She landed a Broadway role while attending SIUE and she wasn’t even a theater major

Sophia Stephens landed a Broadway role while attending Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, but wasn’t a theater major. Because of the opportunity, she is able to encourage others to follow their dreams, she says. After all, appearing in Disney’s “The Lion King” is a pretty good gig.

Stephens, a St. Louis native who studied at SIUE from 2000 to 2002, is currently performing in the national tour of Disney’s “The Lion King,” now playing at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis through May 7. She portrays Sarabi, Queen of the Pride Lands, who is Mufasa’s wife and Simba’s mother. She is also the understudy for Nala, Simba’s gal pal, and Shenzi, one of Scar’s henchmen hyenas.

The breathtaking visual artistry, the music and theatrical storytelling is what keeps Stephens engaged performing the beloved show, and audiences flocking to it. “The opening gave me chills when I first saw it,” she said.

“It’s incredible to me that audiences keep coming back,” she said. “But it is one of the revolutionary pieces of theater, and the artistic experience on stage is amazing. The music is phenomenal, and there’s a heartbeat to it. The story is about redemption, life and death. People can relate to the many struggles of the animals. It’s uplifting, and to be in it is invigorating.”

Now in its 20th year, the success of “The Lion King” musical has been unprecedented. Because of its worldwide gross, it became the top entertainment title in box office history in 2014, surpassing all other Broadway shows and films.

Adapted from the 1994 Disney animated movie, “The Lion King” premiered on Broadway on Nov. 13, 1997, and went on to win six Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and more than 70 arts awards.

The show is still running on Broadway, after more than 6,700 performances. More than 90 million people have seen the show in 24 global productions.

Visionary director Julie Taymor, the first woman to win a Tony for directing a musical, made the Serengeti come alive on stage with performers in animal costumes and large hollow puppets.

The music is a fusion of pop music with distinctive rhythms of Africa, Elton John, and Tim Rice. The play includes three new songs from John and Rice, as well as additional music by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer.

As a college student at SIUE, Stephens said she changed majors three times — from business to political science. Then, she saw a production of “Godspell” at The Black Rep, and that changed her life.

“I thought ‘People can do this for a living? I need to get into this,’” she said.

She praised two SIUE professors who helped her study acting after that, the late Lisa Colbert, an assistant theater professor, and Bill Grivna, who was head of the theater department then.

“When the bug hit me, I was able to take their classes. They were so helpful — really inspiring,” she said.

While performing in The Black Rep’s “Bubbling Brown Sugar,” a scout was in the audience. They called her and asked her to try out for “The Lion King,” and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I thought I would give it a shot. It was really a blessing,” she said. “It was a big decision to move to New York; I was terrified. I was only 21, and I was going to be in the big city. But everyone was so supportive.”

She eventually received a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Hunter College in New York while she appeared on Broadway.

She has toured before with the show, and appeared at the Fox in 2010. Her contract is up in July.

“It’s definitely not monotonous. I have gotten to play different roles, and they allow me to do other projects,” she said.

Being part of the cast is special, too.

“The cast loves the show. That’s why we have been there so long. It’s a difficult show on the body. But we take care of each other. We’re like a family. That does something to the energy, too,” she said.

St. Louis is home for her. She grew up in the Florissant-Ferguson School District and graduated from McCluer High School. Her parents, Ron and Dorretta Stephens, still live in the Normandy area.

When she was on the Fox stage for the first time, it was an emotional experience.

“First of all, it was a great feeling to be home, and then to have so many family and friends support me,” she said.

She’s looking forward to spending time with family and friends this time around. Imo’s Pizza, Ted Drewes, gooey butter cake, and Drunken Fish are at the top of her list during her visit.

She encourages anyone to pursue their dreams, no matter what age or adversity. Not studying theater early or participating in shows at a young age has not been a detriment.

“I got a really late start on my career, being a late-bloomer. But I say ‘go after it,’ no matter what age,” she said.

She’ll return to New York City after the tour ends, hopeful that other projects await. She has an independent film project in the works, and she is involved in a youth organization as well.

“The ball keeps rolling; it doesn’t really stop,” she said.

For more information on the show, visit www.LionKing.com.

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "She landed a Broadway role while attending SIUE and she wasn’t even a theater major."