Audience Comments

"Performance after performance, including student matinees, Peter walked onstage, sucked everyone in, and didn’t let them go until after the standing ovation. In addition to his stunning work onstage, Mr. Donaldson was a crucial collaborator in local coalition building, partnership marketing and new audience building. His ability to draw diverse audiences to the project was nothing short of amazing."

- Scot Whitney, Managing Artistic Director, Harlequin Productions, Olympia Washington

"Oh, what sitting behind a computer all day will do. Then I saw Salmonpeople. I have never been to a performance with which I connected so well. Salmonpeople has roots and history, relevance and science, story and imagination, purpose and mission. And you are so vibrant and unshackled, unafraid, fluid and dynamic. You are out there DOING it, doing what we are talking about, preparing for, hoping to accomplish. Hooray, hooray for Salmonpeople. Go!"

- Sam Beebee, Ecotrust, Portland

"As Mayor of Olympia, I want to recommend a unique civic campaign unfolding across our shared bioregion. The campaign is called Salmonpeople. The purpose is to get citizens of all stripes, strata, and political persuasions thinking about sustainability. It’s working. Mr. Donaldson’s sly, informal approach engages the audience in a shared sense of possibility, solutions, and communal partnership. He is a model of curiosity and learning, gently advocating a new commitment to measuring progress. As a city, Olympia is well down this road, and Salmonpeople was and is a tremendous catalyst for deepening the conversation."

- Mark Foutch, Mayor of Olympia, Washington

"I was riveted, wanting to see where the story was heading. The story unfolds in layers like an onion skin, each layer revealing deeper and deeper meaning. Salmonpeople is an utterly original and intelligently crafted work of art. It was a very moving experience."

- Joanne Day, Information Coordinator, Fisheries & Oceans Canada

"Peter Donaldson is a performer’s performer… I’ve now seen Salmonpeople three times, first as a rough cut, second in audience testing and finally as a complete production. It is an amazing show… Simply put, the character of Cyrus Jackson is a perfect cipher for the many views of economics, science, culture, law, policy and ecosystems surrounding the fate of Pacific Salmon. Donaldson’s character, Cyrus, is not, however, a salmon or environmental expert or activist. Cyrus, like many other people, is a complex, thoughtful and occasionally puzzled, self taught modern day citizen who cares deeply about salmon, people and common sense."

- Peter M. Lavigne, President and CEO, Rivers Foundation of the Americas

"Brilliant performance! Peter connects with an audience in a most profound and unique way - one that fills each with the feeling that he is talking directly and perhaps, only, to him or her."

- Toni Sar'h Petrinovich, Whidbey Island

"Marvelous. I was totally drawn in, intrigued, and curious, and touched, and inspired, and entertained, and delighted and very grateful."

- Jean Eisele, Professor, University of Washington at Bothell

"Powerful and intricate, the show has meaning for lots of different ages and types of people. I loved the drawing of the map right in front of us.  I'd love to see your Leonardo show.  You have a Henry Fonda like quality as an actor, and an amazing ability to focus with complete concentration, yet accommodate serendipitous happenings."

- Annie Phillips, Department of Ecology, Retired, Mercer Island

"Salmonpeople is the realization of an essential insight and the deepest "making real" of the history of our region. I have only praise. Peter Donaldson has proven himself to be an astute observer and terrific performer - we saw his one man theater piece LEONARDO da VINCI and it was truly entertaining and revealing!"

- Sara Mahl Johani, Creator of Soul Salmon, Olympic Peninsula

"Nothing compares to the journey I experienced attending a performance of Salmonpeople. It is through Cyrus’ story that we can begin to explore our own personal connections to the watersheds that surround us, and begin to understand the lesson that salmon have to teach us if we truly want to live in a sustainable manner. This show is about much more than salmon and there seems to be a layer in this story for everyone. The manner in which it is presented serves as a powerful catalyst for a deeper dialogue on the concepts of stewardship and sustainability. Thank you Peter Donaldson."

- Jennifer Sutherst, Education and Outreach, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

"My daughter and I saw your performance of Salmonpeople and we both just loved it! We laughed, cried, and went home feeling hopeful, indignant and very, very moved. It was just magical. Have you seen Lee Stetson give John Muir performances in Yosemite Valley? Your show is just as phenomenal! Thanks for your wonderful work."

- Catherine F. Clarke, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA