Métis playwright’s Rougarou springs from scary tale told by grandfather

It’s been more than two decades since Damion LeClair first heard the story of Rougarou, a shape-shifting creature that inspires fear and obedience.

Now the 31-year-old Métis playwright is gearing up to present his play titled Rougarou as part of the SummerWorks Performance Festival in Toronto, which runs Aug. 1 to Aug. 11.

Rougarou will be performed on Aug. 3 at 9 p.m. and on Aug. 4 at 3:45 p.m. Both shows will be at the Aki Studio.

“It was something that I heard when I was a kid,” LeClair said of the story. “My grandpa would always tell stories that his mom told him when he was a kid. So, he would originally tell me these fable stories that would revolve around this shape-shifting creature that would basically haunt you if you’ve done something to upset the Creator or if you’ve done something bad in your life.

“He will basically haunt you until you’ve proven that you’re sorry or you take back those bad deeds that you’ve done.”

LeClair, who is now 31, was born in Hamilton, Ont., but they have been living in Vancouver for the past eight years.

LeClair attended the University of Windsor’s dramatic arts program. Once the COVID-19 pandemic started they opted to return to school at Studio 58, the professional theatre training school at Vancouver’s Langara College. LeClair graduated last spring.

“When I was graduating (from Studio 58), part of the things that is required of us for our final exam is we have to write a solo show,” LeClair said. “So, I knew I wanted to create something that was horror based. I love horror. I think it’s something where you can really explore stories and ideas and concepts that don’t normally get explored.

“You’re really able to dive into some difficult subject matter and explore it in a really unique way that you aren’t able to in any other genre.”

“It was just something that was in the back of my mind,” LeClair said of the Rougarou story.

 When it was time to write a play required to graduate, LeClair opted to use the Rougarou story and put a twist to it.

The play features a character named Renee, who has never stopped looking for a sister who went missing and was possibly murdered along a highway in British Columbia.

Renee, played by Métis actor Lynny Jeanne-Marie Bonin, ends up being stalked by Rougarou.

LeClair was keen to incorporate the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls into the play.

“It’s something that is still happening,” they said. “It’s something that I feel the mainstream audience and collective society, they know about it but I don’t think they realize how prevalent the problem still is within our society.”

It was only about 15 years ago that LeClair’s grandfather revealed details about the family’s Métis ancestry.

“It was something that he really hid from my mom for a very long time,” LeClair said. “It wasn’t until I was older that she said we were Métis. I was about 16 when we really dove into our family lineage. And that’s really when we started exploring more about our culture and where his family came from.”

LeClair had originally workshopped Rougarou at Native Earth Performing Arts’ Weesageechak Begins to Dance festival last year.

And despite the upcoming two Toronto showings, LeClair is still working on the play.

What does it still need?

“A more solidified ending and a trajectory of where the character is going,” LeClair said. “I basically have a solidified first act. And I kind of want to use the audience members for SummerWorks to see what they want to see out of it.”

There will be a question and answer period after the second performance.
“And we’re also going to be doing a survey,” LeClair added. “So, basically you scan your phone and at the end you answer a bunch of questions, like what you thought of the piece, where you want the piece to go, what you think is missing. That sort of thing.”

Rougarou will also be performed at the Ruby Slipper's Advance Theatre Festival in Vancouver this coming January.

Tickets for Rougarou and all other SummerWorks productions are available at https://summerworks.ca/tickets-2024/

Local Journalism Initiative Reporters are supported by a financial contribution made by the Government of Canada.