Toward the end of her career, Miss Ellis, as she was referred to in the press [1] also directed a few theater plays, including an all-black Broadway production of Tobacco Road.

The Baltimore Afro American newspaper in its issue in October 26, 1929, described her as a “quiet and unassuming young lady with a very charming personality".

Her next big Broadway show was Porgy in 1927, in which she is known for creating the character of Bess, and appeared with Rose McClendon and Frank H. Wilson.

[3] She was inactive a few years due to the stock market crash of 1929 that led to the Great Depression, but she came right back and even started directing.

She played the role of a starving mother which the New York Times singled out as “truthful elements that left a lasting impression”.