What would you do if you were invited to an afternoon potluck on Desolation Sound and upon arrival discover everyone is nude?
Well, storyteller Grant Lawrence and his family kept their clothes on and their eyes up.
Lawrence and his sister were only about 9- and 11-years-old at the time, but the story has lived on at the family’s dinner table for the past three decades.
It is a story he retold in his first book in 2010, Adventures in Solitude – and may be one of the many he will include in his upcoming show at The ACT in Maple Ridge.
“Coming from the North Shore, coming from the Lower Mainland, like, we didn’t do that. Like, we didn’t go down to Stanley Park and take off all our clothes,” he said.
Being the only ones clothed at the party in the wilderness, “ironically felt as uncomfortable as if you were naked on a downtown sidewalk,” he chuckled.
The experience, however, has been a source of multiple stories – which his audiences find hilarious, even if he’s a little traumatized.
“But as long as people are having a good time, I don’t mind telling that story over and over and over again,” he laughed.
Lawrence is an award-winning writer, musician, broadcaster, and live event host.
He is the author of four best-selling books for adults: Adventures in Solitude (2010), The Lonely End of the Rink (2013), Dirty Windshields (2017), and his latest number one bestseller, Return to Solitude (2022). Lawrence has also published his first children’s picture book, Bailey the Bat and the Tangled Moose, in 2021.
Once upon a time, Lawrence used to play in a rock band called The Smugglers. However, when he married his wife, musician Jill Barber, he noticed she only played in nice theatres, and a reasonable times.
When he played they were always finishing up at around 3 a.m. and he thought who wouldn’t like to play at venues like Barber.
RELATED: Jann Arden, Rick Mercer ‘unrehearsed and unrestrained’ in 3 B.C. shows
His show was inspired by the Vinyl Cafe, an hour-long radio variety show hosted by CBC’s Stuart McLean, whom Barber would tour with.
But, Lawrence wanted his show to reflect more of the West Coast vibe.
It all came together about six years ago and they tested the show in a little theatre on Bowen Island. It married all Lawrence’s knowledge in the entertainment industry, his history with his rock band, elements he liked from the Vinyl Cafe, and what his wife had showed him about performing in theatres.
When he was first started reading his stories aloud in front of an audience, he didn’t think they were funny. But people thought they were hilarious.
He also brought in his favourite musicians to compliment his stories with songs.
They have been touring the show ever since.
Some of his most popular stories are set in Desolation Sound, where his family has a cabin.
ALSO: BC Ferries already bracing for Taylor Swift tsunami with multiple special runs
“It’s a really unique kind of place. It’s sort of like that show The Beachcombers, even a little more raw and ragged,” he said.
For this show, Lawrence will be making a special visit to Maple Ridge to give his show a local twist.
And, he said, this show has one of the best lineups he has ever put together, bringing out East Coast, Juno award winning musician Joel Plaskett from Halifax and Ashleigh Ball, lead singer of the band Hey Ocean!, whom, he described as embodying the West Coast culture.
“She is like summer time in a human body,” he described.
And, of course, Barber will also be taking the stage.
Lawrence promises an evening of high quality entertainment with a focus on the coastal lifestyle – like growing up in a family where a boat is more important than a car and what it’s like to constantly be in a race to try and catch a ferry.
“It’s going to be cool to marry the East Coast songs and stories with the West Coast in Maple Ridge,” he said.
Grant Lawrence and Friends: An Evening of Stories and Songs takes place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, at the Mainstage Theatre, at The ACT Arts Centre, 11944 Haney Place, Maple Ridge.
Tickets are $37.50 plus fees.
To purchase tickets call 604-476-2787 or go to: theactmapleridge.org/grant-lawrence-and-friends.