Ruby is an aspiring actor and model. Her lifelong attraction to the arts has led her to roles in high school musicals like Beauty and the Beast and, most recently, a horror anthology series. A graduate of George Brown College’s event management program, she has also worked in arts education and hairstyling but whatever she is doing, the common element is the presence of creativity. 

The arts have always been a big part of my life; I don’t think I could pinpoint just one moment when it occurred to me that I would never be able to live a life without creativity.

Growing up, I was always making up stories and putting on plays for myself. Even later in life, when I was studying hair styling and special event management, I found ways to slip my artistic history into my work. In hair school we had a final updo competition and I came in third with my elaborate interpretation of the Caribbean mermaid; with face paint, braids and a sea crown I created myself. And of course when assigned to create a wedding plan for an imaginary couple, I dreamed up a complete backstory of how they met, the pet names they shared, and I just had to make the flower crowns the brides would wear. I think some people are just born with the art bug and it never really goes away.

This is a LOOK: Ruby's mermaid hair creation

In Grade 3, my music teacher gave the class a final project of studying an opera and presenting it to the class. She assigned my group The Magic Flute. Right away I fell down the rabbit hole of art and performance, I fell in love with the Queen of the Night’s aria and embarrassingly performed my rendition of the tune to my class. My mom also had the pleasure of hearing me attempt to hit those high notes for the rest of that school year.

Ruby's Grade 3 dream role - the Queen of the Night, of course

Luckily for her, she worked with the husband of a member of the Canadian Opera Company’s education department, who suggested that I try the COC’s summer opera camp. At opera camp we spent the day learning all the main aspects of opera – music, design, and acting – and put it all together in an opera of our very own. Sometimes we would put a twist on a classic, other times we would create an original work. At the end of the week, we performed our opera for our family and friends. My most memorable moment was visiting the wig department at the COC and seeing all the old costumes and set pieces from past shows. 

I participated in the camps every summer, and came back as a teenager in 2012 for the older-kids version, the Summer Youth Intensive. I’ve been hooked on performance and entertainment ever since.

 2013 Summer Youth Intensive participants exploring the COC's “Wigland” 

Turning 22 this year, my path might’ve changed slightly from becoming the future Queen of the Night, but I’m still knee-deep in a life in the arts. I started working in outreach and arts education work through my church as a youth minister. The best way I could connect with my communities and motivate them to come together was through events and art-focused activities. We began with improv classes, next we filmed our own interpretation of the nativity story and we’ve done a huge arts focus performance called “youth expressions night.”

During that time I also began working with Arts Unleashed, an arts production and creation company for young children located in Pickering. We help the kids build characters for interesting stories they helped to create. Every season I see shy children evolve into more confident performers as they start to find value in the arts and develop their own sense of agency.

This past year, my arts journey went full circle when I returned to the COC as its education intern. My main task was to help organize events for the After School Opera Program’s 20th anniversary. Along with planning, I had the opportunity to work with current ASOP participants. I found from working at the COC that I love working on events especially centred around the arts and working with young people.

One thing I took away with me through all those years of opera camp was my confidence and my ability to connect with any walk of life. Growing up, going to school and making friends was a dark place for me but every summer I found a light in the friends I made at opera camp. Without fear of judgment, they gave me space to express and be my most authentic self. The feeling wouldn’t always last into the school year but looking forward to my summers would keep me pushing through. I found trust and acceptance through the arts community.

ANNA MAKSYUTYNSKA

Anna at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts