COVER STORY ARTICLE

GROWING UP IN CENTRAL FLORIDA, LILY RHOADS HAS BEEN AROUND WORLD-CLASS PERFORMERS, ENTERTAINMENT, AND THE MAGIC OF THE STAGE SINCE SHE WAS VERY YOUNG. LILY, NOW 12, IS INSPIRED BY PERFORMANCE ARTS AND HAS BECOME LASER-FOCUSED ON HONING HER SKILLS WITH DANCE, VOICE AND THEATER.  

LILY FIRST TOOK TO THE STAGE WITH DANCE AT AGE 2, AND HASN’T LOOKED BACK. 

FOR 11 YEARS, SHE HAS TRAINED WITH READY, SET, DANCE OF GOTHA, FL, IN SEVERAL GENRES INCLUDING BALLET, JAZZ, TAP, MUSICAL THEATER AND LYRICAL CONTEMPORARY DANCE. MUSICAL THEATER NUMBERS INCLUDE SOLOS IN “JET SET” FROM CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, “SHOELESS JOE FROM HANNIBAL, MO” FROM DAMN YANKEES, “FABULOUS” FROM HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2, AND “HOLA LOLA” FROM DEAR EDWINA JR. 

AT AGE 7, LILY LANDED A ROLE IN HER FIRST FULL-LENGTH PRODUCTION: “ORPHAN MOLLY” IN ANNIE WITH YOUNG STAR MUSICAL THEATER IN WINTER GARDEN, FL. ROLES SINCE HAVE INCLUDED “YOUNG ANNA” IN FROZEN JR., AND “THE LITTLE RED-HEADED GIRL” IN YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN. HER STRONG VOCAL ABILITIES LED HER TO BE CAST AS MISS HONEY EARLIER THIS YEAR IN YOUNG STAR MUSICAL THEATER'S RENDITION OF MATILDA JR., A ROLE TYPICALLY HELD BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS. 

MOST RECENTLY, LILY TOOK THE STAGE AT THE DR. PHILLIPS CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS AS THE “SOUR KANGAROO” IN “SEUSSICAL JR.” WITH TAP INTO THEATER ACADEMY, A PRE-PROFESSIONAL THEATER COMPANY. LILY IS CURRENTLY CAST AS “MEDDA LARKIN” IN THEIR PRODUCTION OF NEWSIES JR. AND WILL RETURN TO THE DR. PHILLIPS CENTER STAGE IN DECEMBER. 

FOR THE LAST 2 YEARS, LILY HAS DEVELOPED HER VOICE AND ACTING TRAINING WITH DEREK ROURA AND COLLEAGUES AT WESTRICK VOCAL STUDIO IN WINTER GARDEN, FL. SHE HAS ALSO TRAINED WITH BROADWAY VOCAL COACH JODIE LANGEL.

SHE IS A TWO-TIME ALUMNAE OF THE BROADWAY ARTISTS ALLIANCE, AN AUDITION-BASED, WEEK-LONG BROADWAY INTENSIVE IN NEW YORK CITY WITH COURSES LED BY INDUSTRY EXPERTS IN ACTING, VOCALS AND DANCING. SHE LOVES THE IMMERSION OF THE PROGRAM, INCLUDING THE “TALK BACKS” WITH BROADWAY STARS. SHE IS ALSO A RECENT ALUMNAE OF TAKE IT FROM THE TOP, A TOURING BROADWAY INTENSIVE, WHERE SHE WORKED WITH TOP BROADWAY CHOREOGRAPHERS AND VOCAL COACHES, AND WAS SELECTED TO BE ONE OF THEIR FEATURED SOLOISTS FOR THEIR SHOWCASE AT HER “HOME STAGE” IN ORLANDO.

LILY IS A 7TH GRADER AT HOWARD MIDDLE SCHOOL ACADEMY OF ARTS, A PERFORMING-BASED MAGNET, WHERE SHE IS IMMERSED IN VOICE, THEATER AND DANCE. SHE WAS CAST IN SIX TEEN EDITION AS A 6TH GRADER, IS A MEMBER OF THE SCHOOL’S SHOW CHOIR, AND A PROUD MEMBER OF JUNIOR THESPIAN TROUPE 89214 WHERE SHE CAN’T WAIT TO REPRESENT HER SCHOOL AT THE DISTRICT COMPETITION IN NOVEMBER.

LILY IS A BRONZE AWARD GIRL SCOUT, AND IS CURRENTLY WORKING ON HER SILVER AWARD. AT THE 2023 GIRL SCOUT NATIONAL CONVENTION, LILY WAS INVITED TO SPEAK ON STAGE WITH THE GSUSA CEO ON HER TROOP’S BRONZE AWARD PROJECT TO OVER 2,000 DELEGATES/VOLUNTEERS. LILY WAS ALSO INTERVIEWED BY SCHOLASTIC MAGAZINE ON HER TROOP’S BRONZE AWARD, WHERE THE TROOP WAS FEATURED ON THE MAGAZINE COVER. LILY ALSO WAS PART OF THE GSUSA’S OFFICIAL UNIFORM LAUNCH IN 2021 AND WILL BE PART OF GIRL SCOUT HISTORY ARCHIVES; THE COMMERCIAL PLAYS IN THE MUSEUM  DISPLAY AT THE “GIRL SCOUT EXPERIENCE” AT THEIR HEADQUARTERS IN NYC. LILY HAS ALSO BEEN A MEDIA TEAM GIRL FOR CITRUS COUNCIL FOR 3 YEARS AND HAS BEEN INTERVIEWED BY LOCAL TV STATIONS, MODELED IN FASHION SHOWS, AND BEEN A PART OF MARKETING EFFORTS.

LILY IS A 5-YEAR MEMBER OF THE ONLY GIRL SCOUT SHOW CHORUS IN THE NATION: THE CITRUS SINGERS. THIS SELECT GROUP OF GIRL SCOUTS SING NATIONAL ANTHEMS AT PROFESSIONAL SPORTING EVENTS, AND PERFORM HOLIDAY NUMBERS AROUND THE CENTRAL FLORIDA AREA. DURING THE 2023 GIRL SCOUT NATIONAL CONVENTION, THE CITRUS SINGERS WERE INVITED TO PERFORM AT WALT DISNEY WORLD IN FRONT OF 8,500 CONVENTION ATTENDEES. SINCE THEN, LILY HAS BEEN A KEY MEMBER AND WAS FEATURED IN THEIR LATEST MUSIC VIDEO ON YOUTUBE LAUNCHED EARLIER THIS YEAR.

LILY LOVES TRAVELING TO NEW DESTINATIONS ABOARD DISNEY CRUISE LINE, AND MAKING NEW FRIENDS ONBOARD. SHE LOVES SINGING BROADWAY SONGS, ATTENDING THEATER PERFORMANCES, MAKING VIDEOS WITH HER FRIENDS, MAKING BRACELETS, LEADING AND VOLUNTEERING WITH YOUNGER GIRL SCOUTS, SPENDING TIME WITH HER FAMILY, AND GOING TO THEME PARKS.

PHOTOGRAPHER | JENNIFER LEE PHOTOGRAPHY