NORTH Yorkshire actress Grace Lancaster should have been attending her degree ceremony at Rose Bruford College on September 16 but was unable to head south for the very best of reasons.

Grace, who made her mark on the York youth theatre scene before studying on the actor musicianship degree course from 2013 to 2016, was instead committed to rehearsals for Tutti Frutti and York Theatre Royal's premiere of Underneath A Magical Moon.

"So I had a mock ceremony at the Post Office Club in Marygate with my family and members of the cast, and my family band, The New York Brass Band, played a set," says Grace, who plays saxophone and sings alongside her father, stepmum and two brothers.

Now she is playing not only the tenor saxophone but also the ukulele, accordion and clarinet in York playwright Mike Kenny's new adaptation of J M Barrie's Peter Pan for three year olds and upwards, initially in the York Theatre Royal Studio and later on tour.

"I already played the piano and bought myself a lovely little accordion in my first year at college and I've now made myself an accordion-playing pirate at one point in this show," says Grace, who attended Ripon Grammar School in her youth theatre days.

She is joined by Jack Brett's Peter Pan and Chris Draper's Captain Hook in Kenny's re-imagining of Peter Pan, as seen through the eyes of Wendy Darling, played by Grace.

Director Wendy Harris, who was named after Barrie's character, picked Grace from workshop auditions. "You always get a couple of people that shine out because you're looking for so many skills: acting, musicianship, singing and creating a character, and Grace's singing and musical ability was outstanding and she moves well too," she says.

Underneath A Magical Moon runs in The Studio, York Theatre Royal, until October 22 and on tour until December 31. York box office: 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk