The Empty Stage
The Empty Stage invites the audience to respond to an empty stage. Based on a drawing of the HAU1 theater in Berlin—a performance venue built in the early 20th century—the project proposes a simple gesture: to pause, take time, and imagine. Drawing by hand is a slow, physical, and direct act that opposes acceleration and automation. Participants are invited to draw, write, or trace whatever comes to mind. Some drawings are shared and join those of other audiences across various festivals around the world, forming a constellation of responses to the same stage, at different times and in different places.
STO Union creates spaces for reflection, connection, and creativity, offering intimate and original artistic experiences that resonate with the human need to belong, to understand, and to feel deeply. Through its thoughtful, innovative, and often fun approach, STO Union brings clarity and meaning to the complexity of life, leaving lasting connections to ourselves and others.
For over thirty years, STO Union productions have won awards and toured nationally and internationally. Projects connect artists of all levels of experience and engage all art forms to create public experiences that resonate with realness and intimacy. Projects come in many sizes, from larger mainstage touring shows or large community collaborations to much smaller intimate black box performances or small community engaged actions.
Tanja Al Kayyali, drawing
Ross is the 2016 recipient of the Siminovitch Prize, Canada’s most prestigious prize in Theatre. She has also been awarded a Contra-Guy Award, a Dora Mavor Moore Award (ensemble), and is a co-winner of the Chalmers’ award. Her work has been presented at venues and festivals in Canada and across four continents. Ross has chosen to create her work on the periphery. Born, raised and returned to the rural Outaouais region of Quebec, Ross engages the residents of her small town and the West Quebec region as inspiration for STO Union’s national and international touring productions. Recognized for her fierce vision, Ross’ projects consistently challenge what we think a stage is and what kinds of stories are being told on it. Under Ross’ direction, the company produces completely unique creations bringing together amateurs and professionals, rural and urban, anglophone and francophone, and a kaleidoscope of art forms to create public experiences that resonate with realness and intimacy.