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Ciara Renée

Ciara Renée
Renée in 2019
Born
Ciara Renée Harper

(1990-10-19) October 19, 1990 (age 34)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma materBaldwin Wallace University (2013)
Occupation(s)Actress, musician
Years active2013–present

Ciara Renée Harper[1] (born October 19, 1990)[2] is an American actress and musician. She is best known for her roles on Broadway as The Witch in Big Fish, the Leading Player in Pippin, Jenna in Waitress, and Elsa in Frozen. She played Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame at Paper Mill Playhouse and La Jolla Playhouse. In 2015, she guest starred as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl in episodes of CW series Arrow and The Flash, before reprising the role in the main cast for the first season of the associated series DC's Legends of Tomorrow, from its premiere in 2016. Her vocal type is mezzo-soprano.

Early life

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Renée was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.[3] She attended Central Dauphin East High School and graduated with a degree in Music Theatre from Baldwin Wallace University in 2013.[3]

Career

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In fall September 2013,[4] Renée made her Broadway debut at the Neil Simon Theatre as The Witch in Big Fish[5] after working in a pre-Broadway workshop of Bull Durham.[3] In February of the following year, she was cast in a revival of the musical Pippin, replacing Patina Miller as the Leading Player.[3] Renée guest-starred on Law & Order: SVU in the fall of 2014 on NBC.[6] Based on the Victor Hugo novel and animated Disney film of the same name, Renée took on the role of Esmeralda in a musical adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Paper Mill Playhouse in association with the La Jolla Playhouse from March 15 to April 5 of 2015,[7] a performance the Daily News described as "earthy and lovely".[8] In March 2015, it was announced that Renée had been cast as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl in The CW's spin-off series DC's Legends of Tomorrow, an expansion of the network's existing universe of DC Comics adaptations.[6] Renée introduced the character in a special guest appearance on the first-season finale of The Flash on May 20, 2015, followed by four appearances in Arrow that same year, before DC's Legends of Tomorrow premiered in January 2016.

In 2016, Renée played Susan in the Off-Broadway revival of Jonathan Larson's autobiographical musical Tick, Tick... Boom!.[9] The production ran from October 20 to December 18. On November 22, Lilli Cooper replaced her in the role.[10]

In the summer of 2017, she played Mary Magdalene in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Jesus Christ Superstar at The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri.

It was announced on January 15, 2020 that Renee would be returning to Broadway to play Elsa in Frozen beginning February 18.[11] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all Broadway theatres were closed in March 2020. Disney later announced that Frozen would not reopen after the lockdown.[12]

Renee replaced country singer Jennifer Nettles as Jenna in the Broadway musical Waitress on November 25, 2021 and performed opposite Joshua Henry as Dr. Pomatter.[13]

Filmography

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Television
Year Title Role Notes
2014 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Señora Perez Episode: "Girls Disappeared"
2015 The Flash Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl 4 episodes
2015 Arrow Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl Episode: "Legends of Yesterday"
2016 Legends of Tomorrow Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl Main cast (season 1)
2017 Master of None Ellen Episode: "Le Nozze"
2018 The Big Bang Theory Sunny Morrow Episode: "The Conjugal Configuration"
2023 Your Honor Janelle Recurring role (season 2)

Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2020 A Shot Through the Wall Candace Walker
2023 Paint Ambrosia Iong

Theatre credits

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Year Title Role Venue
2013 Big Fish The Witch Neil Simon Theatre; Broadway
2014 Pippin The Leading Player Music Box Theatre; Broadway
Hamilton Peggy Schuyler / Maria Reynolds Workshop at The 52nd Street Project; Manhattan
2014–2015 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Esmeralda Paper Mill Playhouse; Millburn
2016 Tick, Tick... Boom! Susan Acorn Theatre; Off-Broadway
2017 Jesus Christ Superstar Mary Magdalene The Muny; St. Louis
2019 The Wrong Man Marianna MCC Theater; Off-Broadway
2020 Frozen Elsa St. James Theatre; Broadway
2021 Waitress Jenna Hunterson Ethel Barrymore Theatre; Broadway
2023 The Lonely Few Amy Audrey Skirball Kenis Theatre; Los Angeles
2024 Gun & Powder Mary Clarke Paper Mill Playhouse; Millburn

References

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  1. ^ Miller, Mickayla (November 22, 2021). "Broadway hit musical 'Waitress' comes to Hershey Theatre; here are 4 things to know before you go". LNP. ProQuest 2601104929. On Broadway, singers who have played Jenna include Katharine McPhee, Nicolette Robinson, Shoshana Bean, Jordin Sparks, Broadway star Ciara Renee Harper and Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles — who is playing the role on Broadway until Wednesday.
  2. ^ "Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 14-20". WTOP News. Associated Press. October 14, 2018. Archived from the original on January 26, 2025. Retrieved July 21, 2025. Oct. 19… Actress Ciara Renee ("Legends of Tomorrow") is 28
  3. ^ a b c d Dunkle, David N. (February 28, 2014). "CD East graduate Ciara Renee gains starring role in Broadway hit musical 'Pippin'". PennLive.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020.
  4. ^ Gioia, Michael (September 5, 2013). "Andrew Lippa and John August's Big Fish Swims Onto Broadway Beginning Sept. 5". Playbill. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "Who's Who – Ciara Renee". PlaybillVault.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (March 30, 2015). "The Arrow/Flash Spinoff Casts Ciara Renée As Hawkgirl". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015.
  7. ^ "The Verdict: Read Reviews of The Hunchback of Notre Dame". Playbill. March 16, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Dziemianowicz, Joe (March 16, 2015). "'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' review: Disney's dark, angst-ridden cartoon comes to life". New York Daily News.
  9. ^ Clement, Olivia (October 20, 2016). "Tick, Tick…Boom! Opens Tonight". Playbill. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  10. ^ "Tick, Tick...BOOM!". Keen Company. Archived from the original on May 22, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  11. ^ Cruz, Araceli (January 23, 2020). "Broadway's 'Frozen' is Getting a New Elsa and Ciara Renée Will be Playing the Beloved Character". wearemitu.com.
  12. ^ Gans, Andrew (May 14, 2020). "Broadway's Frozen Will Not Reopen Post-Pandemic". Playbill.
  13. ^ Meyer, Dan (November 25, 2021). "Ciara Renée Stars in Broadway's Waitress Beginning November 25". Playbill. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
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