b'PEOPLE Staying on scriptDORISYOUNANESPHYSICALAPPROACHdidnt know a lot about the arts, but fellowAfterAdelaide,IboughtahouseinRoss TO ACTING makes the theatre her preferredclassmates at NIDA pitched in to help. Street which is as Parramatta as you can get, place to ply her craft. I was on the backfoot when I started classesandthenwemovedtoNorthmead,soIve Its even seen her run away with the circus as acting hadnt been my motivation, but I waswatched the area change over time.Circus Oz to be exacttraining in acrobaticslucky enough to share a place with RichardIts a completely different place now and I and flying trapeze. Roxborough who knew a lot more than me. Helove that its more culturally rich and dynamic There was a strong drama focus where I wenttaught me about acting and I taught him about theres more festivals including things like to school in Castle Hill, so I started dabbling inphysical movement, Doris says. Tropfest, and its not that far to get here from acting back then, Doris says. It was a hard three years at NIDA but also anSydneys CBD.I didnt take it too seriously at the time asamazing experience and, when I finished, I wasTheresroomformoretheatres,especially my attention was on athletics, and I was evenlucky enough to land a two-year contract withfringe and smaller ones, and we need to use asked to represent NSW in the 100 metersthe South Australian Theatre Company, and itthe citys assets like the gardens much more, hurdlesandlongjump,soIwasmainlyreally just took off after that. but its all heading in the right direction.dedicated to training. From there it was in and out of theatre, andDoris latest project, a new TV series called But the more I got involved in acting, the morethe stint with Circus Oz, including work withFive Bedrooms to air on Channel 10 later this people said I had a natural ability, so I wenttheMelbourneTheatreCompanyandtheyear, keeps in line with her script philosophy.on to study at the Nepean College of the ArtsGriffinTheatreCompanywhereherroleinIts one of the best scripts Ive ever read, it has a where they encouraged me to audition for NIDAthe production of Jump For Jordan garneredgreat cast and its a great story, she says.(the National Institute for Dramatic Arts). a Sydney Theatre Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. KatStewart,StephenPeacocke,Katie I thought it was ridiculous, that so manyRobertson, Roy Joseph, Kate Jenkinson and people said I should become an actor, butI GUESS I CAN BE MYHugh Sheridan are just some of the fabulous I did, and out of 6000 people who tried outHARSHEST CRITIC, BUT IF ITactors Im working with.each year, I was one of 21 who got in. MEANS A BETTER SCRIPT, It tells the story of five very different people FastforwardalmostfourdecadesandTHEN IM ALL FOR IT who bond at a singles table at a wedding and Doris has forged her career on one guidingdecide to buy a house together, so you can principal: working with good scripts. ButitwasherroleintheAustralianblackimagine it has plenty of plot twists and turns.That ethos and her ensuing journey has landedcomedy Death in Brunswick in 1990 that kick- Its the kind of project I love being involved in as her continuous work, something most actorsstarted her screen career, including the filmit allows me to work alongside some very talented aspiretoachieve,includingrolesinmuch- The Heartbreak Kid and the ensuing TV seriesactors on a brilliantly original and sharp script.loved TV dramas, feature films and of courseHeartbreakHigh,McLeodsDaughtersand, stints on the stage. most recently, the Wrong Girl amongst a longAftershefinishesfilmingthefirstseriesof list of other credits. Five Bedrooms, she plans to take break, but Its always been about the scripts also continue her role as an ambassador for it has to be, she says. Film and TV is very different to theatre. YouDementia Australia.Ive turned a lot of jobs downneed to be on point all the time and theres noPeople dont understand how big a problem becausethescriptdidntsecond chances, she says. dementiaiswithoneinfourAustralians resonatewithme,andImIt might look easy but its not. Try and doaffected by it, she says.hesitant to take a job forseven takes crying in a scene! If you stuff up, the sake of it. youre gone, and while some people have aWe need more understanding and research, natural ability its like anything, you have toand fund and awareness raising like the next Im not arrogant abouttrain to become good at it. Dementia Walk in May.it,butultimatelyits helped me becomeGrowingupinParramattahelpedDorisAnd if good scripts dont come her way, Doris betteratwhatIunderstandthevalueofhardwork,andhas started to take matters into her own hands.do.shes kept her roots in the city for as longIm developing projects with my husband to Startingoutas she can. pitchtoproductionhouses,toallowmeto wasnteasyforYouhavetogowheretheworkis,soIwork behind the camera instead of just in front Doris, as her focusspent a lot of time in other cities, particularlyof it, she says.onsportupuntilMelbourne, but Ive always had a home in theI guess I can be my harshest critic, but if it thattimemeantshearea, Doris says. means a better script, then Im all for it.URBANDRIVER31'