THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
I Shall Not Be Moved is a new one-woman show telling the story of Civil Rights pioneer Betty Daniels Rosemond and her "beautiful, horrifying and trailblazing journey through the American South”. Betty was one of the first Freedom Riders during the 1960s, and her story has been dramatized by emerging young playwright Isaiah Reaves - Betty’s grandson.
Betty is played by Samantha Elizabeth Russell, a Cincinnati, Ohio native who now lives in London. Her love of the performing arts was evident from early on, in the songwriting, choreography and dancing she did throughout her High School days. At the University of Cincinnati she caught the acting bug and joined Cincinnati Black Theatre Company, performing in The Color Purple as Nettie and as Maggie in Shakin' The Mess Outta Misery . A busy performing schedule led to London and a Masters degree in acting at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Let Samantha tell you about what happened next, and what led to I Shall Not Be Moved coming to the Edinburgh Fringe:
"I have been acting professionally for roughly ten years, and before that I was doing more dance and movement based things. It seems like forever ago, but I came to London in 2018 to study my masters at The Royal Central School of Speech in Drama. After auditioning for Yale and Brown I knew Central was the only drama school I wanted to attend. The idea of training with actors who are considered to be the best actors in the world really appealed to me.
"I wanted a challenge - and I definitely got it! It was a 1 year intensive course that pushed me further than I had ever been pushed creatively. Whether it was being away from my family or being in classes 9-6 every day, during that time I really started rethinking about whether I wanted to be an actor or not. Drama school is really glamorized and it does weed out the more dedicated of the bunch, but what they don't tell you is how much you have to rebuild your passion for it after you learn the technique. Gratefully, I made it through (with Distinction, might I add, hehe).
"Before graduating I knew I hadn't really had the full 'living in London' experience, so when the school offered a start up visa for students interested in starting a business, I went for the opportunity. Myself and Pereko Makgothi (producer of our Fringe show, classmate and business partner) came up with the idea to start a business that focuses on connecting Afro Hairstylists and Makeup Artists to film, TV, and commercial productions for their Black artists. The reviewing panel loved the idea and ever since we have been building our business. (Find out more below.) Fun fact: we were nominated for best hairstyling at the Birmingham Film Festival last year, and I was the hairstylist.
"Since then, I have been focusing on building my acting resume. I performed the World Premiere of I Shall Not Be Moved in April and May this year at Ensemble Theatre, Cincinnati. It truly has been a pleasure telling Miss Betty's story and she has made me her honorary granddaughter!
"Besides the Fringe I will be playing the lead in a film called Hauntology, where an older sister, Jazmin (my character), takes her fearless runaway sibling on a road trip to share the most chilling tales surrounding their hometown. I am pretty excited about this one as I am a huge fan of American Horror Story and one of the actors from that show - Naomi Grossman (who played Pepper) will be in Hauntology as well!"
Tickets to I Shall Not Be Moved
Samantha E Russell’s website
Samantha’s company Last Looks Beauty
Hauntology
