Popcorn Elder play addresses healing relationships between fathers and sons

Actor Sam Bob can't wait to make his debut performance this week at Meacham, Sask.'s Dancing Sky Theatre.

Bob will be starring in Popcorn Elder, the latest play from Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre. Written by local playwright Curtis Peeteetuce, the play tells the story of a father and son as they reconcile after years of conflict.

"Wally is just a funny character with a big heart," said Bob. "He tries everything in his books to win his son over after his son gets out of jail."

Bob, a veteran of Vancouver's film and TV scene,  was drawn to the play's strong emphasis on family dynamics.

"I've got a son around the same age as the play," he said. "And I can totally relate to that. It's universal. It doesn't matter —Native, white, whatever. I think fathers and sons, (sometimes) they don't quite gel."

Bob was taken to a residential school when he was just six years old. While he said that impacted on his relationship with his own father, he said he managed to eventually turn it around.

"The therapeutic value in talking is very important," he said. "I was taken away from my family when I was six years old. And my anger was sort of reflected in the same sort of manner that a six-year-old would hold on to. I had to realize that it wasn't my fault, that it wasn't my parents' fault."

Popcorn Elder opens Friday at Dancing Sky Theatre until May 15. It then runs at Gordon Tootoosis Nikaniwin Theatre from May 19-29.