Lencia Kebede

Last updated
Lencia Kebede
Born (1993-10-03) October 3, 1993 (age 32)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education Occidental College
Occupation Musical theatre actress
Years active2016–present
Known for Wicked

Lencia Kebede (born October 3, 1993) is an Ethiopian-American actress and singer. She is notably best known the first Black actress to play Elphaba full-time in Wicked on Broadway. [1]

Contents

Early life

Kebede was born in Los Angeles, California to an Ethiopian American family. [2] She grew up performing in church choir and community theatre programs. [1]

Kebede attended Occidental College, double-majoring in Diplomacy & World Affairs and politics. She participated in the college's Glee Club, as well as its theater and music departments. [3] While pursuing her bachelor's degree, Kebede spent a semester interning at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, where she attended General Assembly meetings and took notes for the Guatemala ambassador. [1]

Career

Upon graduation, Kebede decided to pursue professional theatre. Her first few jobs included a stint at Tokyo Disneyland [3] and the role of Joanne Jefferson in the 20th anniversary tour of Rent . [4]

Kebede joined the national tour of Hamilton in 2019 [3] as an ensemble member. In 2023, she began performing as Angelica Schuyler, a role she played for two years. [1]

On March 4, 2025, Kebede made her Broadway debut as Elphaba in Wicked . Kebede is the first Black actress to play the role full-time in the 21-year-old Broadway production. She is performing alongside Allie Trimm as Glinda. [5] Kebede will play her final performance as Elphaba on March 1, 2026. [6]

Theatre

YearTitleRoleVenueCategoryNotesRef.
2018–19 Rent Joanne Jefferson20th anniversary non-Equity tourReplacement [4]
2019–23 Hamilton EnsembleU.S. National Tour (Angelica company) [3]
2023–25 Angelica Schuyler U.S. National Tour (Philip company)Replacement
2025-26 Wicked Elphaba Gershwin Theatre Original Broadway productionReplacement [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Tillet, Salamisha. "An Actress of Many Passions, Now Making History in ‘Wicked’" Deprecated link archived 2025-05-06(Date mismatch) at archive.today , The New York Times, May 6, 2025
  2. ↑ Kennedy, Mark (2025-03-07). "Broadway's 'Wicked' welcomes Lencia Kebede, its first Black, full-time Elphaba". Associated Press . Retrieved 2025-06-14.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "From 'Hairspray' to 'Hamilton'". Occidental College . 2020-03-19. Retrieved 2025-06-14.
  4. 1 2 Kennedy, Mark (2018-08-16). "Broadway's 'Wicked' welcomes Lencia Kebede, its first Black, full-time Elphaba". Playbill . Retrieved 2025-06-14.
  5. 1 2 "Get a 1st Look at the New, History-Making Cast of Broadway's Wicked". Playbill . Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  6. ↑ Hall, Margaret. "Lencia Kebede, Allie Trimm Announce Final Wicked Performance on Broadway". Playbill . Retrieved January 10, 2026.
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