Leaping to success

Growing up in a small town hasn’t hindered South Australian Euan Doidge from hitting the big league after scoring the role of Paul in A Chorus Line, says Alex Dunkin.

Euan Doidge is originally from New Zealand, but grew up in Millicent, South Australia, where he says there were many hurdles to overcome on the way to following his dream of becoming a performer.

“Living in Millicent was difficult as a young boy and as a performer and dancer and having a love for the arts, and being a small town it wasn’t a normal thing for a small boy to be facing,” Doidge says.

“It was very difficult for me in school. It was a lot of hard work but it never stopped me from performing.

“I had a set achievement and that was definitely hard in a small town. I kind of kept to myself. It was difficult to explain to others how much I wanted this, and now they understand why I was the way I was.

“As I got older the community, I think, just got better,” Doidge explains.

“Millicent has supported me so much…they helped fundraise for workshops and to go overseas. They’ve just been an incredible support. I couldn’t ask for a more loving community, but definitely at school it was hard.”

Doidge lays a lot of his success at his parents’ door. “My parents told me to always stay true to who you are. So I have always been strong minded and no one could tell me otherwise. I had to overcome the fear of being laughed at. It has made me a stronger performer,” he says.

“I miss them a lot since moving to Melbourne. It was really hard to move from that town because everyone has been so loving. I’m so proud of where I have come from.”

Doidge says he first performed publicly for a dance group at Millicent North Primary School when he was ten, and from there received a scholarship for the MJ Dance Studio in Mount Gambier.

“From there I worked hard as a performer. I’ve been to the nationals on the Gold Coast,” he says.

“Our dance school is such a special school I don’t think that there is any other place like it, it’s like a second family for most the students there.

“Choreographers come over from America to teach at a little school in South Australia. We’ve been exposed to so many things.

“When I’ve been overseas to compete and do workshops I’ve brought stuff back to the school and it just lifts the energy of the school. Everyone learns and they just feed off each other.”

After fulfilling the role of Paul, Doidge is aiming to take on bigger and better things.

“I will still keep working as hard as I have. I will continue to learn and hope everything moves on up from. Eventually I want to head to New York, on Broadway.”

The key to success, it seems, is confidence: “It is difficult. You have to be present in the job,” he said. “You need to walk in the room saying, ‘I want this job’.”

A Chorus Line, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne, February 4 to March 3, 2012. Bookings: achorusline.com.au