Andrew Prashad is sharing his very own story on the Auburn Stage at The Grand Theatre.

In One Step at a Time, Prashad begins by blessing the stage with his tap dance talent, which we later discover was his career. If you’ve never been to the Auburn Stage before, it’s a more intimate setting than the Spriet Stage, that latter of which is usually reserved for the larger productions. The backdrop fluctuated between a Twitter post with a narrator reading out the message, and videos of Prashad and his family. Throughout the production there was a combination of storytelling, singing, and tap dancing that all worked together showcasing the elements of their life.

At the beginning, the videos show a small portion of their daily life which includes Prashad’s wife, his two daughters, and himself. We later learn that his wife is also pregnant with their son.

Just as Prashad prepared to travel for a show, things begin to take a shift in terms of the health of their unborn child. We find out that the baby had a condition known as spina bifida and that it is unlikely that their child would ever be able to walk. Although they visited many doctors about the condition, Prashad makes it very clear that they were never trying to “fix him,” but to only help him have a better life.

When they learned about a treatment in the U.S. that could potentially help, they felt as if they could take a breath of fresh air once again and even bought ice-cream out of excitement! After visiting the doctors and hearing more about the treatment, they both decided that it wasn’t safe to proceed with and agreed not to go through with the treatment. Before I could blink, Ezra, their newborn child arrived. Pictures on the screen of his first moments into the world and lots of learning about his condition come next.

Prashad explains the amount of time that they spent at SickKids hospital and some of the struggles that they encountered such as Ezra getting UTIs, inserting a catheter, and much more.

In the end, the audience is able to see Ezra’s progress throughout the years and what a little bit of love and belief can do. Defeating the odds, Ezra began to walk with leg braces and other medical devices. He was even able to play sports and truly leave us all in awe!

Prashad very quickly became a very busy man. From juggling a full day of work, to taking care of Ezra, and commuting to cities around Canada for shows, it put into perspective how much a parent is willing to do.

After 60 minutes with no intermission, we were invited to stay for a brief chat. Lots of raised hands appeared at this time and gave us an even further look into Prashad’s life. An update on Ezra: he’s eight years old and is in the process of learning how to catheter himself now. It was interesting hearing from him that whenever his wife watches it, of course she is emotional to see this story from his perspective, but also because she also has her own story.

There were many heart pulling moments in this production. What stood out most to me, was that even though Prashad was telling this story that began eight years ago, this story was to an extent live and in-real time. After the Q&A segment, Prashad had to head home which was a few hours’ drive away. It was mind-blowing to watch a production that was based off the only actor on the stage and to understand his story.

I know it might sound as though I’ve given you much of the picture, but the truth is I left out certain moments and facts that should be left to the stage. This production is a great way to spread the awareness of spina bifida and to learn about Prashad and his family’s experience thus far.

One Step at a Time closes tomorrow, so be sure to visit grandtheatre.com for tickets now.