Where Are They Now: Dominic Dorset, Saline High School (‘18)

The Sun Times News presents a new feature titled Where Are They Now? These stories will capture the graduates of area high schools and provide readers with a glimpse into their lives following graduation.

Introducing:  Dominic Dorset – Saline High School Class of 2018

Dominic was a member of the Saline High School Drama Club and Saline Fiddlers. He performed in musicals every year in high school. His roles included:

Grease – Doody, a part of the T-Birds; Guys & Dolls – Nicely Nicely Johnson; Pippin – Leading Player; Music Man – Marcellus Washburn.

“Marcellus was my favorite role,” Dorset said. “Singing Shipoopi was such fun, and the dance is a blast.”  

On February 9, 2018, Dominic participated in a two-part audition required for enrollment in the University of Michigan Theatre, Dance and Music program. Part one consisted of submitting a video of singing two songs and a two-minute monologue.

“After submitting your audition materials, you wait. And the tapes are just phase one. After two weeks, I was scheduled for a second audition in front of the head of the program,” Dorset said. “You walk into a small audition room and you have five minutes to show who you are and what you can do.”   

Dorset began his studies at U of M in the fall of 2018. As a first-year student, he started with ballet.

“Ballet really helps you learn how to move. Your education at U of M includes 25% in subjects other than theatre or music,” Dorset said. “I minored in African American studies, and I am so glad that I did.”

There are several dance options available to students. Every student is assigned a voice teacher.

“As a junior I studied the Stella Adler techniques of acting,” Dorset said. “Adler teaches students that all you have is your body, so you need to take care of it. You learn that you must continuously work on your body, your speech, your mind and your emotions.”

Every year, the university’s seniors perform in a Senior Showcase. There are two performances at Mendelssohn Theatre in Ann Arbor and then one performance in New York City, where casting directors are invited. “And after the showcase in NYC, the goal is to hire an agent.”

“A month after the NYC showcase my agent set me up to audition for the National Tour of Frozen,” Dorset said. “I talked to the casting director, sang and read for him and was offered the part of Kristoff.”

Dorset played Kristoff, the lead role in Frozen, for eighteen months. “I loved every minute of it. I was living the dream.”

Dorset said he had favorite cities and venues. “I loved Boston and performing in the Boston Opera House. I loved Detroit, performing in front of my family and friends. That was so special.”

“Playing in the Kennedy Center in Washington DC was amazing,” Dorset said. “You walk down the halls and see the people who performed there before you. It was so unbelievable. I will remember that forever.”

Philadelphia was where Dominic decided that after playing Kristoff for eighteen months, and with over 1000 performances, it was time to move on.

“I felt like I wasn’t growing anymore as a person or as an actor,” Dorset said. “I loved every minute of being in Frozen but I am also excited for the future. To see what comes next. I learned at U of M that an actor’s full-time job is auditioning. And that is what I am doing now.”

As he auditions in NYC, he has been cast in a workshop where a small group of actors are reading for roles of a potential show based on the 1987 movie “The Lost Boys” that is hopefully headed to Broadway.

Dominic Dorset, just a kid from Saline. A kid with a dream. A kid with a family that helped nurture that dream. Break a leg, Dominic.