Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

Actress Ella Joyce, remembered for her co-starring role of Eleanor on TV's "Roc"; Jasmine on "My Wife & Kids; and Detective Waller in the classic ladies’ action film “Set If Off”, captures the famous moment in the life of Rosa Parks, affectionately called "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement", in her highly acclaimed, one-woman play A Rose Among Thorns: a Tribute to Rosa Parks. The show comes to Washington, DC, after headlining Stage Aurora's 4th Annual Black Arts Festival in July.

(Los Angeles, CA) Glowing reviews proclaimed A Rose Among Thorns a 'Smash Hit in Jacksonville" [Examiner.com]. Words continue to describe Ella Joyce's performances as "mesmerizing" [Susan Gilmore, Winston-Salem Journal]; "...spellbinding" [Ed Bumgardner, National Black Theater Festival]; "...classy" [Jack Zink, South Florida Sun Sentinel]. The Muslim Journal proclaimed it "Simply Amazing", and encouraged communities to bring the show to their area. "Incredible performance" says Mary Montoro, Los Angeles Sentinel; "...full of love" {The Grand Rapids Press}. "Powerful", and "a must see" is echoed by all. A Rose Among Thorns continues to be booked throughout the year since 2007, between film projects that Ms. Joyce appears in such as Warner Bros. "Preacher's Kid"; an hilarious cameo in the family comedy "Our Family Wedding"; "Hopelessly In June"; and she recently finished "California Solo" playing a parole officer. The show has traveled to 27 cities since 2007, performing in limited engagements appearing in churches, schools, various organizations, special events, and theatres of all sizes, receiving an NAACP Theatre Nomination, The Key To The City of Ft. Lauderdale, an Appreciation Award from Concerned African Women, and Actor Of The Year from The Houston Ensemble Theatre, warming and enlightening hearts along the way.

The play will be presented by The Essential Theatre at Under Croft Theatre Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, 900 Massachusetts Avenue NW, in Washington, DC, beginning Wed. Sept. 21 through Sat. afternoon Sept. 24th. Shows are already being scheduled for upcoming Black History Month 2012 in cities such as Lexington, KY, and Memphis, TN. Highlighted visits of where the play has been include The Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery, Alabama; YALE African American Affinity Group last May; and this past MLK Day was celebrated by Judge Mablean Ephriam Foundation in Los Angeles. It played as part of the Rosa Parks Sculpture Project and ArtPrize Celebration presented by the Grand Rapids Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theata Sorority. Many sponsors have invited the show back each year.

A Rose Among Thorns, created, written and performed by Ella Joyce, directed by film actor/photographer, Dan Martin (Lt. Baker of "The Bold & The Beautiful"), takes audiences on a mesmerizing journey, exploring the deeds of many other unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement through the eyes of Rosa Parks.

Resources:

http://www.aroseamongthorns.com

http://www.ellajoyce.com/