KEANE FLETCHER

Keane Fletcher, an accomplished performer who has entertained audiences all over the world, recently spoke with us about his career.

As a member of the class of 2003 at Lindisfarne, Keane credits Lindisfarne’s performing arts program with helping him get his start. “My main draw to the School was the performing arts program. There were some great teachers doing some great work,” Keane shared.

When asked about influential teachers, Keane mentioned Ms Tracey Kriz, who directed all of the school’s musicals. “She really helped me get a good start,” Keane said. He went on to talk about his early experiences performing in school musicals, including his role as the lead character’s son in The King and I. “For me, that was my first musical, which gave me a little taste for that. And then we did Oklahoma, I played Will Parker, we did Carousel, and I played the lead in that,” Keane recounted. He also mentioned that prior to these musicals, he had mainly participated in speech and drama and in the debating team.

Keane’s passion for performing led him to pursue extracurricular activities outside of school, including some pro-am work on the Gold Coast. He also auditioned for the Queensland Conservatorium and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), where he eventually studied for three years. “It was full-on training, and then as soon as you graduate, you kind of launched into the industry, so it was kind of good to get that concentrated education for three years before anything really started,” Keane shared.

After graduating from WAAPA, Keane landed a role in a touring musical, which served as a “baptism by fire” into the industry. He spent the next two years working in musicals before auditioning for The Ten Tenors in 2009. Keane toured with The Ten Tenors for ten years, performing all over the world. “My first actual performance was in Norway. And then we spent the bulk of our touring life either in Europe, mostly Germany and Scandinavia, or we did a lot in the United States,” Keane said.

Despite the success he experienced with The Ten Tenors, Keane decided to take a break from touring when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “That kind of intensity of touring, I needed to have a little break from that,” Keane explained. He also mentioned that the pandemic greatly impacted his industry, which relies heavily on travel and large audiences.

Reflecting on his career so far, Keane cited the camaraderie he experienced with his fellow performers and the fantastic audiences he encountered as highlights. “It was the travelling all over the world, combined with the camaraderie of your fellow performers and the fantastic audiences that really stick out as the highlights,” Keane said.

Overall, Keane’s career serves as an inspiration to young performers who dream of making it big. By taking advantage of the opportunities available to him, both in and outside of school, Keane was able to build a successful career doing what he loves. He hopes others will follow him.

“I know the culture around performing arts in schools has changed a lot since I was in high school. It was a bit niche thing when I was doing it. There was only a small group of us. I encourage everyone to try it out, to see if you like it. A school is a safe environment to test the waters for performance, it will allow you to explore and see if it is for you. It will help you to be certain if this is a possible career for you beyond school.”

We will continue to follow Keane’s career with great interest and look forward to having him visit the next group of performers who take to the stage at Lindisfarne when he is next in our part of the world.

As we head towards the second half of the year, we look forward to hosting some great events including; showcases, transition services and sporting events as well as celebrating our graduating class of Year 12 students.