A Dialogue with Doris
- Faith Taylor
- Aug 11
- 7 min read
Interviewing Michael Doris – 15 years strong and still looking forward to the surprise of each
year to come.
Known simply as ‘Doris’ at TheatreiNQ, Michael Doris is a valued member of the ensemble who
has contributed so much to the company over the years. From his very first role at the
inception of the company in 2010 as the Marquess of Dorset in RICHARD III, to his portrayal of the Metellus Cimber in our fast-approaching production of CAESAR, Doris has been with the
company through thick and thin.
BACKGROUND
Michael's family were a big part of an amateur theatre company back in Ireland called ‘Craic’ and
was subsequently exposed to theatre from a young age. He remembers growing up watching
productions such as Little Shop of Horrors and The Sound of Music. After moving to Australia at the age of six, he recalls his involvement with theatre being kickstarted again in high school. At Townsville Grammar he took part in school productions and found himself swept up in his drama teacher, Fiona Perry’s, “infectious” passion.
Leading up to the end of high school, he had three career pathways laid out in front of him. "a doctor, an actor, or a pilot—but that one very quickly dropped off.” Still, two out of three is not bad at all. I wondered if he felt more like an actor or a doctor, and I learned the following:
While in the Bridge Project in 2014, Doris got a taste of life as a professional actor, and that
was “the clincher”. He knew that he loved the theatre, but he decided he didn’t want to do it
“at that level”. There were a lot of variables that factored into his decision, such as the
seeming “randomness of success,” as Michael puts it: “How you could be an exceptionally hard
worker, but if the right opportunities or conversations didn’t arise as they had for another
person, you might not succeed as well as you’d hoped.” Although he is firmly settled into his career as a GP, Michael still gets to come back to his TheatreiNQ home and engage with his love of storytelling.
HIS CAREER—
“[I’m] trying to write them a better chapter.”
Michael is a fully-fledged doctor, but he still enjoys putting on a different hat while he’s at
TheatreiNQ. “In a weird way, they’re kind of similar.” He jokes about sitting his undergraduate medical admissions test and thinking to himself that it was essentially script analysis.
“You get given this wall of text… Mrs. Smith comes in and this is what she says… What is it
she actually means, what does she want? And I remember sitting in the exam going, ‘This is
drama!’”
Other company members often take advantage of his medical expertise by asking him “off-
the-cuff questions” and Michael is always happy to answer. As a healthcare professional, he has
set out to help people and appreciates that he can help those close to him. I’ve personally witnessed multiple people approaching him with various health questions and, without fail, he has always been incredibly kind, patient and helpful. I also remember an email Terri sent out to the company in the wake of the floods two months ago. It was absolutely jam-packed with information and health advice regarding mould, infections, and cleaning up flood water— courtesy of Dr. Michael Doris.
Talking to Terri, she shares that the company is very lucky to have him. When it comes to illnesses, doctors’ orders are typically to get some rest, but during a performance season we all know that’s not always possible. “He’s really helpful at understanding who we are and helping us to keep going,” Terri comments. “Particularly with Bloody Mary, when I personally was really struggling with my breathing, he looked at my symptoms daily and nightly— I don’t know any other actress that gets to have her doctor at each and every performance.”
MEETING THEATREINQ
“The wonderful thing about TheatreiNQ is its ethos. It’s run by professional actors and trains
professional actors, who then come back and do shows. It’s the closest I can get to getting the
best of both worlds.” Michael says.
Michael commenced his Bachelor of Medicine in 2010 – 18 years old and fresh out of high
school – and was halfway through his first year when he saw TheatreiNQ’s casting call for
RICHARD III. He recalls missing acting dearly and feeling the urge to “do something”. Not only
did he go on to play the Marquess of Dorset (a character that Terri re-edited back into her
adaptation after his audition), but he has now been with the company for 15 years and
is a deeply loved and valued ensemble member. When I asked Michael about his favourite role over the many years, I was touched by how seriously he considered the question. After a thoughtful pause, he eventually decided on the Duke of Aumerle from The Blood of Kings (2020).
“To go on that journey with one character and to get into how they grow and change over the
years was fascinating. And there’s a little bit of a redemption in the character, which I always
find interesting.”
That last part prompted me to ask if he enjoyed playing the ‘bad guys’—and funny that I
should mention that, because his role of Oliver de Boys in AS YOU LIKE IT (2024) came to
mind as well. “Redemption is an interesting premise for a character because you’ve got to explore that and really get into the nitty-gritty.” From his answers, it's clear that Michael enjoys playing all kinds of characters. In fact, when I asked him what he looks forward to for his future with the company, he said, “the surprise of it—not knowing initially about a role and then reading the script and diving into it.” For that to continue and to see all the different kinds of roles he can do is what Michael looks forward to most. “Terri will sometimes throw me a role that I wouldn’t have considered but, you know, she’s had the faith in me to do it.”
Of course, I had to ask about his first time meeting Terri and Brendan. He had seen them in a
production here and there but his audition for the company was his first real introduction to
the pair. Michael recollects, “I was frantically trying to get to my audition, and I’d left university in such a hurry that I actually backed into a tree with my car.” Fortunately, he still made it on time, but it had certainly put him on edge. When he arrived and explained what happened, he describes the pair as having been “so lovely and very nice—just really warm and welcoming.” It was warming to see his eyes light up recalling his first time meeting the founders of the company. He dove into the story so quickly that I got the impression he remembers it like it was yesterday.
“[TheatreiNQ’s] very much a family. It’s instinctual in a way.”
If he goes a few years without doing a show, he says he sometimes has dreams in which he’s doing a show and knows it’s time to touch base. He notes that it’s quite an experience to be part of a production with Terri and Brendan and credits that to the quality of their work. “There’s always just something freshly amazing about what they’re putting together and then
being a part of that is very special.” Hearing Michael talk about how the company felt like a home really rang true. I had stolen him away towards the end of lunch to have our chat, standing only a couple of metres away from everyone else. From our spot, I could hear laughter and energetic conversation abounding from everywhere; Terri imparting words of wisdom, and various costume items to try on; a cacophony of noises clanging from the workshop (Brendan’s always working on something)—resoundingly, I felt exactly what Doris meant. He says, “It’s like an addiction: you need your fix.”
There’s a joke to be made here about doctors and prescriptions.
FINAL THOUGHTS…
Over the years, 'Doris' has made a reputation for being incredibly gracious with his time and
energy. I was very pleased when talking to other members of the ensemble to hear how highly
everyone spoke of him.
“I’m thrilled to watch him develop as an actor and a friend.” – Goodo (John Goodson)
“He is the best! Such a gentleman onstage and off.” – Chops (Emma Lamberton)
“He’s an absolutely charming, kind and generous young man who is extremely clever and
smart and naturally talented. He has fantastic acting instincts.” – Brendan
I also had the chance to talk to James Raggatt, who refers to Doris as “probably [his] oldest
friend”, having met in grade one. When I asked if he could comment on Doris as an actor and
person, Raggatt went, “Oh my god, yeah!”
“He has such a beautiful way of looking at the world, that combines analytical thinking and
poetical thought… He’s very aware of the people around him and doesn’t take them for
granted… and he’s silly! Being able to be silly is probably the fundamental thing you need as
an actor—he has a silliness about him and yet is simultaneously very sensible… He’s an
extremely precious spirit.”
To be honest, while I was collecting these quotes from TheatreiNQ members, I often felt like
crying. It was so special to hear the love these people have for 'Doris' and the relationships
they’ve built over the years. I think Paris Walsh, another TheatreiNQ ensemble member, sums it up perfectly: “When you’re working with Doris, you feel like you’re in safe hands.”
After his first show, Terri informed me that Doris didn’t actually stick around right off the
bat. It wasn’t till a chance meeting at Transport & Main Roads that they crossed paths again.
She was going in to get her license and he’d apparently just had an accident (which I find sort
of fitting, considering their first meeting). In 2013, TheatreiNQ was preparing for their
production of Macbeth and 'Doris' seemed a perfect fit for the role of the Doctor.
“I grabbed him,” Terri said.
And then he never left.
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