For English student Grant Winestock, tonight can't come soon enough.

Along with Max Rose Begg Goodis, an alumna of the theatre and film program, the two have written and will be directing the play Purple, which is set to be performed at this year's Hamilton Fringe Festival from July 16 to 25.

“I've never been this stressed before in my life. Writing exams is a walk in the park compared to producing this play,” jokes Winestock.

The thrill of the theatre, however, is too alluring for the two to pass it up.

“I got into theatre because of my involvement with the theatre program at McMaster, particularly its Honours Series performances,” says Winestock. “It's always been fun and I really enjoy it.”

“I've always wanted to pursue something I was passionate about, and the theatre program at McMaster gave me that opportunity,” adds Goodis. “It's great that I can take what I learned from school and see it come to life on the stage.”

The two first started writing the play more than two years ago and finally got the opportunity to produce it at this year's Fringe, Hamilton's largest annual theatre festival. It's a dark comedy that deals with life, death, morality and romance, all set in a fictional world that face multiple crises, including a mutant pig.

With a cast and crew full of current and former McMaster students, campus has become a bit of a hub for the group during the busy week leading up to opening night. “We're even doing some last-minute rehearsals here,” says Winestock.

“With so many people from Mac in this play, we're really hoping for that McMaster draw. It would be such an honour to see people from the McMaster community come out for the performances.”