Liam McKinnon is one of four boisterous, ignominious, and loveable Clowns.
Hi Liam! What do you do in the show in your role as one of the Clowns?
In The 39 Steps, the title of the character “clown” is a stand-in for the different ensemble roles that are in the show. With two titled clowns in the show’s description and with two dozen or more ensemble characters, it is entirely possible for The 39 Steps to have a cast of 4, or a cast of 24. Each of the ensemble characters are not only uniquely fun to explore on and off stage, but they all allow me to be active for and with my fellow cast-mates.
What is your background in theatre?
I started “acting” back when I was in Elementary School; performing in Christmas shows that my Mom put together for our congregation at Glory Lutheran Church, and presenting skits from cartoons and stand-up comedy shows in front of my classmates. It was a time when my proudest moment was performing the entire first third of The SpongeBob Squarepants movie for my Grade 4 class, then performing it again for our substitute teacher so that she wouldn’t be confused if I continued.
After experiencing the highs and lows of honour choir, Junior High and High School theatre, and a performance in the Edmonton Fringe Festival of 2017, I studied Theatre Arts at MacEwan University and got a diploma for all the craziness that we went through. I then was cast in Theatre Calgary’s SBTB production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and was going to be in a community theatre production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? before the COVID-19 pandemic had spread across Canada.
This is the first time since I was in University that I will be performing on an Edmonton stage and I am very excited to return with this cast and crew.
What brought you out for The 39 Steps?
The simple answer is: A need for work 🙄
But The 39 Steps actually holds an interesting place in my heart. I had seen the show years back at the Provincial One-Act Festival in Red Deer and I remember I did not stop laughing for a minute. I was in tears from start to finish. Yet, when I walked out of the theatre, I couldn’t remember a single thing about the show itself.
It’s a busy yet focused piece of work, operating as a farce, a romance, and a mystery piece. What made me want to play one of the clowns though was VERY MUCH the desire to play multiple characters in a single show. I’ve done ensemble shows before but NOTHING like this, and never with this much interest in each individual character; even with the ones I don’t play.
What are you enjoying the most about working on this show so far?
I love working on a show where every rehearsal is a joy to behold. Even on days when I am not on the call sheet, I gladly come and sit in to see what these amazing artists will do next. I love to see them explore, improvise, and discover new possibilities for their characters AND see what the production team comes up with for the set, costumes, and lighting. Writing this now, I light up thinking about what the next rehearsal will bring and I hope that I can time my window in traffic perfectly so that I never miss a moment.
Why do you think people should come see The 39 Steps at Walterdale?
I think that every artist has made a significant contribution to this production and I feel that contribution is not solely driven by a desire to self-promote or cement one’s own brand or the brand of the company. Of course we all want to put on a good show that is entertaining for our audience, but I feel that every one of the production members is making the choices that they are making from a place of love and respect for each member of the team.
Even if someone is not a fan of this particular brand of comedy, I do still feel that they should come and see it. In no small way, I feel that this is a clear example of what community theatre SHOULD BE about; connecting with the members of your community to create art that shares who they are as creatives and as people.
The 39 Steps is based on the Hitchcock film (which is based on the John Buchan novel)… do you have a favourite Hitchcock film? OR a favourite 1930s-40s film?
Oh Boy… A LOT! The 1930s and 40s were such fascinating decades for the motion picture industry, not just in North America, but around the world. Some of the most influential films, characters and iconic celebrities came out of this era and many, myself included, hold up the films of this time as some of the greatest films ever produced.
For my own sake, and for my director’s piece of mind, I want to share a few titles for films that are less well-known today and encourage you to check even just one of them out for yourself. I love them and I hope you do too. The Red Shoes, Double Indemnity, The Great Dictator, Gentleman’s Agreement, La Belle et la Bête, Brief Encounter, Bicycle Thieves, The Classic Universal Monster movies, and the all-time classic REEFER MADNESS!
