Alumni Profiles
Rigour, Curiosity, and the Arts: A CMU Story of Leadership
25 at 25 | Evan Klassen (CMU '02)
Evan Klassen (CMU ’02) graduated with a Bachelor of Christian Studies during CMU’s early years as a merged university. Now Executive Director of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, he continues to carry forward the rigour, curiosity, and commitment to community that shaped his time at CMU.
CMU was a place of transition, community, and discovery for Evan Klassen, Executive Director of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC).
"My first gig was on this stage here in the... [Laudamus Auditorium]," he says, explaining that he helped organize a theatre production of A Man for All Seasons with a small group of fellow students. He stage-managed, ran sound cues, and discovered the kind of collaborative, behind-the-scenes work that would eventually define his career.
Klassen graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Christian Studies, completing his degree shortly after the merger that brought together Concord College (formerly Mennonite Brethren Bible College), Canadian Mennonite Bible College, and Menno Simons College to form CMU. "It was a really interesting time to be here," he recalls. "You suddenly had new professors, new programs, and a different kind of community coming together."
That community gathered in a memorable way on September 11, 2001. The memory has stuck with him even after all these years—driving to campus and arriving to find classes had been cancelled and students had gathered in the chapel. "It was a very thoughtful, spiritual moment of people coming together in a real moment of global uncertainty," he says.
After graduating, Klassen spent 15 years as a professional stage manager with theatre companies across Canada, including the Shaw Festival in Ontario, Theatre Calgary, Manitoba Opera, and Winnipeg's Rainbow Stage.
He later completed a certificate in Arts and Cultural Management and moved into leadership roles, including Director of Artistic Operations and Production with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Managing Director of Western Canada Theatre in Kamloops, BC, and Executive Director of the Grand Theatre in London, ON. He had "a full-circle moment" when he returned to Winnipeg in 2023 to lead MTC, the same place he started his theatre career in 1998, working in the box office.
Looking back, he sees clear connections between his education and his career. "The soft skills taught at a place like CMU are equally as important as the academics. Approaching things with a sense of ethics, of people first, of decolonization, of exploring where we are and who was here before... that's a big part of being an arts leader." It's an approach that was shaped directly by his experiences at the university.
"The skills I developed at CMU—rigour, community, and a commitment to big questions—continue to guide my work in the arts."
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