Two Shows, One Wild Day

I had the most thrilling experience of my career as an actor this spring. It was April of 2025 when I found out I booked a lead part in the world premiere of She Holds Up the Stars. The stage production is based on the novel by Sandra Laronde, a gifted writer, director and choreographer who is a member of the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe and grew up in Temagami.

I would have to wait a year to finally put on the show at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall in April 2026, backed by the sweet sounds of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. It was only later that I’d realize how extra special this would be to experience. 

The play, designed for both kids and adults, centres around Indigenous identity with a story about family and friendship. I got to make lots of friends from the Indigenous community, and others from across Canada who came together to put on the show from early March to late April. 

There were several puppets central to the play, including an enormous horse operated by three accomplished puppeteers, some of them Cirque du Soleil veterans. The puppets were created by the same puppeteers who worked on Life of Pi at the Ed Mirvish Theatre in 2024. Needless to say, this was a one-of-a-kind artistic performance to be part of.

I’m happy to say I was ready. Growing up in Mono, I developed my craft from a young age at Theatre Orangeville, taking part in their summer Young Company, and the Theatre Orangeville Youth Singers, and acting in my first professional play, The Giant’s Garden, at the age of 13. All of that training led me to the pinnacle of my career to date. 

While our rehearsal days ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Meridian Hall on Front Street, transferring to Roy Thomson Hall and performing the shows was a different beast altogether. 

Here is how it went the day of the premiere.

9:30 A.M. I wake up at my lovely home away from home – my apartment in the Parkdale neighbourhood. I make breakfast and enjoy sipping on a coffee on my patio. I take the time to set my mind with some relaxed breathing and go over some notes in my script. 

10:20 A.M. I hop onto the King streetcar as it heads directly to Roy Thomson Hall. 

11:50 A.M. I arrive at the theatre. Actors, musicians and crew enter through the back security entrance. I say good morning to some of the producers and technicians before heading to my dressing room. 

12 P.M. Some actors and musicians walk onto the Roy Thomson Hall stage to warm up before the show. I enjoy going out there to mentally take in how much I have to project so people sitting at the back can hear my performance. On top of that I do some stretching to get my body nimble and ready – I don’t want to pull a muscle during the show! The Toronto Symphony Orchestra members are around us, doing warm ups on their instruments. 

The cast, puppeteers and stage manager meet in one of the larger greenrooms backstage where we do a run-through of the play to cement our lines and rework some blocking. Once this is done, a few of the cast members play an impromptu game of four square before heading back to our dressing rooms. 

12:30 P.M. Time to get into my costume. I play Thomas, the leading male role. He is a young farm boy whose dad breeds horses and is teaching him how to break them. Next to our property is a reserve and it’s here where I meet Misko, the lead of the play. Misko takes a liking to one of my horses and we learn to train the horse in a more compassionate way. 

1 P.M. Time for my sound check. Being in a theatre with over 2,500 seats, actors very much need to be mic’d up. The sound technician secures the mic on me and we test to make sure the sound is working (“Check, 1, 2”) and we’re good to go. 

1:25 P.M. Places are called and I head to stage left as I am the first actor who walks out on stage. 

1:30 P.M. The lights dim, the audience applauds, and the conductor raises his wand to get the orchestra together. A beautiful land acknowledgement is announced and then the first musical notes of the show ring out. The stunning horse puppet, and its three puppeteers, debuts first to the audible awe of the audience. I come out a few seconds later, trying to break the horse. The dialogue starts and we are off!

2:30 P.M. The show is exactly one hour long, so it has no intermission. I am done with the first of two shows. We make our bows and head off-stage. 

The cast changes out of most of our costumes and lunch is served. Today it is sandwiches and wraps. We chat about the show that just took place and discuss some discoveries we made while performing. 

3 P.M. It’s back to our dressing rooms, getting back into character and warming up our voices and bodies again as the lunch was delicious but it is weighing us down a bit. We are mic’d up again and we chat while we wait, including with the orchestra members this time. 

4 P.M. The second show begins. 

5 P.M. The show ends and we bow. We head backstage, get back into our regular clothes and meet as a cast. We decide to head out to Warehouse on Queen Street to reflect on the show over a drink.

10 P.M. I come back to my place, relax and look forward to a nice slumber after that physical workday.