Making your Broadway debut as part of an original Broadway cast is one of the most memorable experiences an actor can have. But continuing with the show and then stepping into a principal character’s role is an entirely new experience. Broadway actress Ayana Cymone has had the surreal opportunity to accomplish both of these milestones.
Cymone began taking theatre seriously in middle school. She attended Appomattox Regional Governor’s School in Petersburg, Virginia, where she studied musical theatre all throughout high school.
“Every summer, I would go to this theatre camp in Richmond, Virginia, which is where I’m from. When it came time for high school, we could go to what we called a specialty center, where we could choose a major if we wanted to, and I was a musical theater major,” Cymone said.
When it came time for college, Cymone decided to pursue acting. She attended Carnegie Mellon University, her dream school, where she earned her degree in acting.
“I auditioned for a million different schools and ended up going to Carnegie Mellon for acting,” Cymone said. “I’m so grateful I was able to go there for four years. Those four years truly changed my life and made me the actor I am today.”
Cymone’s first professional acting job came at Virginia Repertory Theatre in Richmond, Virginia, where she appeared in “The Color Purple.” However, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of her junior year performances at Carnegie Mellon University were held over Zoom.
“In my junior year, all the performances were on Zoom. Then, senior year, I did some performances on stage. I did an original play called ‘Power Trip,’ and then another original work called ‘The Indus: The Future Is Now.’ CMU is kind of big on original works, which is really cool because I’m actually working on one now,” Cymone said.
A few years after graduating from college, Cymone made her Broadway debut in “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.”
“When I made my Broadway debut and stepped onto that stage for the first time, I kind of blacked out, but it was still one of the coolest experiences of my life,”Cymone said. “We had the support of everyone, friends, family and even people from the TV show who came to see it. It was actually one of the most crazy and surreal experiences of my life.”
“Stranger Things: The First Shadow” is running in both the West End and on Broadway. Ayana Cymone is a member of the original Broadway cast of “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” which opened in New York City in April 2025.
“I remember when Season 5 came out and we were watching it, and there were little hints of the play that were directly from the TV show,” Cymone said. “I was a fan of ‘Stranger Things’ when it first came out, and I started watching it when I was a freshman in high school. Now I’m four years out of college, so it’s crazy to think back on where I was.”
Cymone originated the role of Sue Anderson in the original Broadway cast while understudying Patty Newby during the production’s first year.
“When I got the offer for the role, I always knew that I would be covering Patty, so Patty was always in the back of my mind, and I did go on for her a lot last year. But I loved playing Sue,” Cymone said.
She now stars as Patty Newby full time after transitioning into the role for the production’s second year.
“When it came to the transition, it was honestly kind of crazy,” Cymone said. “I remember when it was announced that we were continuing for a second year, and I had a conversation with my manager and the director, asking if I could step into the role of Patty. Our director came to one of the shows, and I had no idea he was there when I was on for Patty. Afterward, he gave me the green light to play Patty.”
Through her years with the production, Cymone has learned to find freedom within the framework of the show.
“I would say the hardest part is honestly a term that I like to call ‘finding the freedom within the framework,’ which is something I actually learned in college,” Cymone said. “There is a lot of framework within our show. We can’t really say a line too long because the revolve is going to move, or we can’t ad-lib or add a fun little moment because the sound is listening, so the pyro can go off,”
Cymone will continue her run as Patty Newby in “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” until the production closes on Jan. 3, 2027, at the Marquis Theatre.
