Sean Kearns is a 55 year old Actor originally from Newry but currently living in Belfast. As a teenager Sean was a member of Newpoint Players and Newry Musical Society, during this period he auditioned for The Ulster Youth Theatre and as a result appeared in Godspell, Grease, West-Side Story and The Boyfriend. This then led to his first professional job, playing The Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz at The Riverside Theatre in Coleraine and he’s been on the Yellow brick road to success ever since!
What genre / style do you create in?
I predominantly work in Theatre although I have worked in Film, Television and Radio.
What would you be best known for?
I don’t know if I know the answer to that question!
What would you consider your biggest achievement?
I didn’t go to drama school so the fact that I have performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company for two seasons plus two seasons at Shakespeare’s Globe. I have appeared in the West End in Billy Elliot, The 39 Steps, The Commitments, Wicked and the comedy About a Bank Robbery.
What would you consider to be the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your industry?
Patience.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
My biggest challenge is always the amount of time I have to spend away from home due to the nature of my work. If I am contracted in the West End then I am away on a year long contract.
Tell us a little about your personal life, are you married, kids, hobbies etc?
I live at home with my wife of 27 years Gillian, my daughter Caitlin and Mavis our newly adopted rescue dog. She is a little terrier cross and she is adorable.
Tell us about your most recent work?
At the beginning of the year I was touring America with Sting in his musical The Last Ship. We had been in Los Angeles for 6 weeks then moved to San Francisco and were there for 3 weeks before being closed due to Covid 19.
What would you like us to tell people about?
I am currently in rehearsal with the wonderful Cahoots NI for their upcoming online show, The University of Wonder and Imagination.
If you had to describe your work to someone who has never heard of you what would you say?
I pretend for a living and get to play an incredible range of characters!
What’s the funniest experience you’ve had in your business?
Years ago I was playing the Dame in Jack and the Beanstalk at The Spires in Belfast and I was just about to start the audience participation number towards the end of the show. We had gone up late and as it was a schools audience they had to leave as their buses had arrived to take them back to school. So I started the song and the entire audience upped and left, leaving me on my own.
What would your advice be to young people hoping to pursue the same industry?
This is a very tough business, however, it is a wonderful industry. I would say patience is key.
Anything else you want to tell people about yourself or your work?
I am incredibly lucky to be able to work on large scale commercial productions and also to be able to create original work with independent companies.
You can keep up to date with Sean here:
Twitter @Iamseankearns
Instagram @seankearns369
Sean will be performing in the new Cahoots NI show the University of Wonder & Imagination. The show is an hour-long interactive digital theatre production that allows audiences to effectively direct the performance, based on their interaction with the performers. The University of Wonder & Imagination will be making it’s Northern Ireland premiere at the Belfast International Arts Festival from October 22nd – 25th and 29th – November 1. For more information or to book go to http://www.cahootsni.com/ or https://belfastinternationalartsfestival.com/ Â
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