About
I am Stijn van Erp, a theater maker and teacher, passionate about the power of encounter. After graduating in 2016 from the Theater Academy Maastricht, I have been creating performances, installations, and social interventions that invite people to see each other and the world in new ways.
My work lies at the intersection of art and society. In recent years, I have increasingly focused on projects in neighborhoods, using theater to strengthen social cohesion and address societal issues. Whether it’s creating shared spaces for storytelling or activating collective imagination, my work is always about connection and exploring the social space we share.
In addition to my work as a theater maker, I teach improvisation, theater, and communication. I help people boost their creativity, spontaneity, and self-confidence, both on stage and in daily life. My approach is playful, accessible, and focused on fostering connection and personal growth.
Theatre
I focus on theatre that connects and shows real stories. Where you see 'humans', in all their vulnerabilities. I strive to create moments where we can let go and be open to new discoveries. I always question life and the way we live it emotionally or socially. Somehow that always ends up with 'being in the now'. The only moment where connection and contact are possible.
ONS EILAND
The theater performance Ons Eiland (our island) was created in the neighborhood Woensel-West in Eindhoven. The residents play the leading role and the neighborhood is the backdrop.
As a spectator you walk a route through the neighborhood. You visit living rooms, a backyard and the community building in the middle of the neighborhood. A different story unfolds at each location. A story from behind the front door. This way you get to know the residents of Woensel-West in a special way.
BOTERBAZEN
the podcast
The 3D audio theatre walk Boterbazen has been adapted and can also be listened to as a podcast . This walking podcast is accessible to everyone and can be listened to for free.
In about 1 hour you walk through the center of Oss and you are invited to look at the city differently. So it is not your standard city walk with historical facts, but you will be taken into a story written especially for this purpose, inspired by interviews with residents from Oss.
BOTERBAZEN
Boterbazen is a 3D audio theatre walk in the center of Oss. You walk with headphones on along various historical places and buildings in Oss. The city center serves as the scenery and radiant center of the walk. Through the combination of audio, music, theater and dance you get to know the city in a different way. You come to places you have never been before or have passed by hundreds of times and are invited to see these places with different eyes.
STROOM
The performance 'STROOM' (stream) is an attempt to make the inner monologue, a STREAM of thoughts, audible and a quest to let go of it in order to be present. You are taken into a STREAM of words that reveal an inner world and you follow the actor in his quest to let go of thoughts and arrive in the now.
ATOOM
The performance ATOOM (atom) searches for connection. How were and are we connected to each other? It tells the atomic story. The beginning. The origin of everything. How the atoms came into existence and have had billions of lives in the first plants, animals, dinosaurs, in Albert Einstein, Hitler and ultimately in everything that lives today. It builds a bridge to the now. How are we still connected to each other in this day and age? And can we still become aware of that connection?