Meet Camila Ross.
Q: What do you do in Sedona?
A: I have fun. I operate The Emerson Theater Collaborative which is a 15-year-old nonprofit theater company. We operate in Mystic, Connecticut, and here in Sedona. I also run the Arts Academy of Sedona, which is three years old. We do all things art related. I try to include all the arts: visual, theater, music, dance, and culinary… one time, one space, one moment. Emerson will do a show. One great example is when we did “The True Nature of all Being” last May, and it had an all-Japanese cast. The food was sushi and saki, with Japanese music, and Japanese visual art on the walls. We also had a young lady, who does healing arts using essential oils to ring in the culture. People get to come in and they get to learn about a culture that they wouldn’t necessarily know anything about.
Q: How long have you lived in Sedona?
A: 8 years. In 2015 we moved into our home. In 2016 my dog died, my father died, and I got breast cancer. Clearly one of the worst years of my life but I managed to do my first show with Emerson in December, it was a Christmas Carol. After my father’s death I was due to have surgery in Cottonwood but, my college friend, Maureen, she’s a wonderful, came out to support me and encouraged me to go to the Mayo Clinic to get another biopsy on my birthday.
Q: What person dead or alive would you like to have lunch with?
A: My dad. He was a man with a sense of humor and he was great. He did 44 years at the VA serving mentally ill veteran patients. He taught me patience. He was a gentle giant. He really took care of our veterans, and people in need and he had a way of doing it that just made you sit and think about how you interact with people. I’d love to have dinner with him because I never expected him to leave in 2016. I just thought that he wasn’t feeling well and he was going to come out of it and the next thing I knew, the day I found out I had breast cancer, he passed away.
Q: What’s one piece of advice that changed your life?
A: I’d have to say, ‘”leading with your heart.” My dad always led with his heart and said, ‘if you lead with your heart, you can never go wrong.” I find that’s the truth because your heart will dictate what needs to be done.
Q: What film could you watch over and over again?
A: The Bridges of Madison County’ was probably one of the best films I’ve ever seen in terms of direction and performance. I think Clint Eastwood was great but I love Meryl Streep. The other movie, which I just saw recently, is “Sylvie’s Love.” I think it is a great film.
Q: What one song never gets old?
A: “What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye”. We seem to always be in that moment of having that constant conversation about things that are happening to generations of people. And we have leaders that are in charge that we elected, but yet they don’t work for the people. Nobody seems to be asking the question why. They are just following like cattle. That’s the kind of work that I do. I’ll ask the question and try to influence the minds of other people.
Q: How would your best friend describe you?
A: She’d tell you that I am honest, that I am a lot of fun, that I’m introverted, but I’m uninhibited to a point where I can function in a crowd because I have to. Technically, I can be at home all day and never talk to a single person and be content.
Q: What is something interesting that people don’t know about you?
A: I’m an introvert. Most people think I’m an extrovert because I do theater for a living but it’s the total opposite.
Q: What three words describe home to you?
A: Mom, dad, and family.
Q: Anything that you’d like someone to know about you?
A: No. I think if people want to get to know me, they can come and talk to me. I’ll have that conversation with them because they cared enough about me to come and talk to me. Most people don’t know who their neighbor is. I know even though I’m an introvert, I still need to know who lives next door and how I can help them.
