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Our brand new BSPA Newtownards school has just opened its doors and it’s already almost full!

Launched this month at Model Primary School, BSPA Newtownards is the 11th school in the BSPA family, bringing our weekly performing arts lessons to even more young people across Northern Ireland.

From the very first Saturday, it has been fantastic to see so many young people from Newtownards, Comber, Dundonald, Ards and the surrounding areas turning up and having a ball with new friends.

Like our other schools, BSPA Newtownards offers classes in dance, music and drama, with lessons led by Corrie Earley, Ayesha Akkari and Áine McConvey. Together, our classes give young people the chance to explore musical theatre and performing arts in a fun and supportive environment.

As with all BSPA schools, the focus is about much more than performing. Our classes give young people the opportunity to build confidence, develop their creativity, make friends and have fun in a supportive environment.

With spaces filling quickly, there are now only a limited number of places remaining at BSPA Newtownards. If you’re looking for performing arts or musical theatre classes in Newtownards and thinking about joining us, now is a great time to find out more and apply for a place.

There are also a few limited spaces available at BSPA Newtownards Juniors for young performers aged 3–6 years. If you have a little one who loves to dance, sing, perform and have fun, you can find out more about BSPA Newtownards Juniors, including class information and times, on our Newtownards Juniors page.

BSPA now welcomes more than 1,000 young people every week across 11 schools in Northern Ireland, with opportunities for children and young people aged 3–18 to get involved in dance, drama, music and musical theatre.

We’re so excited to officially welcome BSPA Newtownards to the family – and we can’t wait to see what our brilliant pupils get up to next!

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

It’s always special to see BSPA pupils alumni to perform on stages close to home! Former pupil Luc Burns is among the internationally acclaimed Northern Ireland-born dancers appearing in this year’s Ballet Gala of Stars, an evening celebrating ballet talent from Northern Ireland and beyond.

Taking place this August, the gala will see established professionals share the stage with emerging young dancers from the Belfast International Ballet Festival, creating a celebration of artistry, dedication and the next generation of performers.

Luc has built an impressive career since his time at BSPA, performing with companies across the UK, Europe and the United States. Earlier in his career, he was selected as a principal dancer for the Varna International Ballet UK tour, performing in celebrated productions including The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.

We love seeing where former BSPA pupils’ careers take them, and it’s especially exciting when they have the chance to perform back home. Wishing Luc a fantastic evening at the Ballet Gala of Stars this August.

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!.