Bright Lights, Big Dreams

Photo by Roy Rochlin via Getty Images

In 2016, Saycon Sengbloh ’00x got the call every Broadway actress dreams about: She was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in the critically acclaimed play “Eclipsed.”

“A friend of mine called me, and I was so shocked and excited,” she remembers. “I couldn’t believe it.”

The nomination was a crowning achievement in a career that started back at Ridgeview Charter Middle School in Sandy Springs, Georgia, when Sengbloh played a chef in her school’s performance of “Alice in Wonderland.” She later went on to act in productions through the Visual and Performing Arts Program at Tri-Cities High School and as a member of the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta.

“I was bitten by the theatre bug,” she says. “I became a theatre nerd — eating, sleeping and breathing theatre. I loved everything about it, and it’s all I did.”

Cultivated at a young age, this combination of work ethic and love of performing has allowed Sengbloh to make a name for herself as an actress and a singer on Broadway, film and television over the past 20 years.

This fact is slightly surprising, considering she majored in Spanish at Agnes Scott College because she was not sure her acting was “serious enough” to make a career out of and wanted to have a plan B. She chose a college close to home because she was still very much entrenched in Atlanta’s theatre world.

“I had never heard of Agnes Scott,” says Sengbloh, who grew up in College Park, a suburb south of Atlanta. “But I received a brochure in the mail and decided to come visit. I loved the campus right away, and the fact that it was a women’s college appealed to me.”

Although she did not have time to perform in any productions at Agnes Scott, she did pursue a minor in music and took theatre classes. She fondly remembers the professors who had an impact on her.

“I still use some of the skills taught by Dawn-Marie James, my voice teacher,” she says. “And I keep in touch with David Thompson, who reaches out to me from time to time.”

“I feel very fortunate and happy that I have been able to play a wide variety of roles. For that, I am extremely proud of my achievements.” — Saycon Sengbloh ’00x

Sengbloh’s college career was cut short when she left Agnes Scott in her junior year to perform in a touring production. When that tour did not work out, she returned to Atlanta and continued to work and audition. Her tenacity was rewarded when she was cast in the role of Mimi in the national tour of “Rent,” a show she auditioned for seven times. After a year of touring the country, she earned the title role in the national tour of “Aida.”

“At that point, life was taking me for a ride,” she recalls, laughing.

In 2003, she moved to New York City and became a consistent performer on Broadway, adding roles in “Secret Life of Bees,” “Wicked” and “Eclipsed” to her resume. Parts in television programs and movies followed.

Though “Rent” might be considered her first big break, Sengbloh prefers to view every role as a stepping stone.

“I look at them as breakthroughs rather than big breaks,” she says. “I feel like every job is another step in my career. I move a level up each time.”

Her role as Helena in “Eclipsed,” a play about women who survived the Second Liberian Civil War, earned her the Tony Award nomination for best performance by an actress in a featured role. “Eclipsed” was written by actress and playwright Danai Gurira and also featured actress Lupita Nyong’o. Not only did Sengbloh feel proud of her achievement, but it also meant something else.

“That was one of my first nonmusical parts,” she says. “Being nominated proved I was an actress, not just a singer.”

It was also a special role for her because her late father was Liberian. “It was an opportunity to fuse that Liberian culture I grew up with into my professional life.”

Though she did not receive the Tony Award that year, she was recognized with a Drama Desk Award and an Obie Award for her performance in “Eclipsed.” She also received a Drama Desk Award nomination and an Outer Critics Circle Award for her role as Rosaleen in the off-Broadway musical production of “The Secret Life of Bees.”

To Sengbloh, acting is all about “mining emotions” and she enjoys “getting into a character’s head” and finding the motivation for why the character acts a certain way.

“It’s all about managing and considering human thoughts and emotions,” she says, “and I enjoy the study of human nature.”

Her next role is on the big screen, playing Aretha Franklin’s older sister, Erma, in the movie “Respect,” due out in January. She stars alongside Jennifer Hudson, who plays Aretha Franklin.

“It was so much fun,” she says of filming the movie, and adds that singing in a film is much different from singing onstage.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” she admits. “In musical theatre, you rehearse a lot ahead of time and you know what to expect. In movies, things can change quickly, but the whole experience was lovely.”

She says one thing her fans may not know about her is because she majored in Spanish at Agnes Scott, she considers herself “pretty good” at speaking the language. Fans also may not know that outside of the theatre, they can hear her on podcasts and see her on YouTube in her series “Saycon Talks,” in which she discusses lifestyle topics, entertainment, pop culture, book and music reviews, and really anything else that comes to mind.

“It started as a blog and went from there,” she explains. “It’s really me talking about the things that are on my mind. It’s a chance for me to be myself — not a performer — and I really enjoy connecting with people beyond the stage.”

To someone who was not thinking her acting could be a serious career, Sengbloh is grateful and proud of a long career that is still going strong.

“I feel very fortunate and happy that I have been able to play a wide variety of roles,” she says. “For that, I am extremely proud of my achievements.”