The name’s Stephenson, Sir William Stephenson. James Bond may be the most famous spy in literary history, but he’ll always be “the Winnipeg boy who saved the world,” to playwright Alex Poch-Goldin. Poch-Goldin’s Intrepid is premiering with Royal MTC this winter, unmasking Agent 007 as Winnipegger Sir William Stephenson. “We deal in a time where democracy is under threat and there’s a rise of fascism. It certainly reflects the time the play talks about,” Poch-Goldin said. Much like Ian Fleming’s tale, playwriter Poch-Goldin’s take on Intrepid is truth shaken and stirred with fiction. Kevin Klassen, who plays Stephenson, laughed at the idea of being similar to the suave spy. “It’s very intimidating. It’s an honour, certainly,” Klassen said. “And I think the biggest challenge is going to be bringing out what’s going on underneath a man who’s famous for keeping his thoughts and his emotions close to his chest and not revealing things.” It was Stephenson’s eye for investments that took him down a path paved with deception for King and country. “He ended up noticing in Sweden, that the Germans in 1936-37 were buying up all the steel. And he thought that they were re-arming,” Poch-Goldin. Stephenson, a decorated First World War veteran, then informed Winston Churchill of his hunch. The pair then began creating a spy network to convince the United States to help with the war efforts. Intrepid runs on the John Hirsch mainstage from January 13 to February 6.
