Play underscores Lacombe the man

Every school-aged child in St. Albert knows about Father Albert Lacombe, but like many iconic figures, the French-Canadian Roman Catholic missionary has been elevated to such a high pedestal we’ve lost contact with what made the man tick.

Rooney and Punyi Educational Theatre Productions are bringing the man back to his roots by staging Interview History with Father Albert Lacombe at St. Albert Catholic Parish tomorrow at 2 p.m.

Similarly styled to Oprah’s talk shows, the 30-minute theatrical presentation has host Maureen Rooney interview Lacombe (Paul Punyi) in a conversational question-and-answer format.

“He was a storyteller, a man of action and faith. He connected with people because he was not afraid to get dirty,” explains Rooney. “The audience gets to know him on an emotional level — what frightened him, what he was passionate about and what moved people. The audience sees his different emotions — frustration, anger, elation, joy, fear.”

“The audience will feel greatly inspired by the performance in the same way we were greatly inspired by researching him,” she adds.

The St. Albert husband and wife team of Punyi and Rooney have long carved a niche for themselves in the local theatrical scene by recreating historical figures that offer personal insights into their characters.

While Punyi has taken on the roles of Vladimir Lenin, Louis Riel, Leonardo Da Vinci and William Shakespeare, Rooney has swished across stage as Catherine the Great, Nellie McClung and Irene Parlby, the latter two being members of the Famous Five.

Last year, the Catholic parish commissioned the duo to present this work for St. Albert’s 150th anniversary. Researching the priest nicknamed “Man of Good Heart” was easy, Rooney says.

“The nice thing about Father Lacombe is that he kept a lot of diaries. The hard thing was choosing which stories to tell.”

Born in Saint-Sulpice, Lower Canada, the duo discovered his grandmother was Ojibwa and that he spoke three European languages and later learned four aboriginal languages. “He was very smart, but the last thing he wanted to be was a parish priest. He wanted to be an adventurer.”

Rooney explains Lacombe’s dream was to see Europeans, Métis and First Nations people working together to build a western frontier. To that end, he settled the fertile rich banks of the Sturgeon River, brokered peace between the warring Blackfoot and Cree and spread the word of Christ in a small tent, using a picture book he devised.

Aiding in this intimate look at history, Punyi has developed gestures and a francophone accent and will wear the Oblate’s cassock complete with a cross around his neck.

Like many of his previous characters, Lacombe has touched Punyi deeply. “Sometimes I feel his personality has really entered me. I feel a calmness. I feel very moved by his story.”

A reception will be held after the event with food favourites of 19th century First Nations and European settlers.