How to Obtain 33 Jobs in 17 Years (9)

I have had a total of 33 jobs in 17 years. This does not include all of the musicals, operas, television and film projects either. I am a professional singer and actor. Did I plan on having 33 jobs in 17 years? Of course not, but life has been a crazy wild ride. There were no drugs, very little alcohol, but WORK has been my drug of choice! I have worked at least 3 jobs or more simultaneously in addition to performing over the years. Each week I will discuss one of my former or current jobs. My ninth and current job is a professional singer and actor.

Memphis Performances

As soon as I graduated college, I auditioned for a musical in Memphis in February 2013. I received a callback, but was not originally cast in the show. In April 2013, I was asked to audition again for the role of Nettie in The Color Purple at Playhouse on the Square. After the second audition, I was cast in the show and this was my first professional musical theatre job.

For the 2014-2015 season, I sang in the chorus with Opera Memphis for Don Giovanni, Dido & Aeneas, and Les Mamelles de Tiresias. Also, I participated in the photo shoot for the season promos shown in the picture above. Lastly, I performed at Hattiloo Theatre in Once on this Island and If Scrooge was a Brother.

https://cornerstonechorale.org/members/dominique-duarte/

Regional Performances

In 2015, I was cast as Little Inez and a Dynamite in Hairspray at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse in Little Rock, Arkansas. Then in 2018, I was cast in the ensemble of Ragtime the Muscial at Midtown Arts Center in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 2023, I performed in a workshop musical presentation of Love is Afoot in Reading Pennsylvania.

In NYC, I have performed in a play in Brooklyn, participated in a couple of new musical readings in Manhattan, and performed at school assemblies in the Bronx with WinceyCo. I have auditioned in Manhattan for Broadway shows, cruise ship contracts, national tours, regional theatres, and NYC plays and musicals. I have submitted for hundreds of projects on Backstage.com over the last couple of years and received over a hundred callbacks.

Most recently, I went on tour with Bruce Vantine’s Cornerstone Chorale & Brass in late 2023. I sang soprano in the choir and we toured 20 cities in 25 days. It was a wonderful experience that I would love to do again. Whenever a contract ends, I usually cry so much because I do not know when I will get to perform again. My college voice teacher told me that performers audition more than they actually perform and she was absolutely correct!

2024

In January of this year, I was cast as a last minute replacement for a children’s theatre company black history tour. Once I arrived in North Carolina and received the three 45-minute scripts, I realized that I was in over my head. When the theatre directors asked me and my partner if we wanted out of the contract with no penalty, I ended the contract. I referred a friend to the company for the job. The contract was meant for her, but, it was devastating to quit a contract and return home. I have never quit a performance contract in my life.

At this point in my life, my goal is to pay off my debt by the time that I am 40 years old. Since singers and actors are always unemployed in-between contracts, I am taking a break from singing and acting full-time for awhile. I will audition for local NYC projects and performances, but only part-time until my debt is paid if full.

Presently, I am singing with the Fire Ensemble in NYC created by Troy Anthony. I performed with Troy Anthony in 2021 at the Shed for The Revival: It is Our Duty. The Fire Ensemble is performing on June 13 at 7PM at New York Live Arts and will be recording an album in June. This will be a way to continue performing, but have some stability in my life too.

https://www.bydominiqueduarte.com/how-to-obtain-33-jobs-in-17-years-8/