theatre person.

Theatre people are everywhere. They are your neighbours, your baristas and your Winnipeg Free Press writers. They are actors, writers, directors, designers and producers and they are united under the singular vision of one mysterious entity: the artistic director.

Frances Koncan: Why don’t you start by telling me your name and your position at the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre?

Kelly Thornton: My name is Kelly Thornton and I am the artistic director of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.

Frances Koncan: Sweet, perfect, amazing. But what exactly does an artistic director do?

Kelly Thornton: The primary job is artistic leadership, so through programming, season planning, marketing, development and building relationships. I just came out of general auditions and senior artists meetings and I met 150 great, talented Winnipeggers, for instance.

Frances Koncan: You’re from Toronto, right? When did you move to Winnipeg? When did you start at RMTC?

Kelly Thornton: I am! I moved here the last week of May and I was at my desk here at RMTC on June 1st.

Frances Koncan: Speedy. How is it so far? Is it hard?

Kelly Thornton: It’s a balancing act. You’re being pushed and pulled in all directions while trying to focus on the core idea of the conversation you want to have with your audience, the conversation you want to provoke on stage.

Frances Koncan: Speaking of provocation, you’re directing Bang Bang by Kat Sandler, which opens Thursday at the RMTC Tom Hendry Warehouse Theatre. What’s that about?

Kelly Thornton: It’s about a white male playwright who has decided to exploit a story he reads in the paper about a black female cop who mistakenly shoots an unarmed black man at a roadside stop.

Sébastien Heins with Beverly Ndukwu (right). (Dylan Hewlett photo)

Frances Koncan: Definitely provocative! What themes does the play explore?

Kelly Thornton: It’s a play about cultural appropriation. It’s an outrageous, hilarious unpacking of some brutal issues. Kat is quite brilliant in that she’s dealing with difficult issues but doing it with humour and intelligence.

Frances Koncan: Do you think the show reflects who you are as a director?

Kelly Thornton: Yeah, I think it’s a great launch for me. I think that theatre should start the conversation, not be the end of the conversation. I like theatre that lives in your subconscious long after the curtain. And Bang Bang will do that.

Frances Koncan: Have you directed a show in Winnipeg before?

Kelly Thornton: I haven’t! This is my debut.

Frances Koncan: Who’s in it?

Kelly Thornton: The cast is Alex Poch-Goldin as Tony Capello, Karen Hines as Warona Setshwaelo, Beverly Ndukwu as Lila Hines, Tom Keenan as Tim Bernbaum and Sébastien Heins as Jackie Savage.

Frances Koncan: That’s an interesting cast! It has some locals and some out-of-town actors.

Kelly Thornton: Yes, three Winnipeg actors, one from Montreal and one from Toronto. I want as much Winnipeg talent on the stage as possible. Historically, RMTC has brought in a lot of out-of-towners, but I think it’s important to invest in the local community and put that talent on the stage. There’s a huge talent base here.

Frances Koncan: Have you gotten to do any fun things since you moved to Winnipeg?

Kelly Thornton: We went on the riverboat! We went up and down the river looking at the historic sites, which was great. The geographic location of Winnipeg is very energetic. If you look at a map, the city is right smack in the middle of Turtle Island, of North America. The confluence of the Assiniboine River and the Red rivers combined with 15,000 years of human activity… it’s a powerful place. I think that’s why a lot of really dynamic people have come out of this area.

Frances Koncan: And how are you liking it here? Do you miss Toronto?

Kelly Thornton: I love Winnipeg. I love the culture here and the community pride people have. I love the big blue sky. I love the people and the talented community. There’s disparity in the city that is problematic and needs to be addressed but I think it’s a lovely, livable place. I’m very impressed!

Frances Koncan: How different is it coming from a smaller organization like Nightwood Theatre, where you previously worked as artistic director, to a larger one like RMTC?

Kelly Thornton: It’s a totally different kettle of fish. At Nightwood we had a core team of only six people; you kind of just roll up your sleeves and do everything. Here at RMTC there’s a large staff and it functions like a big machine. It’s fantastic and everyone is incredible… but they all want your opinion! There’s a lot of moving parts to keep organized.

Frances Koncan: Absolutely. OK, most important question — what is your zodiac sign?

Kelly Thornton: I’m a Virgo! You know what, I’m a double Virgo: Virgo sun and Virgo rising.

Frances Koncan: That makes so much sense! You have big Virgo energy. Virgos are detail-oriented, hard-working and empathetic. Besides Bang Bang, what are some of your favourite plays?

“It’s (Bang Bang) a play about cultural appropriation. It’s an outrageous, hilarious unpacking of some brutal issues. Kat is quite brilliant in that she’s dealing with difficult issues but doing it with humour and intelligence.”

Kelly Thornton: In the canon I would say Death of a Salesman or The Crucible. Arthur Miller’s pretty brilliant. One of my favourite plays that I’ve directed is The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood.

Frances Koncan: Did you start out in theatre as a director?

Kelly Thornton: I went to the University of Guelph, where I acted, wrote, directed, built costumes, and learned how to light — I kind of got the full experience of theatre, which ultimately was amazing. I came out of school thinking I was going to be an actor, but I began to feel that I wanted more… well, more power, ultimately!

Frances Koncan: Do you have any advice for theatre artists who might be struggling to find their place in industry?

Kelly Thornton: You can’t do everything. You need to focus your goals. Someone once told me, “People don’t know what to give you until you tell them what you want.”

Bang Bang by Kat Sandler opens Thursday at the Tom Hendry Warehouse and runs until Oct. 19. Tickets start at $22.25 and are available at the Royal MTC box office (174 Market Ave.), by phone at 204-942-6537 and online at royalmtc.ca.

frances.koncan@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @franceskoncan