Sean began his stage and screen career at the tender age of 4 on  RTE 1 as a Care Bear and went on to train at the Royal College of Music, Royale School of Dance, Trinity College Dublin (B. Mus) and Voice College London. Having toured the United States with Artane Boys Band - where he played in Carnegie Hall and in the White House for President Bill Clinton, Sean also appeared as a solo trombone player with many orchestras and bands throughout Ireland and the UK.

Sean is now the  proud Director and owner of Sean Gilligan Performing Arts (formerly F.A.C.T)- known for their  exceptional performances in every major venue throughout Dublin and  Ireland,

Sean is also the creative director of  Sparkle Costume Hire -  one of Ireland's leading Costume Companies, as well as Musical Director for one of the most popular and in demand choirs in the country -  The Halleluia Gospel Choir.

He has also worked with and performed alongside artists such as Westlife, Gary Barlow, Josh Groban, Jacinta Whyte, John Owen Jones, Niamh Kavanagh, Mary Byrne, Celtic Woman, Jake Carter, Paul Ryder, Rory Cowan, Mickey-Joe Harte, Paul Brady, Rob Murphy,  Mary Black, Hot Chocolate and many others in concert, both as vocalist and pianist. 

Sean's multi award-winning directing, choreography and design credits include musical theatre productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar, CATS, Phantom of the Opera,  Les Miserables, Grease, Legally Blonde, Evita,  Aladdin, The Little  Mermaid and West Side Story, as well as The Snowman at Bord Gais Energy Theatre.  From these and others, he has been the recipient of many awards for both his performance and production ranging from Best Director, Best Visual, Best Choreography and Best Over-All Show at the National AIMS awards. 

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Sean has been directing his own pantomimes, for Dublin Panto, since 2012  with Cinderella, Snow White and Robin Hood in Clontarf Castle, followed by Cinderella and Beauty & the Beast in the Hilton Dublin Airport Hotel  and in 2019,  brought panto home to Grange Woodbine - after 25 years -   with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Sean also has directed the Cheerios Pantomime for many years, initially at the Tivoli theatre and  recently in the Pantodome.

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As a performer, he has appeared in countless venues across Ireland and the UK and has played roles such as Riff (West Side Story), Gaston (Beauty & The Beast),  Lion (Wizard of Oz), and Danny (Grease), with regular tv and radio appearances also.