The Board of Directors and staff of The Ensemble Theatre
cordially invite all of our subscribers
to be our guest at the

9th Annual Heart of the Theatre

featuring a special performance by actress Ella Joyce
in tribute to Rosa Parks.

SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2009

Performance 5:00 PM

Wortham Center, Cullen Auditorium
500 Texas St.
Houston, Texas 77002

Event cost:
Purchase of subscription
Gold $225
Silver $150
Senior/Student $90
Triple Play $75

Guests will be seated based on subscription level.
Deadline to RSVP is May 6 at 6 PM.

Current subscribers may RSVP online at:
www.ensemblehouston.com/rsvp.html

NOT A SUBSCRIBER YET?
Don’t worry, it’s not too late. Subscriptions to The Ensemble Theatre 2008–09 season are still available. They are also a great gift idea for your loved ones. So don’t hesitate any longer. Sign-up online today. By subscribing, you too will be eligible to attend this special Heart of the Theatre event.

Ella Joyce
(the actress)
is a versatile actress of theatre, television, and film. She is best known and beloved as Eleanor on the hit TV show Roc. Notable stage work includes creating the role of Risa in August Wilson’s world premiere of Two Trains Running at the Yale Rep, directed by master director Lloyd Richards; the original role of Tonya in August Wilson’s world premiere of King Hedley II; and the original role of Lily Ann Green in Lynn Nottage’s Crumbs from the Table of Joy earning both the JEFF Award and the Black Theatre Alliance Award.

She has performed in many prestigious Regional Theaters around the country which include The Old Globe (San Diego), South Coast Rep (Costa Mesa), Second Stage Theater (NYC), The Huntington, Seattle Rep, Pittsburgh Public O’Reilly Theatre, The Goodman Theatre, and The Yale Repertory Theater.

She was honored at the National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem, NC where she has performed numerous plays through the years, including Fences, Barefoot in the Park, and Willie & Ester. Overseas productions include The Bermuda Arts Festival in Ron Milner’s Checkmates opposite Ruby Dee. She received the Best Actress AUDELCO Award in New York , several NAACP Image Nominations for Roc, and BET’s children’s program Storyporch.

Many film and TV credits include New Line Cinema’s Set It Off; Bubba Ho-Tep; HBO’s Stranger Inside; Disney’s Educational Film Selma, Lord Selma; The Jamie Foxx Show; Seinfeld; My Wife & Kids; Eve; Uncle P; as well as dramatic appearances in music videos including TLC’s multiple award winning video “Waterfalls.”

Ms. Joyce has graced the covers of many magazine publications such as JET, Black Elegance, Black Masks, and has been featured in TV Times and Upscale Magazine. She has received several Spirit of Detroit Awards, the Key to the City of Ft. Lauderdale, and the NBTF Special Recognition Award for her contributions to American theater.

A Rose Among Thorns
(the play)
explores the “famous incident”, but is driven to do so through Rosa — the real person. Not only a woman with a quiet dignity, but a woman with a quiet fire who is fully human with emotions. Strength. Weakness. Humor. Triumphs. A real human being, not just an iconic figure. This loving collection of historical information seeks to straighten out the occasional misinformation that sometimes surrounds her “famous incident.” Growing up in Detroit, Ms. Joyce feels that she shares a type of “hometown kindred spirit” and a love for the community with Rosa Parks.

Ella Joyce pays tribute to Mrs. Parks in hopes of not only keeping her story alive orally, and celebrating her exemplary character, but she also seeks to infuse others (young and old), with her spirit to seek social change, and to choose involvement with political and civic issues concerning us today. Mrs. Parks tells her story simply as she speaks of things past, present, and eternal. Other key players out of this extraordinary period of American history are also memorialized, in this affectionate salute to such an incredible, yet seemingly simple, woman. “From the moment it was announced that Rosa Parks passed, I armed several TV sets with VHS tapes. I pushed the record button every time she was mentioned. I read something about her on the Internet and world press every morning. I have collected hours and hours of live, precious information.”

Ella Joyce illuminates the stage with the heart, soul and truth of Rosa Parks’ life.