Who is Griffin Hewitt?
I am a playwright, director, performer, and producer from Toronto, Canada. I write plays and musicals about how stories, fantasies, myths, etc., affect how people live modern lives, and when I direct I like to involve audiences directly in those stories. I like to make theatre that couldn’t be anything but theatre.
What would you do differently from what you do now?
I wear a lot of hats currently, intentionally so – I find myself often wanting to do something entirely different than the last thing I just did. Before this I was directing a new Canadian musical, before that I was writing book for a different one, and before that I was performing as a singer/actor. So I guess something different than all of that would be city planning, or architecture. I’ve always been pretty fascinated with how people navigate spaces.
Who inspires you and why?
I’m very inspired by artists who are pushing boundaries in theatre, especially in a world that is so arching towards to digital, the disconnected, and the media centred – I find it really inspiring when someone creates something that needs to happen live, and brings audiences together in a shared experience. Also people standing up to fascism anywhere, there’s a lot of hope and inspiration in seeing what resistance is possible.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
What I’m doing now, making theatre for people all over the world, theatre that deals with the hard and scary times we are living in, that doesn’t try to ignore it, but also brings people along with a sense of hope, play, and imagining a world that is better than this. All societal change is first an imagination exercise, but when it meets the public sphere we get scared and we fear change. It’s really theatre artists who remind us that we are allowed to imagine in public.
Favourite holiday destination and why?
In my life so far, Sydney or Adelaide! This is my first time in Australia and I’ve been blown away by the beauty, climate, and just overall energized but also relaxing vibes everywhere.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
Back home in Toronto, I’ll always take people to the top of the CN tower, it’s the tallest point in the city and it’s just a right of passage I feel. Either that or seeing theatre, I’m always taking people to see theatre!
What are you currently reading?
Frankenstein for fun, and to dive back into it after seeing the movie. I’m really fascinated by all the different permutations that seem to exist from this one simple – though emotionally and artistically very complex – story. I’m also a non-fiction fan, so I’m reading a book I’m hoping to adapt into theatre called Beyond, about the first person in space and the propaganda clouding what we know about that entire time in global history.
What are you currently listening to?
I’ve been really enjoying this band from the US called Vulfpeck, very fun funky upbeat, great for getting going. Also since seeing him here at the Fringe I’ve been re-listening to some Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five tunes, they are always in my rotation but back in full force right now!
Happiness is?
A sunny morning coffee with my Fiancé and nowhere to be until noon.
What does the future hold for you?
I’ll be running CYCLOPS here at the Fringe until 22 March, and then bringing it home to Canada for a two week run in Toronto. After that I’m attending an intensive for young directors at the Banff Center, also in Canada, while also working on prep for some directing projects and new writing projects I have set for the fall. Oh and planning a wedding! I’m getting married in 2027 which is approaching faster and faster every day it feels.
Griffin performs the Australian premiere of the ground-breaking solo work, Cyclops: A Satyr Play – which is currently playing at the Holden Street Theatres, as part of the 2026 Adelaide Fringe, until 22 March. For more information, visit: www.holdenstreettheatres.com for details.
Image: Griffin Hewitt (supplied)