Alumni News Article March and April 2026

21 May 26

March and April have seen our alumni achieve some truly remarkable successes! Keep reading to discover their latest projects and accomplishments.

Are you an alum with news to share? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch at [email protected].

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On Stage and Screen

Vinnie Monachello will appear in Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape – a stage adaptation of Dermot O’Leary’s children’s book. 

Owen Dagnall portrays Geordie/Alternate Albert in the National Theatre revival of War Horse, and Tom Shiels takes on the role of Casting Associate. 

Grace Cunningham performed Why is Harry Styles Ruining my Life? at Incubate Festival in Belfast.

Fiona Winning works as Resident Director on the UK and International tour of SIX The Musical.

Hope Dawe will star as Cinderella in the Palladium Panto 2026.

Eddie Marsan stars in crime thriller No Ordinary Heist. Eddie was also a recent guest on both the BIFA podcast and Tracks of My Years segment on BBC Radio 2.

Anne Odeke’s retelling of The Wind in the Willows was performed by over 100 young people at Mercury Theatre in Colchester. Anne is also writing a Rapunzel pantomime for Chester Storyhouse.

Darren France is a co-founder, director, producer, writer, and actor with UpShoot Theatre Company.

Phoebe Horn joins the cast of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Soho Place.

Fran Davies-Cáceres produced the London premiere of Wang Bang Willy Wagon at The Golden Goose Theatre, alongside Amy Revelle who joined the cast. 

Yali Topol Margalith takes the leading role of Izzy in Alice and Steve for Disney+, coming Summer 2026.

David Bark-Jones joins the cast of the RSC’s Tempest.

Kirsty McDougall and Jordan Luke Gage performed at the West End fundraiser in support of The Phoenix Arts Club C.I.C. at the Phoenix Theatre in London. Jordan will also perform in a one-night-only concert titled Theatre Royalty Drury Lane. 

Dión Di Maio performed at both Theatre503 and The Lyric Theatre Belfast as Melissa in a sell-out run of The Pitch. Dión also performed in a new play Give Her My Love where she played the lead role of Ava at Barons Court Theatre. 

Rachel Galvo hosted Trafalgar Square St Patrick’s Day celebrations. 

Yuyu Rau portrays Lin and Nancy in Sherlock Holmes at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, where Stuart Burt serves as Casting Director. 

Joe Pieri joined the cast of Trompe l’Oeil at Contact Theatre in Manchester.

Kitty Scott-Claus and Alice Fearn will perform in Roles We’ll Never Play at the Lyric Theatre, alongside Lauren Soley as part of the producing team.

Sydney Spencer joins the cast of 1536: West End at Almeida Theatre. 

Matt Herbert takes on the role of Musical Director for Dark of the Moon at Charing Cross Theatre, alongside Wills Mercado and Samuel Murray joining the cast. 

Adam Colbeck-Dunn and Minal Patel perform in the world premiere of Bank of Dave: The Musical.

Claire-Marie Hall and Josh Patel-Foster join the cast of Mischief’s Thespians: Greece The Musical (but not that one).

Alexander Zane will portray Goran and serve as Onstage Musical Director for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Watermill Theatre, alongside Reuben Greeph as Toymaker and Onstage Deputy Musical Director and Josh Rosewood completing the cast.

David Seadon-Young and Jordan Crouch both join the cast of High Society revival. 

Claire Llewellyn serves as fight coordinator for The Harder They Come at Stratford East, alongside Emily Aboud as Assistant Director. 

Tom Xander will be the alternate Beetlejuice in Beetlejuice: The Musical at the Prince Edward Theatre, alongside Chris Draper joining the cast. 

Stuart Burt works as Casting Director for Once revival and continues to serve as Casting Director for Cabaret in the West End.

Yanexi Enriquez joins the cast of Atonement at Chichester Festival Theatre.

Rodney Vubya performed in I Dream workshop concert at The Other Palace and will join the revival cast of the new touring production 9 to 5 the Musical.

Alice Fearn hosted the Golden Bucket Awards at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Alice will also perform in A Christmas Musical Spectacular at the AO Arena in Manchester.

Fred Double joins the cast of End of the Rainbow at Soho Theatre, Walthamstow and on tour. 

Marina Simioni is on a UK tour with Official Blue as an independent artist.

Sam Kingsley‑Jones will join the upcoming UK tour of The Picture of Dorian Gray – A New Musical.

Karen Wilkinson and Conor O’Hara joined the new cast of Wicked in the West End.

Jack Gibson and Jo Stephenson join the cast of the new production of Sweeney Todd, starring Ramin Karimloo.

Richard Lund stars in the play Kelly at OSO Arts Centre in London.

Hiba Elchikhe will perform in RepresentAsian: An Evening of Asian Talent at the Lyric Theatre in November 2026.

Dougie Carter will portray Moonface Martin in Anything Goes at Kilworth House.

Ryan Kopel plays a leading role in European premiere of Joshua Harmon’s We Had A World.

Saranna Parlone portrays Mollie Ralston in the new cast of The Mousetrap, having previously been an Understudy Mollie Ralston and Assistant Stage Manager. 

Virginia Sirolli was a quarter-finalist on The Voice France 2026.

Laura Dawn Pyatt joins the cast of A Life In Four Seasons at Regents Park Open Air Theatre.

Gareth Davies will portray Shylock in Something Rotten at Manchester Opera House.

Verity Thompson will play Satine in the world tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, alongside Ellie Jane Grant and Claudia Kariuki completing the cast.

Will Batty will be appearing as a multi-roling actor-musician in The Old Joint Stock Theatre’s new touring adaptation of Sherlock Holmes this summer. 

Alexander Bellinfantie and Fallon Mondlane join the cast of Hamilton in the West End.

Marlow Chan-Reeves stars in Much Ado About Nothing at the Globe Theatre.

Rachel Hammond and Annie Kirkman will perform in Calendar Girls the Musical at Theatre by the Lake.

Alice Audrey O’Hanlon will play Medium Alison in Fun Home at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

Luke Bayer will star as Ryan in the London transfer of High School Musical On Stage.

Harry Atwell joins the cast of To Kill a Mockingbird in the West End.

Gracie McGonigal will perform in May Day at King’s Head Theatre. 

Mikki Villa performs in the new play Roots at the Peckham Fringe.

Josh Butler and Bartek Kraszewski will perform in the revival of Ride the Cyclone at Southwark Playhouse.

Ashley J Russell and Ally Kennard join the cast of Trainspotting the Musical for its West End and UK tour. 

Lewis Kennedy and Aiden Carson join the tour of Jersey Boys.

Micquel Pereira joins the tour of Twelve Angry Men.

Mia Quimpo plays Cover Earth in Hot Mess: A New Musical at The Other Palace. Joe Beighton serves as Music Supervisor and Co-Orchestrator along with Sara De Sanctis as Musical Director.

Joseff Walsh performed in Capel Celyn at Scratch Cymru, and will perform the full play in October at Porters Theatre Cardiff.

Issy Wroe Wright will be starring in Chat Noir! by the Lost Estate.

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Production Arts

Irene Saviozzi worked as Technical Assistant Stage Manager on The Boy at the Back of the Class tour.

Louisa Glading took on the role of Deputy Stage Manager on Olivier-Nominated Ministry of Lesbian Affairs at Kiln Theatre.

Sophie Johnson serves as Deputy Stage Manager for Mother Courage and Her Children at the Globe Theatre.

James Minihane serves as Deputy Stage Manager for Paddington, following almost six years at Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

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Awards and Other News

Jim Howick was nominated for BAFTA Television Award 2026 for Best Actor in a Comedy for Here We Go.

Amanda Holden was nominated for BAFTA Television Award 2026 for Best Entertainment Performance for Amanda & Alan’s Spanish Job.

Chumisa Dornford-May, Gracie McGonigal and Oliver Savile are joint winners of Critics’ Circle award for Best Ensemble or Cast for their work in Into The Woods.

James Hameed won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for Paddington, alongside Arti Shah.

Connor Goodwin won the Hodgkiss Director Award 2026.

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Read our last alumni news round-up here.