Sheldon Elter gets to the point in his comedic and sometimes heart-breaking Métis Mutt. (Marc J Chalifoux Photography 2017)

By Glenn Hicks

Stage stories

Comedic reflections on a Metis childhood

May 1, 2019 | 12:00 PM

An award-winning, one-man show which recounts the strife of an indigenous and mixed heritage young man comes to Prince Albert for the first time since its creation 18 years ago. It’s filled with humour, and while the subject matter is also sometimes heavy, the star of the show insists the aim is not to make audiences feel uncomfortable.

Sheldon Elter will perform his Métis Mutt, an often hilarious and heart-breaking self-reflective account of his struggles as an adolescent with an abusive alcoholic father.

The play, set in 1998, was first performed in 2001 and Elter, who hails from northern Alberta, says part of its appeal over the years is its truth.

“I used to worry if people would want to listen to me talk about my life,” Elter told paNOW. “ But you start to realize the more truth I tell the more human I become and that’s what makes it more relatable, whether you’re Indigenous or not.”

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Elter, a Métis actor, writer, stand-up comic, musician and director, has taken the performance across the nation and even to New Zealand where he said audiences there could relate the content to the struggles of the Indigenous Maori population. The original monologue has also been used as a motivational speaking tool at schools to help students build confidence.

The performance is part story-telling, stand-up comedy, and multi-character vignettes.

“I get to show people an Indigenous man who is living today; not just about how we suffered, but it’s about living and surviving and how we adapt and identify now,” he said.

I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad – _{Sheldon Elter}

Métis Mutt follows Elter’s journey out of a destructive cycle and encompasses storytelling and stand-up comedy. The story exposes the impact of family dysfunction, internalized racism, and the significance of embracing life’s choices.

While much of the content tackles Canada’s serious racial heritage, Elter says the play has been revised and modified over the years to ensure all audiences are comfortable enough to embrace and enjoy the messages. For example there’s ‘laugh track’ audio to inform the audience that it’s okay to know there are some sections of the play that aren’t funny.

“There’s nothing fun about feeling like you’re entrapped, like ‘you were setting me up to laugh and now you’re going to make me feel bad?’ I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad, I’m just trying to show them who I was, what I thought was funny, and that people would laugh at.”

The play runs from May 2 through May 4 at the Art Mann Gallery.

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow