Donna Reed Scholarship alumna finishes run at Center Stage Baltimore

Saycon Sengbloh

Saycon Sengbloh in Bob Marley musical

Saycon Sengbloh, a 1996 Donna Reed Foundation national scholarship winner, landed the role of Rita Marley in the world premiere production of Marley, a musical with music and lyrics by Bob Marley, and written and directed by Center Stage Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah. The production ran May 7 -14 at Center Stage in Baltimore.

Telling the story of a pivotal moment in Bob Marley's life in the late 1970s, when he spent two years of self-imposed exile in London after surviving an assassination attempt in his home in Jamaica, the musical marks the first time Marley's legendary music has been featured in a biographical context on the stage. 

Sengbloh has appeared in Broadway productions of Motown The Musical, Fela!, Hair, The Color Purple, Wicked and Aida.

2004 Donna Reed Scholarship Alumnus cast in USA Network drama series.

Ben Rappaport

Ben Rappaport to appear in Mr. Robot

Ben Rappaport, a 2004 Donna Reed Scholarship national finalist in acting, will play the part of Ollie in the new USA Network television series, Mr.Robot. The series follows a mysterious anarchist who recruits a young computer programmer who suffers from an anti-social disorder and connects to people by hacking them.

The series is scheduled to begin airing on USA Network on June 24, 2015. The pilot premiered on a variety of online and VOD services on May 27, 2015.

Rapport played the the recurring role of a fourth-year attorney, Carey Zapps on the CBS drama series, TheGood Wife. Viewers may also recognize him from his 2010 lead role as Todd Dempsy in the short-lived NBC series, Outsourced. 

Rappaport, born in Arlington, Texas, was a 2004 Donna Reed Scholarship national finalist in acting.

Brandon Victor Dixon to open in The Wild Party at New York City Center on July 15

Brandon Victor Dixon

Another Donna Reed scholarship alumnus making his mark in show business

   Brandon Victor Dixon, a 1999 Donna Reed scholarship finalist in musical theater, will join the cast of Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party, running July 15 - 18, 2015 at New York City Center.  

   The Wild Party is the final production of New York City Center's acclaimed Encores! Off-Center series, which is returning for a third season of landmark Off-Broadway musicals.

   Dixon is known for creating the roles of Harpo in The Color Purple (2005), for which he was nominated for a Tony Award, and Berry Gordy Jr. in Motown: The Musical (2013). In London's West End, he played the role of Hayward Patterson in The Scottsboro Boys.

    His television credits include "The Good Wife," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," and "One Life to Live." 
    His producing credits include Of Mice and Men (2014) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

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