Young Drumree actor making a name for himself

While all the attention in Dunshaughlin at the moment is focused on Sean Carey and his 'Fame: The Musical' performances, another young lad from the locality has also been making his name in showbiz. Eleven-year old David Martin, from Drumree, who attends Gaelscoil na Rithe, and is a member of The Acting Academy which has schools in Dunshaughlin and Navan, has been very busy over the past year after he was spotted at the Academy's shows in Navan's Solstice Theatre. For the past 12 months, he has appeared as Bert in the acclaimed play 'All My Sons' at The Gate Theatre and had a role in award-winning Irish film 'Eamon', which stars Darren Healy and Amy Kirwan. David believes acting is great fun, but admits he was a bit nervous the first time he took to the stage in front of a live audience at last year's variety show. He has also appreaed in 'The Giant Blue Hand' in the Arc Theatre, writtten by Marina Carr and directed by Celina Cartmell, and has auditioned for the ITV drama series 'Shameless' and most recently for 'Primeval,' an ITV sci-fi series. Son of Loretta and Sean Martin, David has two siblings, older brother Philip (17), who is involved in the local scouts, and sister Michelle (15), who performs with the Irish National Youth Ballet. His grandfather, Sean Martin, performed on Broadway in the 1950s. According to Loretta, David has a natural acting ability, as he has been entertaining people since he was three years-old. He is active in soccer and Taekwondo, but his favourite pastime is acting. Hundreds of children from County Meath are gearing up to perform live in the second of two variety shows staged by The Acting Academy at Solstice. The second show, featuring the work of the Navan school, takes place this Friday, 11th June. The variety shows are written and hosted by pupils aged from four to 15, with excerpts from 'Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory', 'Jack and Beanstalk', 'Oliver', 'Grease' and a host of popular melodies and dance routines. Director of The Acting Academy, Liz Bracken, said several children have been requested for auditions for popular teenage shows such as 'Shameless' on Channel 4 and the 'The Big Bow Wow'. She added: "At the Acting Academy, pupils are encouraged and learn how to use their own 'natural' or 'raw talent'. Children are also taught confidence-building skills, improvisation techniques, how to write their own scripts and learn an appreciation of the arts, theatre and acting." The school was established in 2003 to nurture up-and-coming talent in Meath and north Dublin. It caters for children aged from four to 15 in dance, acting, singing and film skills. For more information and for details of the upcoming shows, visit www.theactingacademy.ie or call (087) 780 8437.