Question about becoming a character performer

[americangeiko]

Equity takes an audition, and they get paid a bunch more than us and have a lot of benefits and in general it's really tough to get in to, though I don't know that much about it personally. Many of the dancing roles and all the singing ones (as far as I know) are Equity, and you have to be a full time cast member (and possibly part time too, like Joanna said) to audition for that, meaning CPs can't do it.

Equity is *the* theater union for performers (much like SAG is *the* film union for actors), and you don't have to work at Disney to join, though it maybe easier to get in if you're established at Disney.

It is very hard to get in, but once you're in, there's a lot of benefits normally not extended to regular cast, but you're also expected to perform better than non-union cast. (The "Bird of Paradise?" in the Lion King Show is an Equity performer and supervisor over all the other Equity performers in that show.)

A lot of the dancers & singers you see in shows around the park, and in the parades are Equity performers.

If you do get a chance to join Equity, either at Disney or otherwise, I highly recommend it, as most performers on Broadway are Equity performers.

If I don't get a chance to do the Spring PI, I might try the back door into Equity that I found out about.

 

[americangeiko]

Being completely honest:

Yes you must be pretty thin to be friends with a princess.

Yes your less-than-perfect smile might prevent you from being chosen for a role.
It sounds harsh but it is honesty.

I even had a friend whose tooth was chipped AT WORK and they told her she could not interact with guests until it was fixed. This is only an attractions CM. She fought it and won but can you imagine if they said this to an attractions CM what they would say to a character preformer?

To answer other questions of weight, for fur you basically just have to fit in the costume. For a face character obviously they generally look for thinner people. There are a ton of choices for them so they will p;pick whoever looks the most perfect Harsh but completely true.


*EDIT to respond to another's post*
I have heard from random people, people who know me, people who work at Disney, who don't, etc etc a million times that I look perfect to be friends with Alice. Like out of the blue sometimes. On top of that I was very thin and fit and exactly the right height.

I was still cast as fur and not face. Go figure.

So sometimes you don't know why but you are not placed in a certain role. You have to match up with the others who are cast in that role at the same time as looking right for it. Perhaps my nose is too round then again, maybe I would have gotten it had i auditioned further.

You never know about these things til you get in and try I guess. I unfortunatly had to leave Florida to come live back at home in NY for some reasons while I was still on the waiting list after i passed my audition that was my dream. I am hoping to go back someday and get back on that list (an audition is only good for 6 months) and pass the face audition this time as well!

It's possible that they had all the Alice's they needed at the time you auditioned. I know one girl who auditioned for one of the fairy parts last Fall when they first started auditioning for the roles, and they told her that they not only wanted her for a fairy, but also possibly later on to be Belle though they didn't need any Belle's at that time. However, she wanted to go back and finish college, and pursue other things rather than be a face character.

 

[americangeiko]

She's Equity. And CPs can't be in Equity.

CPs can't *audition* for Equity while they're doing their program because it's a violation of their contract.

However, the catch 22 is that you can already be in Equity and start a CP and they can't do anything about it.