Camilla Ross is an award winning, producer, actor and president of the company Emerson Theater Collaborative with locations in Sedona, AZ and Mystic, CT. She is also the Executive Director of the Arts Academy of Sedona.
“To be a catalyst for social change is really where it’s at for me. I believe theater should always be a venue for social change. I love the art of live theater and love what it does to the human soul and spirit. It moves us to look at life differently. To leave off the rose-colored glasses and really see the human condition.”
ACTOR
PRODUCER
DIRECTOR
LEADER
CONSULTANT
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THE ACTOR
When did your love of performing begin?
I was 12, and I always felt that this was something that was innate, because I love being other people. I loved to tell a story that shows the human condition and experience.
What was the first show you acted in?
I was a freshman at Emerson College and my very first show was called Family by Lisa Terry. She was an upperclassman and had written a play about her family. It was part of her educational moment at Emerson. I was young and just starting. For my first time in a major show, I did pretty well. I made mistakes and I learned from them.Building your confidence is key. Learning to trust yourself is important. Learning to trust others is equally as important.
What is your favorite role to play?
No question, Harriet Tubman. A One Woman show called Harriet Tubman’s Dream written by Lisa Giordano that I’ve performed frequently since 2009.
What’s the hardest thing about acting?
Staying focused. When you’re doing one woman shows it’s the focus that is needed to remember where you are in the script at any given moment. It’s just you on stage. There’s no one to give you a cue line. Being in the moment of the character helps with that. Another hard thing for actors is the learning of lines, It can be a daunting task and having a strategy for doing it the task helps. I was born to perform, and its hard work. And it’s a job that I really respect.
When I am working on a one woman show I learn my lines through the story line. I find connections to the words and moments in the script that connect me with those lines. Some like to do a line at a time and that also works.
What play would you like to act in that you haven’t already?
Whew, child, how about Raisin in the Sun written by Lorraine Vivian Hansberry an American playwright and author. She was the first African-American to ever have her play on Broadway. Or the awarding winning play Fences by August Wilson who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1987. Viola Davis won an Academy Award for her performance in the 2016 movie adaption with Denzel Washington.
How hard is it to self-direct, or make improvements in your own acting?
I don’t self-direct, and nor should you. As the actor I want a director who has a vision and full understanding of the actor’s needs. A director is there to help the actor improve on their own acting by giving direction that will enhance the characters in which the actor portrays.
HARRIET TUBMAN | YEAR
ALMOST MAINE | 2023
Was there a moment where you realized you needed to do more than act?
Yes, while auditioning I did not want to wait on tables and I needed to make sure that I could eat so I did bookkeeping on the side which would eventually turn into the teaching job that I have now. I wasn’t a starving actor. I was a thriving actor because I saw the need before it arose.
How did you end up in the military? How did that help you as a producer, director and/or consultant?
I came from very humble and hard working parents. I needed a away to pay for college. The National Guard in the 80s had the student. loan repayment program so I decide to join the Guard while I was in college under Delayed Entry Program.
What’s the one thing actors should do more often overlook early in their career?
Be proactive on your journey of becoming an actor. So Many actors don’t network. Networking is the difference of getting a role and not getting one. It’s important. Many of the roles I’ve gotten is because I’ve done my homework in knowing who is doing what and where. Being multi-talented is a blessing. Going the extra mile to be part of the industry. Attend acting classes stay fresh and ahead of the curve. Listen to the professionals in the industry who’ve done the work. Don’t be afraid to collaborate and do the jobs that others don’t want to do. Stage Management is a good skill to have. It connects you to the industry in so many ways. Take pride in your work! And Be KIND!
Who would you have loved to study under or work with?
I would have loved to study and work with Cicley Tyson. When I was 12 and in an English class, the teacher was reading the book, Sounder by William Armstrong, because the movie was going to be shown on television. I listened to her read the book and then I watched that movie and my world changed. I loved Cicley Tyson. She was one of a kind. Her professionalism and love of the crafted moved me to want to pursue acting more.
Diannah Carroll was another classic actor, along with Dorothy Dandridge. And of course, Denzel Washington, who wouldn’t want to work with him. These actors helped to pave the way for me to do what I do now.
XYZ | 20XY
THE PRODUCER
What types of shows do you love to produce or direct?
My favorite shows to produce and direct are similar. I love work that tells us about the human condition. Plays on history and truth. Shows that resonate with culture, especially original works.
What show would you like to produce or direct, but haven’t yet?
I would love to produce and or direct Night Mother by Marsha Norman or a series of plays by Cesi Davidson, Bilabials, Fricatives, Articulation and America (Acirema). I think she’s a wonderful playwright. Her plays grab you from the moment you begin to read them. My time will come.
In your humble opinion, what is the Best show you’ve ever produced and directed?
By far my favorite play to produce was Chestina Vanessa Poulson by Melanie Greenhouse. The cast was amazing. To be able to also perform the lead role of Chestina, I was blessed. It was a special play in honor of Chestina Vinessa (The real spelling of her middle name) Poulson. And she came to the show, it was indeed an honor.
I was honored to direct Our Farther by David H. Greer. This play was a moving piece of work written by a wonderful playwright. It was about adoption. Another wonderful cast. The staged reading at Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT was done by actor Keith David, of Oprah’s Greenleaf, and everyone knows…Something About Mary.
We traveled to a few places with this production. I am waiting for the two other plays that will accompany this play as a trilogy of work by this playwright.
What’s the hardest thing about being a producer of 77 plus shows?
As a producer, you have to know your community. Producing is all about resources and networking. There’s no workaround to meeting people. Additionally, there’s a skill to producing. It’s not easy work. You must listen, lead and then act on that which will make your productions the ones the community keeps talking about year after year.
CHESTINA VANESSA POULSON | 2010
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