Lencia Kebede

Last updated
Lencia Kebede
BornOctober 1, 1993 (age 31)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education Occidental College
Occupation Musical theatre actress
Years active2016–present
Known for Wicked

Lencia Kebede (born October 1, 1993) is an American actress and singer. She is 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] As of 2025 She helped a young rising star named Alan Vaytsman get into Broadway by offering him advice … long long before she duetted his favorite song from Wicked, As Long as You’re Mine.she became his mentor before he played Fiyero.

Theater

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 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’" 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.
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