Genesis Lynea never thought she’d be on the stage at London’s West End.

You can catch her as a football player in Bend It Like Beckham, a new musical based on the hit 2002 film.

It’s a big move for the 25-year-old Bermudian, a relative newcomer to the performing arts scene.

Miss Lynea realised she was going down the wrong path a year after she started university. She abandoned her geography studies and ploughed into a course in musical theatre at the performing arts institution, Arts Educational Schools, London.

“I had never danced seriously,” she said. “Then I saw a West End production and I thought, ‘I have to do that’.

“I was 21 when I took up formal dance training in university. I was very raw. I couldn’t even do a pirouette. A lot of my fellow students were a few years younger.”

Teachers spotted her natural aptitude for dance — a scholarship from the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda helped pay for her classes.

She graduated in 2013 and was accepted into the ensemble of The Bodyguard, another musical on at the West End.

Miss Lynea comes from a family of performers. Her father, Lionel Edwards, is a saxophonist; her Bermudian mother, Genea “Adi” Wolf, sings jazz in Berlin, Germany.

She lived in Bermuda for a few years as a child but has spent much of her life in the UK.

“I love London,” she said. “It is like my first home. When I go back to Bermuda I don’t feel that I know all the roads. I still can’t drive. When I go home I feel locked down in one place. London is magnificent. It is filled with weird architecture. I love how culturally diverse it is.”

Bend It Like Beckham opened last month. It’s about a young girl of East Indian descent who plays football in spite of her parents’ disapproval.

Miss Lynea was particularly excited to be a part of a show she feels is helping break down racial barriers.

“A lot of people think that in a big city like London there must be very little racism,” she said.

“That’s not the case. A lot of the cast members in this show never thought they would get to be leads in a West End play, because of their colour.

“It is so nice to be part of a cast that is welcoming and yet girl-heavy. I feel empowered. The story is about a group of powerful, strong women who break through barriers.”

Her immediate goal is to just keep her career going. Ultimately, she’d like to find her way onto the big screen.

“I want to go to Los Angeles next year, maybe do my master’s degree and do an acting course,” she said. “I want to explore the industry over there.

“This year is more about solidifying what I know and putting it out there. I am a songwriter as well. I am having a session with different producers and writing partners.

“I want to get out some promotional videos. I am also doing some research and design for a piece at the Barbican Theatre. I want to let the world know who I am.”

She plans to travel to Berlin to record songs with her mother in the coming months.

“We sang together when she lived in London,” said Miss Lynea. “That was really cool. She never really pushed me into this. I’d tried a lot of different things in my teens.

“I am a typical Libra and sometimes can’t make up my mind about things. When she saw that I was finally serious about dance, she was very supportive.”

Bend it Like Beckham is on now at the Phoenix Theatre at 110 Charing Cross Road until July 11. Visit benditlikebeckhamthemusical.co.uk.