#wwcsd

Our final show is about 13 hours away. What a wild ride this has been. We have mumbled at the universe, visited the stars, and explored other planets. We have met strange and diverse new lifeforms, and still only scratched the surface of a vast and awesome cosmos.

We’re over half way through the run of Mumbling at the Universe and we figured it was time to put the spotlight on the one behind it all: the writer and director of our show, Colin Grant! Colin has been an absolute delight to work with, and has created a show that is at one moment raucous and frantic, and in the next very sweet and moving. Let’s see what he had to say about Mumbling.

David: So, you can start off by saying your name.

Colin: Colin Jedward D’Grant.

David: All right Colin, and tell us a bit about your background.

Colin: I am a person and have done theatre things through like high school and through FLoYD Youth Theatre Festival and I am currently a music student at the University of Saskatchewan and said, “What the heck? Let’s do a Fringe play!”

David: What is your role in Mumbling?

Colin: I was the writer of Mumbling at the Universe: A Love Letter to Carl Sagan. I also wrote the title which took a whole other, like, day just to scribe out. I was the director. I get to put sound cues and I also get to speak a few lines in said play.

David: What do you most enjoy in theatre and drama?

Colin: I think that theatre is one of the best ways in which we can interact with an audience and explore character. Even more than film or other art forms like music and visual art which are much more about the individual and their journey as opposed to this coalescence of events taking place.

David: What can you tell us about Carl Sagan?

Colin: He was a dude who did a lot for space. He was like the best advertiser for space you could ever have. He was probably the best communicator of the philosophy and the spiritual experience that is space travel and the possibility of extra terrestrials that we have had. 

David: What are you looking forward to people seeing in Mumbling? 

Colin: I am looking forward to people seeing our posters which are dope, which were made by Audra Balion and she also has a booth so go see that. I just really like those posters.

But also I think that there is a really strong story about the relationship between Carla and her mother which underlies the story and I think ends up being the main conclusive take-away of the show which is just building relationships with the people in your life and just making sure that you are communicating with them the things you’re about and that you care about.

David: What is your favourite state of matter?

Colin: The matter of fact is my favourite state of matter.

David: And you’re gonna be the last one up for these spotlights so do you have any final thoughts?

Colin: I am really happy to be able to do this project. I started it just being like, “Hey! Why don’t we do a thing?” and now it is actually a thing! And to me just having something that you have worked for and have had in your head for a year come to fruition on this very public stage is more rewarding that like 99% of the things you could possibly be doing with your time. 

spotlight: Erica

spotlight: David