Cynthia Erivo says she was told to sing out of sight while white actresses lip-synced on-stage at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

Published: 15:24, 27 June 2026 | Updated: 15:27, 27 June 2026 Wicked star Cynthia Erivo has sensationally claimed that she was told to sing out of sight while white actresses lip synced on stage when she was at the world-famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). The Oscar-nominated British actress, 39, whose RADA contemporaries included actors James Norton and Daisy May Cooper, says she was left ‘humiliated’ when she was passed over for a bigger part in a student production but asked to understudy from the wings twice for actresses who were unable to sing. Instead of being simply asked to replace them on stage when one was unwell and another lost her voice, she said her ‘voice was stolen from her’ by the ‘powers that be’ who kept her ‘hidden’. The Grammy and Emmy award-winning actress, who was brought up by a single mother in Stockwell, south London, also claimed she was subjected to ‘microaggressions and misunderstandings’, throughout her time at RADA. But the star’s words may come as a surprise to many as she was appointed artist in residence and Tutor in Vocal Practice at RADA just days ago and has been its Vice President since 2024 alongside fellow actor David Harewood as President. And while Ms Erivo, who shot to fame in a 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple, left RADA in 2010, she has remained closely linked with the institution and has led singing masterclasses with students since 2015. Announcing her recent appointment Helen Slater, RADA’s Interim Principal, said: ‘Cynthia challenges RADA and our students to be braver, more curious and more truthful in our work.’ But now Cynthia, who has been nominated for three Oscars, twice for Best Actress for Wicked and Harriet and once for Best Original Song for Harriet, has spoken out about the distressing incident she says she experienced as one of only four black students in a class of 34. Cynthia Erivo has claimed that she was told to sing out of sight while white actresses lip synced on stage when she was at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (pictured in 2024) Revealing what happened during the end of year production of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Company in her new memoir ‘Simply More’, she explained: ‘I was given a small, insignificant role. The other girls were given larger roles. I will not describe what they look like, I think you already know.’ ‘As the dates for the show approached, I was told that two of the girls had gotten sick. One had laryngitis, the other food poisoning,’ she recalled. ‘There was a fairly straightforward solution: Take them out and ask me to cover their roles. Instead, I was asked to sing backstage for the sick girls. I would sing, while they lip-synced on stage. ‘The powers that be took my voice from me and gave it to somebody else.’ Cynthia, who grew up on an estate and began singing at school, said she felt like she was ‘being erased’ while the other two girls ‘benefited from my gift’. ‘I was being kept hidden while these two girls took the stage. I was having to use my voice, what’s mine in the deepest, most intimate sense, to sing for other people,’ she said. Talking about her later RADA appointment in her book, she admitted it was ‘a strange turn of events’ and said she had no idea now where the two girls were, adding: ‘I can’t tell you where those ladies are, and I don’t care.’ A RADA spokesperson said they were ‘very sorry to hear Cynthia’s account of aspects of her experience as a student’. ‘We would not tolerate the practices she describes today,’ they told today's Mirror. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.