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CARRABASSETT VALLEY — Storyteller Michael Parent will be performing at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, in the Begin Family Community Room at the public library and community center.
Parent is a raconteur, an entertainer who tells stories with skill, music and wit. It’s a word derived from the French, “raconteur,” meaning to tell.
Parent, of Portland, began his raconteur career in 1977, when be combined his professional teaching experience with his talents for singing and storytelling. His Franco-American heritage provided him with the knowledge of songs and stories he learned growing up in Lewiston, where he was surrounded by family who spoke both French and English.
“The stories are sprinkled with humor and very sing-able songs, because I provide sheets with words to encourage and invite the audience to sing along, which they usually do,” Parent said.
Franco-Americans enjoy a rich history of storytelling handed down through generations of raconteurs. Parent revives this custom by conducting workshops and educational entertainment with a focus on storytelling. French raconteurs, of course, learned their storytelling talents from ancestors who carried their skills to New France from the medieval times.
“Telling stories is an entertaining way of sharing the Franco-American culture and teaching it to others,” he said.
Parent created an award winning audio, “Sundays at Grandma’s” and a one-man show titled “Grandpa’s Birthday,” based on stories he collected from his family and members of the Franco-American community. This event is free and open to the public. All ages welcome. Donations appreciated.
