Former junior gymnastics star now at home on the stage
Invercargill's Logan Dalgity found a home in theatre after injury halted his gymnastics dream.
Invercargill’s Logan Dalgity once had aspirations to represent New Zealand in gymnastics at a senior level.
It should be pointed out he was doing a pretty good job of getting there.
Dalgity emerged as one of the country’s more promising prospects.
“I had some real big plans at the time, I was progressing really quickly. And we had a really good environment to cultivate that progression.
“So, there were dreams of getting to those top senior levels.”
But just as he was about to start a move to the senior levels that sporting dream was shattered - almost literally - as a teenager in 2017.
The then James Hargest College pupil “took out” both wrists in a tumbling accident.
Dalgity’s time as a gymnast came to an abrupt end and in turn left somewhat of a void.
Up to that point he’d spent close to 20 hours a week chasing his gymnastics dreams. He had immersed himself in the Invercargill gymnastic scene.
Not only was he competing, but Dalgity was also coaching and judging at junior levels.
It was a big part of his life as a teenager, but Dalgity did manage to quickly find a new passion to fill that void - Theatre.
“It was perfect and fortunate that I had that outlet so readily available to jump into.”
He dipped his toes into theatre in 2018 through his involvement with Invercargill Musical Theatre’s junior production of Beauty and the Beast.
“It just started from there, I fell in love with it. I found a community there. Invercargill’s theatre community is big and really strong.
“I immediately got hooked and I’ve tried to find every opportunity I could since then.
“I knew I’d love it, but it had the perfect environment to slot into that was encouraging for such a young person as I was at the time.”
There is a sense of belonging being part of such a tight-knit Invercargill theatre scene.
“You spend two, three months together [on shows] so you build a wee whanau, and those sort of friends are for life.
“My partner is from theatre, my current biggest part of my friend group is all theatre, we come from all walks of life but have this common love for telling stories.”
The now 21-year-old has now made plenty of appearances on the stage in Invercargill for both Repertory Invercargill and Invercargill Musical Theatre.
He’s even won awards along the way, which included for his performances in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Pillow Man.
His latest theatre assignment is in the Invercargill Repertory’s show The Shape of Things on this week.
The Shape of Things is the story of a young student who drifts into an ever-changing relationship with an art major while his best friend’s engagement crumbles. It’s described as a drama that peels back the skin of two modern-day relationships.
“This show has been a hugely rewarding show. It is different to anything I’ve ever done, and I think different to anything Invercargill Rep has done,” Dalgity said.
“It is a real beast of thing. It brings out that realness… It’s been rewarding to get into the nitty-gritty of the messages and the emotional side of it because there is quite a journey there.
“It’s out of my comfort zone but it has been really cool to be able to spread my wings.”
Dalgity’s advice to those heading along to the show is to not study up on The Shape of Things before attending.
“It is one that is best watched rather than spoiled, because it does rely heavily on the experience of it.”
The first of four shows was held on Wednesday night with shows also on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Tickets: https://nz.patronbase.com/_RepertoryInvercargill/Productions