The star keeps rising for a local gal: Fabiola Caraballo Quijada, an award-winning young actress from Dallas, has won the title role of the North American tour of the hit Broadway musical & Juliet.

& Juliet is a coming-of-age musical created by David West Read, the Emmy-winning writer of TV series Schitt's Creek, featuring the music of Swedish pop songwriter Max Martin (Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, etc.).

The Tony-nominated hit reimagines Shakespeare’s classic, asking what might happen if Juliet chose her own path instead of Romeo’s. The North American tour originally launched September 22, 2024, at Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre with Rachel Simone Webb in the lead role.

It's currently playing on the West Coast through September, and will then continue into its second year, hitting more than 40 cities on the schedule, including San Antonio, Austin, Miami, Montreal, Indianapolis, San Diego, and a return to Chicago.

Caraballo Quijada is a recent graduate of Tyler Legacy High School who just won the Jimmy Awards, AKA the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, for Best Performance by an Actress with her solo performance of "Astonishing" from the musical Little Women. It was Quijada’s third straight year performing and competing at the Jimmy Awards.

She will join the "year two" company of & Juliet when it resumes September 23 in Sacramento, California. Full casting for the new company will be revealed later this fall.

Featuring a book by David West Read and a score packed with pop hits like “Since U Been Gone,” “Roar,” “I Want It That Way,” "...Baby One More Time," and “Teenage Dream," the show brings a modern twist to the timeless tale.

On Broadway, & Juliet continues at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, where it earned nine 2023 Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical.