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Playing the part of Rizzo in Grease on her college stage last summer proved a sign of big things to come for Hartlepool musical theatre student Lilly Cadwallender.

Little could she have known that 12 months later she would be off to Miami with a part in the ensemble of Royal Caribbean cruise’s larger-than-life take on the Broadway show.

All the more impressive is that, at just 18, Lilly will also be first cover for the role of Marty and second cover for Rizzo.

“I’m still shocked and can’t quite believe it is happening,” she said. “I initially went along to the open audition in London for the experience.”

Musical theatre student Lilly Cadwallender

When she was invited to the second day of auditions, held at the famous Pineapple Dance Studios, suddenly the impossible started to feel more real.

“It was an incredible experience, and I loved every minute,” said Lilly who, as a member of the Val Armstrong Performing Arts school, in Hartlepool, has been performing for as long as she can remember.

No stranger to the professional stage, she toured in Billy Elliot the Musical, playing the part of Debbie, at 10.

Now studying musical theatre at Stockton Riverside College, word came that she had got the job during rehearsals for their summer production of smash-hit musical We Will Rock You.

Stockton Riverside College students preparing for their summer show, We Will Rock You

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Surrounded by classmates, many of which have secured places at the country’s leading theatre schools and universities, the show will no doubt see Lilly complete her college studies in style, jetting off to Miami just days after their final performance.

While it is a big move, her family are familiar with the demands of performing on the high seas as she follows in her sister Hollie’s footsteps, who has also just completed a run on board a cruise liner.

For Lilly, training starts in Miami in June before setting sail in August, working through to April 2025 and taking in The Bahamas, Mexico and Jamaica.

Lilly Cadwallender playing Rizzo in Grease.

Stockton Riverside College’s creative director, Sara Durkin, said: “When Lilly said she was auditioning for Grease, I had an inkling she might get it. We are so proud and excited for her.”

We Will Rock You takes to the Margaret Armstrong stage at Stockton Riverside College from Monday, May 20, to Saturday, May 25.

Email [email protected] for ticket details.

Hartlepool student ready to move from college stage to Caribbean cruise liner in new production of Grease