Fences can divide us, but when something is shared in common it can overcome that barrier. That something could be a horse, and the story of Mistatim is about a wild horse that brings people together. Red Sky Performance will be doing 36 shows in Saskatchewan, including shows at Springside Elementary School on March 28 and at Langenburg Central School and Saltcoats School on March 29 through a tour with OSAC.
Sandra Laronde, executive and artistic director for Red Sky Performance, explains that it’s a story of reconciliation for children and families, told through the taming of the horse who gives the play its title – Mistatim simply means “horse” in both Cree and Ojibwe. The story is told through masks, dance, theatre, storytelling and music.
“There’s a fence that separates a reservation and a ranch, and both sides have never gone over that fence before. There’s a girl named Speck who is on the reservation side of that fence, and a boy named Calvin who is on the ranch side, so they’ve never met,” Laronde said.
“The horse is very much the embodiment of all things indigenous, so he has a whole other way that he maps terrain. He is obviously not about being fenced in or being fenced out.”
The goal of the show was to have a story of reconciliation for children, because while many stories have been made for adults, children are the ones who will be growing up and living with in the world in the future. Laronde notes that sometimes children don’t realize that Cree is a language, or that residential schools are something that has happened in Canadian history.
“Children actually have a lot to teach us as adults because they don’t have all of the conditioning in the same way. They ask very honest, frank, straight up questions, very deep questions, and not so deep questions.”
The performance is going to schools of all sizes, and Laronde says that they don’t want to limit themselves based on venue size. Red Sky Performance is also planning a performance with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, for example, and for Laronde it’s part of a goal of reaching as many people as they possibly can.
“We really believe we belong everywhere, in every single venue.”
Getting to small schools is something that Red Sky makes a priority because live performance isn’t necessarily a part of a lot of people’s lives in smaller communities. While many kids are connected to the screen, live performance is something very different Laronde explains.
“It’s so impactful, because often you’re reaching people who have never been exposed to a professional show before or a professional production. Often they’re enthralled in a very different way, and it’s something that could potentially be memorable for the rest of their lives... Not just children, adults too.”
Laronde feels that Saskatchewan is the perfect fit for the story, as the demographics and the lay of the land are reflected in the story of Mistatim. They’re proud to be able to take the show to local schools, and thanks OSAC for being their partner in putting the tour together.
