Jacques Lamarre (Playwright): is delighted to return to Emerson Theatre Collaborative, the company that premiered his first full-length play, Gray Matters, that also starred the amazing April Woodall. That production debuted at the Midtown International Theatre Festival in NYC and was subsequently remounted in Mystic and Hartford, CT. Born Fat was workshopped at the Unitarian Meeting House in Hartford with subsequent readings at Little Theatre of Manchester and HartBeat Ensemble. The play received its first production at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival and 7 Angels Theatre in Waterbury. Jacques' other plays include I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti; Mystic's Christmas Conniption for Mystic Seaport; Raging Skillet; Honey LaBrea - The Lonely Thetan; The Wedding Binder; Colonel Sellers: Reanimator; Pierce; The Clowns; Jacques Lamarre Has Gone Too Far, and many others. He is a contributor to TheaterWorks Hartford's annual Christmas tradition Christmas on the Rocks and co-writer for fourteen shows, a film and two Fleet enema commercials for drag superstar Varla Jean Merman. http://www.jacqueslamarreplaywright.com

President and Chairman of Emerson Theater Collaborative and Sedona Arts Academy in Sedona AZ To thine own self be true—Camilla Ross’s resourceful, versatile life is a testament to this ideal. Passionate, loving and giving, she’s led and gathered a host of loyal students, colleagues and champions throughout her life to achieve great works, and empower the spirits and well-being of others. “To be a catalyst for social change is really where it’s at for me,” Camilla said. “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.” ETC is a shining example. Founded in 2008 to give voice to actors’ innate talent for character development, Camilla has since produced more than 20 inspired, original performances. Emerging and professional cast and crew have blossomed under her guidance. And together they’ve created profound, can’t-ever-forget shows that illuminate social issues, and transform audience curiosity into concern and action. The art of performing is also ingrained in Camilla’s soul. “God gave me the gift when I was born, I just discovered its worth as I got older,” she added. Camilla has a deep well of experience and mentorship to tap into for her ETC roles—from her days at Emerson College, and then in regional theaters and commercials. Among her favorite portrayals? Capturing the heart, spark and essence of Harriet Tubman in the one-woman show Harriet Tubman’s Dream. In May 2014 Camilla was honored by the Writer’s Block of New London, Conn., for her past work as program director. In June 2013 she was named Woman of The Year by the Women’s Network of Southeastern Connecticut, and she’s been featured in many periodicals for her community service. In 2019 Emerson Theater Collaborative was nominated as Collaborator of the year in Sedona AZ.

Ashley Adelman is a native New Yorker. She received her BFA from NYU TISCH, her MFA from The Actor's Studio Drama School at Pace University. Her play, "In Their Footsteps," based on the oral histories Ms. Adelman conducted of five American women who served in the Vietnam War is published by Smith Scripts and has had productions at various off Broadway houses, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, has been hired by numerous organizations and schools and is set to have a tour in Italy and Australia this fall. Most of Ms. Adelman's work is documentary theatre based. Her other works such as Displeyst uses the oral histories of the Welisch family who had to leave their home in the 1930s when Hitler annexed Austria. The family ended up in the Philippines where they encountered further invasions by the Japanese. The play looks at displacement and investigates the question - what makes a home? The play opened at Under St Marks and has been hired for a special zoom performance this Hanukkah for the Bethpage Library and Historical Society. For her newest work Ms. Adelman has joined immersive theatre and non-fiction into a theatre where the audience truly goes back into history. Her work on Nellie Bly, which brought audiences into the asylum Ms. Bly investigated,, has been called "A near perfect theatrical experience" by OnStage Blog. And Manhattan Digest has stated that with this brand of storytelling, the future of immersive theater is in solid hands. Ashley is the artistic director of the not for profit theatre company, Infinite Variety Productions, which is dedicated to shedding a light on the unknown stories from women's history. She is also a resident artist at FrigidNYC. To learn more about her company and her own work visit www.infinitevarietynyc.org "History doesn't repeat itself as most people fear. It is people that repeat history."

Brief Info – Melinda McElroy recently moved to Sedona from New York with a broad range of experience which will assist SAA in meeting its mission. A graduate from Cornell Law School and member of the New York Bar since 1999, she most recently was an associate with the William B. Rosbrook law firm in Marcellus, New York. In this position she spent a majority of her time on Human Rights proceedings, depositions, motion arguments, settlement conference and fact-finding hearings. The also worked on civil matters in the New York State Courts. In addition to her extensive law background Melinda McElroy has served on nonprofit boards to include Syracuse Pops Chorus Board of Directors (founding member); Phi Delta Phi Province President for Upstate NY, Phi Delta Phi Province President for Upstate NY, Vice President of the Executive Women’s Golf Association, NYS Golf Association Committee & Course Rater, and Secretary of the Hobie Cat Fleet 204 and Hobie Cat Division 16. With an extensive leadership background, Ms. McElroy will bring unique expertise to the Board of Directors. Her experience will greatly help the Sedona Arts Academy to improve the creative lives in the Sedona region.

Jon has worked with ETC on numerous productions since 2010. Mainly stage managing but also sound engineering and lighting. Nominated for the Midtown Theatre Festival for Best Lighting for ETC’s production of Grey Matters, Jon continued his learning and developed his skills at Eastern Connecticut State University. Recently moving to Sedona Jon continues his support of ETC and their efforts to bring understanding and appreciation of culture and the arts to all people.

Lydia Collins is a fun-loving, creatively-crazy mom, daughter, and loyal friend. She loves purple, giraffes, chilling with her sons, and trying new foods. Loving the life of a costumer, she is excited to again be working with Camilla Ross and the cast and crew at Emerson Theatre. Lydia is sure this kids’ creative stage play will not only make the audience smile, but will also speak a timely message for us all.

Joseph Caruso. Artist, photographer, musician, aspiring scientist, poet and by far A man of many other talents. Well known for his sense of distinct fashion sense and vast amount of creativity Joseph has been with the Emerson Theatre Collaborative since its very beginnings with the production of Doubt. An aspiring artist joe has had many works in many different art shows. Including the mystic regional art show.

Karen, spent 18 years in the fitness industry followed by a major career shift into the marketing and advertising industry. After a two year stint with an advertising agency, she spent 10 years as the Creative Director of a $1.5B local retail company with 114 stores in the U.S. In 2012, No Moss Brands was formed...a branding and marketing company.