“My passion is mentoring, training, and directing young actors.

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As someone new to theatre, Ruth made me so comfortable and harbored a safe space to learn and grow as a performer. She taught me countless skills which I continue to use, not just in theatre, but in my daily life.

– Brent Miller, former student
Ruth as Cinderella in Into The Woods in 2002

Born into an artistic family, Ruth was in her first production at only 4 years old: Delia Ephron’s “How To Eat Like A Child”. It was a family affair- directed by her father and music directed by her mother, and was the first youth production put on in her small hometown of Kirkland Lake, Ontario.

From a young age, Ruth continued to pursue theatre, taking vocal and dance lessons well into her teens. She participated in productions with her high school drama club as well as with local community theatre organizations. At the age of 17, Ruth got a job working at a theatre camp in Newmarket Ontario where she was tasked with directing shows with young actors. It was there that she caught the “directing bug” and knew that it was something she wanted to pursue.

Ruth has an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Toronto where she majored in Drama Studies and English. She also has a Bachelor of Education Degree from the University of Western Ontario.  During her time at the University of Toronto, she began working in Brampton at Marion Abbott’s Performing Arts Studio where she taught acting classes and directed several productions throughout the course of a year.

Ruth has been in London since 2008 and directed for many years at Original Kids Theatre Company. Some of her credits at Original Kids include Godspell Jr (2009), How To Eat Like A Child (2012) and The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon (2013).

Godspell Jr at Original Kids Theatre Company, 2009

In 2012, Ruth began directing for the London Youth Theatre Education Program (LYTE). In 2015, she became Program Coordinator of LYTE, while continuing to direct and teach workshops.  Some of her highlights as a director with the LYTE program are Beauty & The Beast JR (2015), The Addams Family- A New Musical Comedy (2017), Oliver! (2018), 26 Pebbles (2018), Junie B Jones Jr (2018), Seussical (2019), The Wolves (2019), and James & The Giant Peach JR (2020).

In addition to her work as a director, Ruth currently teaches performing arts at Riverbend Academy in Delaware Ontario.

Interested?
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