STO Union

Overview

STO Union is a multidisciplinary art and performance company that brings together artists from a variety of mediums in the creation of original contemporary theatre, installations, live art and video for presentation locally, regionally, in Canada and abroad. Founded in 1992 in Toronto by artistic director Nadia Ross, STO Union has cultivated new forms and techniques within the theatrical tradition in order to reflect and respond to our evolving culture. Productions are characterized by an un-spectacular approach to staging, focusing on the simple human interaction in all its complexity. Since 2005, STO Union has been based in the Ottawa-Outaouais region.

STO Union’s productions have premiered in Canada either at established venues in Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal. The company has presented its work at numerous international theatre festivals and venues, including: Festival TransAmériques (Montreal, QC); Magnetic North (Ottawa, ON); UCLA Live! (Los Angeles, California); The Rotterdamse Schouwburg (Rotterdam, Netherlands); Kulturhuset (Stockholm, Sweden); Hebbel Theater (Berlin, Germany); Théâtres du Monde and FTA (Montréal, Canada); The Simple Life Festival (Berlin, Germany); Belfast Theatre Festival (Belfast, Ireland); Theater Regentes (The Hague, The Netherlands); The Hong Kong Festival (Hong Kong); The Melbourne International Theatre Festival (Melbourne, Australia); Kunstenfestivaldesarts (Brussels, Belgium); Vienna Festwochen (Vienna, Austria); Theater der Welt (Bonn, Germany); Mousonturm Kunstlerhaus (Frankfurt, Germany); Theatre Grand Junction (Calgary, Alberta); The Meteor Festival (Bergen, Norway); The Baltic Festival (St. Petersburg, Russia). STO Union’s play Recent Experiences has had international productions mounted by other companies: Stuttgart Stadt Theater (Stuttgart, Germany); Tehran Center for Dramatic Arts (Tehran, Iran). STO Union’s productions and its collaborators have won awards, including Chalmers and Dora Awards.

Mandate

1. To explore new methods of theatre creation and production.

2. To disseminate our creations locally, nationally and internationally in order to contribute to the cultural landscape in a significant and long-term way and to contribute to the presence of Canadian artists abroad.

3. To foster a new generation of theatre artists who wish to explore methods of theatre creation and production by offering training and mentoring initiatives and by supporting new and emerging talent at all levels of dissemination.

Our Process

STO Union’s method of production is described as organic, process oriented, and experiential, operating in a highly structured development space. The increasing self-awareness of participants as they are placed in shifting contexts assists the material construction, destruction, and synthesis toward a stage-ready product. Underlying the final product is the notion that despite the consistency of the final script, nothing is static. Given this distinction, the presence of STO Union locally, nationally and internationally ensures a diversity of form and a range of productions reflective of the world we live in and reflective of citizens asking difficult questions and seeking deeper meaning.

Production Highlights

What Happened to the Seeker? (2014) dir. Nadia Ross

2014: As part of The Theatre Centre’s inaugural Tracy Wright Global Archive, Toronto, ON, Canada

Good News from the Sun pt 2 (2014) dir. Nadia Ross

2014: Theatre Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada

Can We Talk (2014) dir. Sarah Conn

2014: Intrepid Theatre’s Winterlab Festival, Victoria BC, Canada

2014: Great Canadian Theatre Company’s undercurrents festival, Ottawa ON Canada

Intimacy with a Thousand Things (2013) dir. Nadia Ross

2013: Workshop presentation. Ottawa Dance Directive, Ottawa, Canada

2012: Workshop presentation, Brut Kunstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria

2010: Workshop presentation, Playwrights’ Workshop Montreal, Montreal Quebec

Rituals for the Unfamiliar (2013) dir. Sarah Conn

2014: In the Soil, St Catherines ON Canada

2013: SubDevision, Ottawa ON Canada

Conversations with Strangers (2012) dir. Sarah Conn

2012: SubDevision, Ottawa ON Canada

2012: SummerWorks, Toronto ON, Canada

Epiphany (2011) dir. Nadia Ross

2012: Brut Kunstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria (titled “Aha! Alt Erlaa”)

2011: Theatre Wakefield New Works project, Wakefield Quebec (titled “True Human Stories”)

7 Important Things (2007) dir. Nadia Ross and George Acheson

Premiered in May 2007 at the National Arts Centre as part of their English Theatre season.

2013: SummerWorks, Toronto ON, Canada

2011: Stockholm Stadsteater, Stockholm, Sweden

2011: Teaterhuset Avant Garden Trondheim, Norway

2011: Black Box Theatre (festival) Oslo, Norway

2009: Baltic Theatre Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia

2009: Calgary, Theatre Junction Grand, Canada

2009: Bergen BIT Teaterfarasjen Festival, Norway

2008: The Melbourne International Arts Festival, Melbourne, Australia

2008: The Rotterdam International Theatre Festival, Netherlands

2008: Brut Kunstlerhaus, Vienna, Austria

2008: Hebbel Theater, Berlin, Germany

2008: FTA, Montreal, Québec

2007: National Arts Centre of Canada

2006: Workshop, National Arts Centre of Canada

2006: Workshop Wakefield Recreation Centre, Québec

Revolutions in Therapy (2004) - dirs. Nadia Ross and Jacob Wren

Premiered in May 2004 as part of Festival de Théâtre des Amériques

2006: Los Angeles, UCLA Live, USA

2006: Rotterdam schouwburg Rotterdam, Netherlands

2006: Stockholm kulturhuset, Sweden

2005: Berlin’s Hebbel Theater, Germany

2005: Germany’s Theater der Welt, Germany

2005: Toronto premiere at Artword Theatre, Canada

2004: Montreal’s Théâtre du Monde (International premiere), Québec

2003: Workshop Toronto’s Theatre Centre, Canada

2003: Workshop Wakefield, Black Sheep Inn, Québec

Recent Experiences (2000) - dirs. Nadia Ross and Jacob Wren

Premiered in April 2000 at the Theatre Centre, Toronto

2006: Los Angeles, UCLA Live, U.S.A.

2004: The Simple Life Festival – Berlin, Germany

2004: Belfast Theatre Festival, Ireland

2004: Theater Regentes, The Hague, Netherlands

2003: The Hong Kong Festival – Hong Kong, China

2002: The Melbourne International Theatre Festival – Melbourne, Australia

2002: Kunstenfestivaldesarts – Brussels, Belgium

2002: Vienna Festwochen – Vienna, Austria

2002: Theater der Welt – Bonn, Germany

2002: Mousonturm Kunstlerhaus – Frankfurt, Germany

2001: Le Festival de Théâtre des Amériques /Montreal (Intern. premiere) Québec

2000: The Theatre Centre – Toronto premiere, Canada

International productions of play by other groups: 2003/2004 Stuttgart Stadt Theater, Germany 2003: Tehran Center for Dramatic Arts, Iran Iranian production has since toured to a number of international locations.

Early Work

1995: Excerpts from the Emo Journals. A Nadia Ross and Daniel MacIvor collaboration. Dora Award for Richard Feren, sound design.

1994: The Alistair Trilogy. And Nadia Ross and Diane Cave collaboration. Chalmers Award for best new production in Ontario.

Artistic Team

STO Union's model is collaborative. Currently, the majority of the work being created at STO Union is made by either Nadia Ross (the company's senior artist) or Sarah Conn (the company's emerging artist). Nadia's work is often based in Wakefield, QC whereas Sarah's work is based out of Ottawa, ON. Both localities are part of the larger region known as "Ottawa/Outaouais".

STO Union consists of: Nadia Ross, Artistic Director Sarah Conn, Artistic Producer George Acheson, Artistic Associate Rob Scott, Technical Director

STO Union’s agents are: Menno Plukker Theatre Agent (Sarah Rogers and Menno Plukker)