At the end of the shift, I was scheduled to sell merch for the stars of Billy Bishop Goes to War to sign. That's right, I got to chum it up with Canadian TV star and theatre icon legends Eric Peterson (Street Legal, Corner Gas, etc.) and talented musical composer and writer John Gray (multiple Dora awards, contributer to groundbreaker collective The Farmer's Revolt for all you theatre geeks out there, etc).
Sitting so close to them, I had a chance to eavesd--overhear how they dealt with a loooooong line of admirers and fans. They were both gracious, charming, and patient - even when dealing with one particular woman who was two grapes short of a fruit basket, and one young man who spontaneously started pitching Peterson a role in his student film. Afterwards, when my floor captain stated that I had sold a good majority of the scripts, Eric Peterson quite joyously congratulated me and patted my arm...and pretty much didn't let go. Sooo, I guess that means we're best friend or something.
I quickly chatted to him and did a good job of reigning the gushing in...until I couldn't help but praise his brilliant performance and admitted that it was a privilege to watch him on stage. And it is! Peterson makes the material come to life by being absolutely present in the moment and engaging the audience to follow him through an endearing and often sobering story. He smiled and thanked me kindly. After doing a long performance, a talkbalk, and then a script signing, he still had grace and patience to spare.
So thank you, icons of Canadiana. Your public adoration is more than well-deserved!
(oh and hey, while we're at it, I have a script for you too....ahem....)<3,
m
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