Son of a diplomat Jeremy Domingo finds his calling in theatre
As The Stage Manager in ‘Our Town,’ with Repertory Philippines co-founder Baby Barredo (left) and Artistic Director Joy Virata.
This article is part of a continuing series on second-generation Filipino Americans who have returned to the homeland, lured by more fulfilling careers and an opportunity to bridge and embrace their two cultures.
I have known Jeremy Domingo since his brother Jesus was an officer at the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York in the late 1990s.
Since he returned to the Philippines, Jeremy has followed his own career path as an actor and director for theater, TV, and film, although diplomacy runs strong in the family blood. His father is career diplomat Ambassador Benjamin Domingo and his brother is the current Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand Jesus “Gary” Domingo.
Jeremy was born in San Francisco, California, and throughout the years moved with his family to his father’s overseas diplomatic postings in Bonn, Germany; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, where his father served as envoy. Being the son of a diplomat, he endured the challenges that any child of a mobile family would face growing up, having to be uprooted from one country to another and needing to adapt to the international lifestyle.
Jeremy first moved to the Philippines when he was only 15, during his second year in high school as a 10th grader at Brent International School in Baguio City. As with many newly-arrived young balikbayans, Jeremy did undergo some social and cultural adjustment to life in the country, due to the language barriers and cultural idiosyncrasies, although having lived in the U.S., Europe and Asia, he eventually learned to use his outsider’s perspective to his advantage, through finding the right people to be comfortable with and befriend, while attaining the flexibility in adjusting to different working environments.
He would go on to study Political Science at the University of the Philippines (UP) in Manila and English Literature at UP Diliman. Shortly thereafter, career opportunities in his desired field compelled him to stay in the Philippines ever since.
In ‘My Fair Lady,’ he performed alongside Lea Salonga before she became the Tony Award-winning Miss Saigon. Jeremy was the understudy for the role of Alfred P. Doolittle
A proud “Genre Geek,” Jeremy has been a film and TV enthusiast since his early childhood (like his brother and myself). He is also a huge Star Wars fan. Such interests helped him to pursue opportunities in the theater world. Towards the end of his high school years, “Miss Saigon” opened to the public in London’s West End, thereby creating many job opportunities for talented Filipino stage actors/actresses.
“Not being particularly inclined towards technical aspects of filmmaking, I auditioned and workshopped at Repertory Philippines, where many of the Saigon actors had previously trained, and I have been a professional stage actor ever since,” he explained.
“Working in the theater, apart from the artistic fulfillment, also trained me to be versatile in related fields,” he continued. “My work in radio/TV commercials began almost concurrently with my theater work, which in a way subsidized my work on stage and became a lucrative profession for me.”
Jeremy’s acting talent with Repertory Philippines would gradually land him prominent stage roles in the 1990s in such productions as “My Fair Lady,” where he performed alongside the original “Miss Saigon” herself, Lea Salonga, as the understudy for the role of Alfred P. Doolittle; and in “The Heiress” as the character Morris Townsend opposite actress Pinky Amador.
His career has been living proof of the interconnectivity between the theater and commercial/recording industries.
Additionally, he serves as an event emcee/host and voice-over announcer for radio and TV commercials, as well as a dubber for live-action and animated features. Since 2013, he has been teaching/lecturing voice production and performance/presentation skills classes, primarily at Meridian International (MINT) College in McKinley Hill, Taguig.
“In the theater, I’m known to be ‘the commercial guy,’ in the commercial/recording industry, I’m known as the ‘theater guy,’” he said, adding, “One can certainly hone one’s abilities by exploring and getting involved in the different aspects of voice, movement, conceptualization and performance; continuously pursuing mastery of their craft.”
He considers himself very blessed to have been working in the theater industry for the past 27 years, and in the commercial business for 25 years. His work ethic is something he has consistently shared with his students at Meridian, a private school.
“I never expected to find longevity in such a competitive industry, and have the chance to be involved in quality projects on many occasions. It has been fulfilling to train and mentor other talents in the theater and recording industry and see their careers flourish as well,” he said.
© The FilAm 2017
With girlfriend Gaye Cabalo
