Casey Donovan is a proud Gumbaynggirr woman from the mid-north coast of New South Wales. Casey is one of Australia’s most versatile Entertainers. After a meteoric rise to fame at the age of sixteen, Casey became the youngest ever winner of Australian Idol in 2004. Over the last seventeen years, she has made her mark not only as a musician, but also in the areas of stage, screen, presenting and writing. Casey is a multi-Award winner and nominee, including an ARIA No #1 Award for Listen with Your Heart and Deadly Awards for Best Album, Best Single and Most Promising New Talent.
Set the alarm for a great night out at DOLLY PARTON’s joyous smash hit musical 9 TO 5, featuring a stellar cast, knock out songs and high-flying ambitions. A sensation on the West End and inspired by the hit film, 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL features an all-star Australian cast including Marina Prior as smart & sassy career woman Violet Newstead, Casey Donovan as newly separated new recruit Judy Bernly, Erin Clare as bright & beautiful country gal Doralee Rhodes, Eddie Perfect as the controlling boss Franklin Hart Jnr. and featuring Caroline O’Connor as busy-body Roz Keith. With a sparkling score by Dolly Parton and a book by the iconic movie’s original screenwriter Patricia Resnick, 9 TO 5 is the quintessential feel-good show for the times. Full of mischief, laughter and affection, it’s gold carat fun!
Casey Donovan will be Judy Bernly, a newly separated, never worked before young woman who finds more than just a job at Consolidated Industries. Casey shot to stardom after winning Australian Idol as a 16 year old in 2004, and has since become an audience favourite in concert and in musical theatre. Most recently she played Matron Mama Morton in the smash hit musical Chicago, and has performed in The Flower Children, The Sapphires, Rent and We Will Rock You Casey supports a number of charitable and non-profit organisations in her roles as Ambassador for RU OK, MMAD and Camp Quality, and Advocate for the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence, Starlight Children’s Foundation and as one of the founding members of the New South Wales Indigenous Chamber of Commerce.
CASEY DONOVAN, finally takes her ‘BluesDay’ tour on the road in September and November 2022.
From the tender age of 16 winning Australian Idol (2004) to the ‘Queen of the Jungle’ in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ (2017), to the spontaneous standing ovations mid-show as the lead Judy Bernly in 9 TO 5 the Musical (2022), celebrated first nation’s artist, Casey Donovan has cemented herself as one of the country’s finest music, stage and screen talents.
Throughout the past two year’s covid lockdowns, Casey has kept her hundreds and thousands of fans entertained weekly with her raw and honest, ‘Tuesday Bluesday’ online sessions, often parting with some additional self-mindfulness along the way to help herself and everyone else through. ‘Bluesday is a show that uses music for healing, thought, interaction, distraction, storytelling whether it be music or someone else’s”, says Casey. Fans would request a song and Case would also play her own favourites on acoustic guitar, direct from her loungeroom.
Casey has wrapped all the goodness of Bluesday of the past two years into a show to take on the road with all the ‘feels’ that we need and want. But also, be pleasantly surprised with a few new original songs that will pop up in the show, as Casey has been busy writing and recording new music to be released later in the year.
‘Queen’ is a title often bestowed on Casey with her iconic performances at the Sydney Opera House for New Year’s Eve and Australia Day, plus the annual Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne. “Casey Donovan has become ABC’s New Year’s Eve insurance policy. She can sing anything better than just about anyone else, including the people who originally sang the songs she’s performing – and she showed us again, why she fits her billing as ‘Queen of New Year’s Eve’ – Sydney Morning Herald.
Casey made her theatrical debut in Miracle in Brisbane, followed up by acclaimed performances in The Sapphires, As You Like It, The Flowerchildren, Opera Yarrabah, RENT, We Will Rock You and Chicago and now currently starring in the hit 9 TO 5 The Musical.
In TV land, Casey has appeared in the hilarious hit sitcoms Streetsmart & How To Stay Married (Network 10). Donovan performed the David Bowie classic ‘Heroes’ at the 2017 Logie Awards to a standing ovation and online public rave reviews and in co-hosted SBS’ short-series ‘What Does Australia Really Think?’ alongside Noni Hazelhurst and Kurt Fearnley. In 2021, Casey was invited to perform the original song ‘Proud’ as part of Eurovision-Australia Decides.
In 2020, on invitation from national broadcaster, Nova Entertainment, Case became a podcast host on ‘The Space’, a mindfulness podcast of 3–4-minute mini-episodes with cringe-free meditations, motivations, and tips on how to improve your day, which has been in the Top 5 ‘Best Wellbeing Podcast’, two year’s running.
Casey has toured the country countless times, performed at major festivals, and opened for the legendary Cyndi Lauper on her 2011 Australian Tour.
Donovan is an ambassador and advocate of First Nations peoples, artists, industries and pro-active initiatives, RU OK, MMAD, Camp Quality, Starlight Foundation and a founding member of the New South Wales Indigenous Chamber of Commerce.
Quotes:
“The highlight of the show and the one that audience was buzzing about on the way out of the theatre was Casey Donovan as Judy Bernly. A phenomenal voice! Donovan has featured in a few musicals now, though this role surely will smash any pre-perceptions you might have had about what kind of roles this talented performer can play!” – Star Observer
“Donovan’s powerhouse voice is in fine form – she earned a spontaneous standing ovation from the audience” The Guardian
2022 TOUR DATES
THU 22 SEP LIZOTTE’S, NEWCASTLE FRI 23 SEP BLUE MOUNTAINS THEATRE SAT 24 SEP CENTRO CBD, WOLLONGONG SUN 25 SEP PRINCESS THEATRE, BRISBANE FRI 11 NOV CAPITAL THEATRE, BENDIGO SAT 12 NOV THE CUBE, WODONGA THU 17 NOV FRANKSTON ARTS CENTRE FRI 18 NOV LIGHTHOUSE THEATRE, WARRNAMBOOL SAT 19 NOV THORNBURY THEATRE, MELBOURNE