Good News from the Sun (Part 1)
2012–2013 | Theatre
Good News from the Sun (Part 1) was created by Nadia Ross in collaboration with five young women from the Outaouais. Developed over two years in Wakefield, Quebec, the production explores coming of age, friendship and the larger forces that draw us into adulthood.
At the heart of the work is an encounter between five young women and a middle-aged woman who questions them about their lives. The young performers respond with remarkable openness and trust, raising questions about the relationship between the director and performers, the dynamics of power between generations, and the willingness of young people to make their private lives public.
What emerges repeatedly is the young women’s optimism. Is their trust in the world simply the naïveté of youth, or does it reveal something that adults have lost through the experience of living? What might we learn from their openness, and what might we remember about our own younger selves?
Photos: Nadia Ross
Direct and questioning, Good News from the Sun (Part 1) examines the transitions of growing up while exposing the complicated relationships between age, authority, vulnerability and trust.
The production was presented on June 15, 2013, as part of the Encounter Series at Ottawa’s Magnetic North Theatre Festival.
Following the presentation, Good News from the Sun (Part 1) was invited to tour. However, delays in scheduling the touring dates meant that, by the time the performances could take place, the young cast had grown older and moved on with their lives. Rather than replace the performers, STO Union found another way to continue the project.
The result was Good News from the Sun (Part 2), a video work incorporating puppetry. The young performers became puppets, allowing the project to continue in an entirely different form.
Learn more about Good News from the Sun (Part 2).
Artistic and Production Credits
Directed by: Nadia Ross
Created by: Nadia Ross in collaboration with Nancy Hildinger, Natasha Grimard, Mara McCallum, Maddie McKinnell and Hannen Sabean
Performed by: Nancy Hildinger, Natasha Grimard, Mara McCallum, Maddie McKinnell, Hannen Sabean and Nadia Ross, with Charlotte Galvani and Joshua Wayner
Stage management: Rob Scott
Performance History
2013 — Ottawa, Canada
Magnetic North Theatre Festival — Encounter Series
June 15, 2013
Support
STO Union gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Funding was provided through the Roadmap for Canada’s Official Languages 2013–2018: Education, Immigration, Communities.