Alongside her role as Artistic Director of LK Productions, Keates continued working as an actress; for the BBC on Slave Island, (the story of the African Burial Ground) Chariot Queen, in which she played the title role, Blood of the Vikings[citation needed] and Meet the Ancestors - Bones in a Barnyard.
[3] It was on the filming of this BBC programme that Keates met her husband, Broadway actor Mark Rawlings, the couple now have a daughter, Willow Darcie, born February 2010.
In 2011 Keates starred in the York Theatre Royal production of The Railway Children[4] (The Mike Kenny (writer) adaptation) playing opposite Marshall Lancaster in the role of Mrs Perks.
[5] This was performed live at Waterloo International railway station, and the production won an Olivier Award for 'Best Entertainment' in 2011.
[7] In July 2012 Keates reprised her role as Mrs Perks in The Railway Children playing opposite Marcus Brigstoke and Mark Benton.