SHE is fresh out of theatre school but Bethany Lambert has already bagged a phizz-whizzing role in one of the West End’s biggest musicals.

The former Bridgewater High School student is part of the ensemble for Roald Dahl’s Matilda which saw her go through six rounds of auditions to get her foot in the door of the notoriously competitive industry.

Matilda, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company, is about a bright girl who gets her own back on the self-centred and cold-hearted grown-ups in her life, including her parents and the dreadful headmistress Miss Trunchbull, before magical things start to happen.

Bethany, 21, has the role of child and adult ‘swing’.

A swing is a member of a production who understudies various roles so she currently has the tough job of learning seven kids’ parts and five adult parts.

Bethany is part of a new cast who start at Cambridge Theatre on September 11 but she does not know when her own ‘opening night’ is as she will be stepping in if other actors are unavailable, injured or ill.

“Any time, any day I could be on,” said Bethany, who found out she got the part one week before she graduated from London Studio Centre.

"It’s scary because it’s not something I’m used to but I’m hoping the adrenaline will take over.

“Someone could be injured or ill and I just have to step in and if that happens I’ll get in touch with my mum Cathy and dad Andy straight away and see if they’re able to come down to watch me at the last minute.

"I was amazed when I got the part because it was my first West End audition so I didn’t expect to get it at all.

Runcorn and Widnes World:

"My family were actually on their way to meet me when I found out as I was performing in Legally Blonde with college that evening. We went out for a meal before the show to celebrate and my friend also joined us so it was really lovely. There’s a lot of time, effort and money invested in auditioning so when I heard I was part of the cast I was delighted.

"It’s my first job since graduation. It’s insane. It was quite intense at rehearsals but for the first three weeks it was just the kids’ stuff that I had to learn so it was a case of taking on a little bit at a time."

The former Priestley College student, whose stage name is Bethany Kate, originally started out as a gymnast and then pursued diving before she fell in love with musical theatre when she was 16.

She added: "As a birthday and Christmas present every year I would go to London with my mum and my aunty Alison McEvoy.

"When I quit gymnastics at the age of 12 my mum asked me if I wanted to do dance and I said no.

"I had this idea of jumping around in a tutu. It was too girly.

"Then when I was watching these shows I felt inspired. I didn’t know how to pursue it as a career but I loved the idea of being up on stage.

"I started following a musical theatre performer who I saw in Oliver called Kerry Ellis.

"I was watching videos of her and I found it really inspirational. That’s what I wanted to do so one day I told my mum and dad I wanted to follow in her footsteps."

So are there any transferable skills between gymnastics and musical theatre?

Bethany, who is rehearsing six days a week and sometimes as much as 60 hours, said: "During a song called The Smell of Rebellion they do a section where the kids go over the vaults so my gymnastics has come in handy during that kind of stuff.

"My sports head also means I like the sense of adrenaline. It's quite exciting. The dedication and drive you need are also quite similar in sports and musical theatre."

DAVID MORGAN