Red Sky Performance and Toronto Symphony Orchestra have announced the world premiere of She Holds Up the Stars, an Indigenous-led production for young audiences, and anyone who enjoys storytelling and immersive performance. It’s based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Sandra Laronde, and takes the stage at Roy Thomson Hall on April 19 for two public performances.
There will also be school shows from April 13 to 18.
The multidisciplinary immersive production includes theatre and large-scale puppetry with live orchestral music. It’s a coming of age story with themes that revolve around belonging, connection, identity, and our relationship to the land.
Written, created, and directed by Sandra Laronde, She Holds Up the Stars was commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in association with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, TO Live, and the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund.
“When I was first writing She Holds Up the Stars, I knew that I didn’t want the words to only sit on the page; I wanted them to lift, to move, to breathe and to be embodied,” says Laronde in a statement.
“This production weaves storytelling, movement, music, visual design — and even life-sized puppets — into a bold hybrid that centres an Indigenous girl’s inner life — her intelligence, emotional depth, humour, and relationship to land and family. I want young people, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to see themselves authentically reflected in this story, and to recognize that their lives hold beauty, complexity, and — most of all — possibility.”
She Holds Up the Stars, published in 2023 by Annick Press, won the Horace Mann Upstander Award and was named one of CBC Books’ Best Canadian Books for Young Adults. It follows the story of a young Indigenous girl named Misko. She has moved to the Rez to live with her grandmother, and she’s searching for her mother, who as gone missing. At her grandmother’s, she finds a connection with a wild horse who’s been captured and broken by ranchers, but still holds his spirited. Their friendship sends Misko on an emotional journey of healing.
Laronde was inspired by her own experiences as a member of the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water) in northeastern Ontario. She grew up longing for stories by Indigenous writers that connected with her own roots and culture, reflecting her connections with the land, along with the realistic inner life of a young person living in a complicated world.
“I grew up with a deep connection to land that I wanted to explore in She Holds Up the Stars,” says Laronde. “The story speaks to kinship and relationship to the environment, not ownership. By inviting audiences of all ages to experience the land as alive and relational, the work encourages care and stewardship rooted in respect. I want audiences to feel this relationship as a source of deep joy.”
Laronde partnered with award-winning UK puppet designer Nick Barnes in order to create the life-sized horse puppet. Three performers will bring the horse to life on stage as they move together as a single entity, including Troy Feldman (heart), Brad Cook (hind), and Dayna Tietzan (head).
A happy puppy puppet balances out the horse’s vibrant presence on stage, puppeteered by Jainee Fernandez.
The score was created by longtime RSP and TSO collaborator, composer Eliot Britton. Trevor Wilson will conduct members of the TSO, with pre-recorded vocals by Jen Brousseau and Don Kavanaugh.
The orchestra will appear on stage in an unusual configuration. The conductor will face the audience, with the orchestra members sitting three-quarters turned, to add to the immersive, three-dimensional performance.
“We’re proud to commission She Holds Up the Stars as part of our long-standing collaboration with Sandra Laronde and Red Sky Performance,” says Mark Williams, TSO’s Beck Family CEO.
“This work reflects what matters to us as an orchestra today — creating the conditions for powerful storytelling, centring voices and experiences that resonate deeply, and ensuring young people across our city can see themselves reflected on our stage.”
Red Sky Performance is Indigenous-led, created by executive and artistic director Sandra Laronde (Misko Kizhigoo Migizii Kwe—“Red Sky Eagle Woman”).
The cast for She Holds Up the Stars includes both Indigenous and non-Indigenous actors: Julia Davis (Misko), James Gerus (Thomas, a boy who lives on the ranch), Marsha Knight (Kokum, the grandmother), Hilary Wheeler (Shoshana), Geoffrey Pounsett (Mr. Turner), Mike Shara (Mr. Desjardins), and Kehew Buffalo (Nelson).
The creative and production team includes: Sandra Laronde (Book, Creator, and Director), Eliot Britton (Music & Sound Design), Nick Barnes (Puppetry Design), Scarlet Wilderink (Puppetry & Movement Director), Jason Hand (Lighting Design), Ken Mackenzie (Scenic Prop Design), Lesley Hampton (Costume Design), Febby Tan (Video Design), Dayna Tietzan (Puppetry Associate), and Amelia Blaine (Design of Other Puppetry).
Red Sky Performance and Toronto Symphony Orchestra present She Holds Up the Stars.
Public performances take place on April 19, 2026 at 1:30 and 4 p.m. at Roy Thomson Hall.
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