Casey Donovan

Most people would know Casey Donovan from her time on Australian Idol in 2004, after the then 16 year old would blow the competition away with her powerful voice and charming personality. Since then Casey has gone on to expand her career by using her talents outside of the world of strictly music by venturing into the acting world via musical theatre productions.

Most recently Casey was on the other side of the country performing in Perth as part of the We Will Rock You cast prior to Christmas. It was at this time that City Hub spoke with Casey about her experiences during an incredibly challenging year for the arts in 2020.

“I won’t lie or sugar coat it 2020 has been up down and all around, as it was for most people,” Casey explained. “There was a whole lot of anxiety not working for six or seven months.”

Not one to dwell on the negatives Casey was quick to remind us of the positives that came from such a difficult year, “It’s been interesting finding the strength within myself to deal with what was happening.”

Being forced to step away from the stage for a period also meant that the excitement levels were at an all time high when Casey stepped back in-front of an audience in Western Australia, “By not having that constant adrenaline rush to feed off of it was certainly exciting and daunting all at the same time to jump back on stage.”

Given the current social distancing requirements we had to ask how Casey found the process of adjusting to the new COVID-normal atmosphere.

“Performing to an audience where there are a few seats in between groups is really interesting. It doesn’t lack emotion, sound or feeling it’s just that you see a few open seats here or there.”

As we all now adapt to the new normal Casey said the arts have never been more important.

“Anything to do with the arts is always very important. Arts are what bring people together, especially through music. A concert is a time where people can come together, zone out and be transported into another world… An event like the Sydney Festival is very important, and even more important than ever in times like these.”

Looking ahead in 2021 Casey said, “I’m getting back into writing and hopefully, fingers crossed, we’ll get an album out there. It’s all about restructuring and regrouping from the year that has been… Let’s keep the music alive.”