A Rose Among Thorns moves ASF audience

On the night of Monday, February 4, 2008, The Alabama Shakespeare Festival played host to a variety of events-- most notably the presentation of Ella Joyce’s one-woman show, A Rose Among Thorns. In A Rose Among Thorns, renowned actress Ella Joyce acted as a mouthpiece for Rosa Parks, vividly retelling the story of the “famous incident” as well as various circumstances surrounding Parks’ involvement in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the civil rights movement as a whole.

A Rose Among Thorns was set minimally, with little more than a chair and table. The setting worked well because it allowed the focus to be put firmly on Ella Joyce as she told “her” story. The story centered around Rosa Parks’ famous 1955 refusal to move or be moved from her seat on the bus. However, as Joyce pointed out, there is so much more history behind the story. Going back as far as the 1890s, Joyce revealed why Rosa Parks would not be moved, who came before her, and what events soon followed.

Throughout the performance, Joyce exhibited her skills as an orator and actress so well that by the end, it took me a moment to realize that it was, in fact, only a play. Another strength of the play was the humor--yes, that’s right, I said humor. Although I did not expect it, there were several laugh-out-loud moments, which served both to temper and balance the more serious moments in the play.

Prior to the performance, an awards ceremony was held honoring the winners of the Future Black Leaders of America Essay Contest. The Future Black Leaders of America, alongside a number of other organizations, supported and contributed to the activities of the night. Jack Gallassini, WSFA, and Troy State University all came in support of the event. The proceeds went to the Rosa Parks Foundation.

Ella Joyce, incidentally, hails from Detroit, where the Parks family lived for the latter part of Mrs. Rosa’s life. When asked why she undertook the project, Joyce stated that she desired to see common misconceptions about Rosa Parks’ life corrected. Although Joyce began the project before Parks’ death, her passing only strengthened Joyce’s resolve to see the project to completion. To date, Joyce has made 17 appearances, totaling more than 40 performances since February of 2007.

For more information on Ella Joyce’s A Rose Among Thorns, please visit http://www.ellajoyce.com.

Written by Ryan Sellers,
AUM English Major