Dorette Potgieter made her debut on stage at the tender age of five in the Afrikaans production 300-Plus, celebrating the tercentenary of Jan van Riebeeck’s landing in the Cape. At age six she was acting and singing in the musical production of
Gigi, followed by The Sound of Music as Brigitta one of the Von Trapp children with Aviva Pelham as Maria. She worked on various radio dramas and television series dubbings since 1980. You may remember her as the Timotei girl on SA television…

It was in the same year, 1989 that Dorette made her debut in film, playing the young Jane in Circles in the Forest, directed by Regardt van den Bergh.