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There’s more exciting news for BSPA pupil David McKenna, who has signed with leading Los Angeles-based talent agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

This Hollywood agency represents many of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including Zendaya, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep.

David has had an incredible couple of years. After making his acting debut as Piggy in the BBC and Netflix adaptation of Lord of the Flies, he is now set to appear in Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Netflix film Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew.

Signing with CAA marks yet another exciting moment in David’s career and is a reflection of just how much he has achieved in such a short space of time. We can’t wait to see where this next chapter takes him.

Check our earlier article to learn more about David’s acting journey so far, including his roles in Lord of the Flies and Narnia.

Image Credit: Deadline – David McKenna Signs with CAA

We’re delighted to see BSPA alumnus Nathan Johnston continuing to make his mark in the performing arts as he joins acclaimed Irish vocal group The Shamrocks for their first-ever UK tour.

The group will perform at venues across the UK this autumn, including a special West End performance at London’s Cambridge Theatre, before finishing the tour with a homecoming show at Belfast’s SSE Arena.

Nathan has enjoyed an exciting journey in the arts during and after his time at BSPA. In 2024, he made his West End debut as Jacob in the original musical Babies, and many will also remember him reaching the quarter-finals of The Voice Kids UK at just 14 years old, where he was mentored by Danny Jones of McFly.

It’s fantastic to see Nathan continuing to build his career and taking to the stage with The Shamrocks, where he’ll be performing alongside his brother and band member, Jimmy. Everyone at BSPA wishes him every success on the tour!

We are delighted to celebrate BSPA Belfast AM pupil Erin, who made her professional theatre debut by taking to the stage at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, in Martin McDonagh’s, The Pillowman, playing one of two young performers sharing the role of The Girl.

Running from 16 May to 15 June 2024, the production brought Martin McDonagh’s darkly comic play to audiences in Belfast, offering Erin the opportunity to perform as part of a professional theatre production.

All of us here at BSPA are incredibly proud to see our pupils gaining valuable performance experience and taking exciting steps in their creative journeys. We hope Erin enjoyed every moment on stage and are thrilled to see her talent being recognised.

Congratulations, Erin!

We are delighted to celebrate an exciting milestone for Belfast School of Performing Arts (BSPA) former pupil Sacha Koplewsky, who has been cast as Will Parker in Bord Gáis Energy Theatre’s upcoming in-house production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!.

The production will feature an all-Irish cast and creative team, with performances running from 19 June to 5 July 2026 in Dublin.

This latest role marks another fantastic step in Sacha’s professional career. After graduating with a First Class BA (Hons) in Musical Theatre from Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, Sacha made his professional debut in 2025, appearing as Alfie in The White Handkerchief at the Millennium Forum in Derry, before performing in Vagabond Skies at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Everyone at BSPA is incredibly proud to see Sacha continuing to build such an exciting career in musical theatre. Congratulations, Sacha! We wish you every success in Oklahoma!.

We are delighted to celebrate another exciting success for BSPA Bangor AM alumnus Louis McCartney, who has been cast as Ringo Starr in the upcoming six-part BBC drama Hamburg Days.

The series explores The Beatles’ formative years performing in Hamburg during the early 1960s, before they became one of the biggest and most influential bands in music history. Louis joins an impressive cast that includes Sex Education actor Asa Butterfield, Trainspotting‘s Jonny Lee Miller and Adolescence actress Christine Tremarco.

Louis has already built an impressive international career, playing Henry Creel in both the West End and Broadway productions of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the stage prequel to Netflix’s global hit series Stranger Things. His outstanding performance also earned him the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut Performance.

Everyone at BSPA is incredibly proud to see Louis continuing to achieve such remarkable success on the international stage. Congratulations, Louis!