AMA: Former Walt Disney World Character Performer

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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Hi Everlong! You are right on the money regarding making one’s gestures as big as possible. This obviously applies for the animation component of the audition, but it’s also true for the dance component. The choreographer specifically told us to not worry too much about hitting all of the steps perfectly so long as you make it big and have fun doing it. They also said “If you feel like you look stupid, you’re doing it right.” I immediately took both pieces of advice to heart, and I believe that it definitely helped me secure a spot.

For something more concrete, I found it helpful to imagine oneself being attached to a string that tugs one’s body with every movement one makes. If you need to look to the left, don’t just use your eyes and your head, make sure your shoulders follow you. If you reach up to grab something, you should be on your tippy toes, and maybe even balancing on one foot.

I don’t know if the audition ladies actually noticed this, but I found myself mouthing words as I danced and animated. Not entire sentences, mind you, just simple stuff like “Yeah!” and “Wow!”. It might have helped, it might not, but it just happened naturally, probably as a result of me getting totally absorbed into what I was doing and feeling very confident.

Hope this helps! Good luck at your audition!

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Hi, I stumbled upon this thread, read all of it, and am now convinced that I want to be a character performer one day! I’m only 16, but I’ve been set on doing the dcp for a year now. Hopefully I can do the career start program right after I graduate high school during my gap year.

Anyways, I have some questions about the audition process and what not…

I have no background in dance, however I’m a very fast learner, so I’m confident that I would be able to pick up a short routine fairly quickly. Do you recommend that I take dance classes before auditioning? If so, how far in advance? Did you have a background in dance?

I was a cheerleader about 5 years ago, so I am familiar with a typical 8 count routine and never had any trouble picking up and memorizing new routines.

Also, did you have acting experience? Is it necessary? I took theatre at school last year, and I am now in the 2nd level class called Acting I. My teacher (who is also the co-director of most of our productions at school) says I have talent, and finally dragged me on stage this past Friday to perform a scene for black history month appreciation or something. (Even though I’m not black…) haha.

Anyway, I enjoyed my experience on stage, and did not get stage fright at all (in front of 900 people), so I think I’ll be having some more experience with acting and performing over the next couple of years that I’m in high school, which I’m guessing will help when I audition to be a character? (assuming that I’m accepted into the cp, of course!)

Do you have any other tips for auditions? Do you recommend practicing pantomime scenarios? I’ve read several of these type of threads where people who attended the auditions told of having to act out scenes such as driving and then having the car break down, meeting your favorite character at the park. Do you think it would be helpful to make a list of these type of scenarios and practice one or two a day to improve improv skills? Thanks in advance!

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Also… when you ended a pantomime session/scenario, did they clap or just nod and say “thank you” or what?

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Hi savannahmae95! I’m happy to hear that you found this thread compelling, and I hope that you find what you’re looking for at Disney some day.

Do you recommend that I take dance classes before auditioning?
My answer to this depends on whether you’re only concerned about the audition, or if you’re looking to possibly start a career as a performer. If it’s just the audition, then no, I would say dance classes are not necessary. I had no dance training whatsoever. However, it is important to note that I probably had an easier go of it simply because I’m male – the ratio of girls to guys at my audition was around 15:1.

If you’re considering a career as some type of performer (Disney or otherwise), then the classes would probably help in the long run. I can’t claim to know everything about the way the world works, but I am of the belief that any effort you put into developing your craft will be beneficial in some way, even if you don’t use that skill directly. I, for example, took karate lessons when I was younger, and it’s possible that the coordination I learned there helped me as a performer, even though I didn’t have to do any punches or kicks.

Also, did you have acting experience? Is it necessary?
I did indeed have some acting experience. I did musical theater throughout most of high school before eventually dedicating my time to the technical side of things. I don’t know that this would be strictly necessary, as I did meet some character performers who had never done any acting whatsoever. However, as I mentioned above, any way in which you develop your craft can be helpful in some way.

Do you have any other tips for auditions? Do you recommend practicing pantomime scenarios? Do you think it would be helpful to make a list of these type of scenarios and practice one or two a day to improve improv skills?
There’s a post of mine just before yours in response to Everlong that contains all of the big tips that I would give for an auditioner-to-be. In regards to pantomiming, I had no idea that that was part of the audition until I got there, so I was completely unprepared and still did a good enough job of it. If you really want to nail it, I suppose you could record a video of yourself pantomiming some situation and then watch it later. My biggest piece of advice is to just be confident and enjoy the whole process – it’s a lot of fun as long as you don’t worry too much about the outcome.

**When you ended a pantomime session/scenario, did they clap or just nod and say “thank you” or what? **
The movement and animation components of the audition are performed continuously, not separately. The way it worked at my audition: they taught everyone the dance routine in one big group, then had us all practice some pantomime routines as one big group. Then we ran through the entire process together: dance-animate-dance-animate, with music running the whole time. Then we were broken into groups of six to do it again, dance-animate-dance-animate. So you’re never just animating by yourself, if that answers your question.

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Thank you so much, that makes me feel a lot better! Especially about not being alone while dancing and pantomiming. Hopefully I’ll be “friends with” a few characters one day, if not I’ll enjoy whatever role I’m assigned to (again, assuming I’m accepted.) Thanks and GREAT thread!

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hey! I’m new to this message board. Thank you so much for your insight! I have my phone interview for the college program on Monday. What’s that like? What type of things did they ask you?

Also, I have absolutely no professional acting/dance experience whatsoever, but I’m thinking of auditioning to be a character performer…maybe even face if they’ll take me. Even the audition seems like fun! I’m a 21 year old girl, about to graduate from University, and I’ve done the whole boring internship, resume filler bullshit. I “look great on paper” as I’ve been told, but I’m so bored with all of that and this program seems like an amazing experience, a little adventure if you will. I feel like 5 months out of my life is not a big deal and then I can concentrate on being boring again.

In your opinion, do you think it would be worth it to put everything on hold and do this? Even the shitty parts of working there seem awesome.

thanks for all your info! goodluck with Special K!

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Me too.

We last visited in 2008, when Slim was 4 years old and the staff/CastMembers made it a very memorable visit indeed. My favorite moment had to have come I think maybe 3 days into the 5 day trip. We were at Hollywood Studios and had made our way to the Mater/Lightning McQueen character spot. We waited maybe 20 min and when the young lady in charge got a radio call from her boss saying the session was cancelled due to weather, Slim was a wee bit upset. It’s summer time, it’s Florida…it’s GOING to rain. Try explaining that to a 4 year old who is (and still is, 4 years later LOL) OBSESSED with Mater, Lightning McQueen and ANYTHING having to do with CARS.

There was nothing WE could do about the whole thing…but there was something the young lady in charge could do. We were invited back to the next session (an hour or so later) and she said she would have a surprise for us. Hubby and I are sufficiently intrigued, plus Slim is BEGGING us to come back so we do. When we arrive, about 10 min or so before the scheduled time of the session, Young Lady In Charge (YLIC from here on out) beckons first Hubby then I (since one of us had to be with the stroller at all times) over to an area about 20 ft from the meet n greet space. There are a pair of large doors/gates (???) and if you squint you can JUST see in between the crack where they meet and you can see Lightning getting ready to roll out. She instructs Hubs to leave the stroller and bring Slim over to where I was standing next to the doors/gate. She holds out her walkietalkie and instructs Slim to say “Start your engines!” which he does most enthusiastically. When he heard the roar of the motors, you could see his eyes just light up and he yelled “RACE CAR! RACE CAR RACE CAR RAAAAACE CAR!”. Thanks to the Disney photogs, we also have a ton of pictures from that day because we got the Photopass CD (which I am so thankful they offer).

So thank you Disney. :slight_smile: You rocked it.

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I have my phone interview for the college program on Monday. What’s that like? What type of things did they ask you?
I was expecting the phone interview to have some difficult probing questions that would make me sweat, but they were fairly run-of-the-mill. They asked about how I became interested in the college program, what roles I was interested in and why, what roles I thought I would be good at and why. I think there may have been a question along the lines of “Have you had any previous work experience that you think would be helpful for working at Disney?”, but I’m not too sure. It wasn’t nearly as big a deal as I thought it was going to be. Just be honest and straightforward, and you’ll do fine!

**In your opinion, do you think it would be worth it to put everything on hold and do this? Even the shitty parts of working there seem awesome. **
Yes. Unequivocally yes. If it hasn’t already been made clear by this thread, I wholeheartedly believe that the College Program was one of the most important formative events in my life, for three main reasons. The first is that it’s a lot of fun, plain and simple! The work is fun (for most people, with a few sourpuss exceptions), free access to the parks is fun, and you’re surrounded by energetic people your age from all over the world. It is, as you said, an adventure of sorts, and on top of that an excellent way to escape the drudgery of everyday life.

The second is that I learned a lot about myself during the program. Being exposed to so many different cultures and possibilities offers one the opportunity to reflect in a very meaningful way if one is of a mind to do so. I left with a much clearer idea of what did and did not make me happy, and what types of people I did and did not find interesting. As a direct result of this, the manner in which I choose to acquaint myself with friends-of-friends and other new encounters radically changed, and I feel much more confident and comfortable in conversations with unfamiliar folk. Can I guarantee that these same things will happen to you? Of course not. However, you seem to be interested in the program for the same reasons that I was, so it seems safe to suggest that if you want these things to happen, you’ll be able to find what you’re looking for.

The third, which you may not find particularly interesting, is the practical benefit of the program. It’s a résumé item that most employers find intriguing, and one which can almost automatically guarantee some good conversation and some level of connectivity. Disney themselves are known for hiring and promoting from within, so if you find yourself wanting to work your way up (or sideways), the College Program is a great place to start – or so I’ve been told.

So, in summary, yes. Do apply. Good luck at your audition!

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thank you! that was really helpful, i’m really excited! I hope I’m able to do it.

i have a quick question regarding the audition. do face and full suit/furry characters go through the whole audition together or are potential face people picked out and made to do something extra…i heard from a different message board that sometimes you have to read from a script of a particular character. and then they might do a wig fitting or something…

i know you did the full suit but I thought i’d ask in case you knew!

thanks for all your help!

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one more thing! just had my phone interview…it went very well!

there was one drawback: i forgot to ask the interviewer to change my preference from the longer program from may to January to the one starting in August. Is there…any way to rectify this, or should I just wait to see if I got accepted and then let them know? I’m a little worried now. :frowning:

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Hrm, I’m not too sure about this. I was under the impression that the face auditions happen once you’ve already been trained for Entertainment, but I could be wrong. There was person in my training group who ended up playing Sleeping Beauty, and she definitely didn’t know about the face thing until after we were done with training, but her case may not have been typical.

Yikes, I have no idea on this one. I’m looking back through my old Disney emails, and the invitation doesn’t mention anything about the length of the program. Mine just said “Congratulations! You have been selected to participate as a Character Performer Cast Member on the Disney College Program in the Fall 2009 Season.” If I were you, I would call one of the many many phone numbers you have undoubtedly received and try to figure out what’s what.

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ack! I emailed recruitment and they replied with a nifty personalized email:

"Thank you for your message.

Applications are not open for revisions after they are submitted.

If an offer is extended to you, it’ll be based on your application and the information you shared during your phone interview.

Thank you."

WHYYYYYYYY…maybe if they accept me I can try and figure things out with them. Damn, why oh why did i put the longer one as my first choice? I’ll try to call them…

And I guess I’ll just wait and see with the auditions! Thanks again! :slight_smile:

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…So i just got my acceptance letter. It hasn’t even been five days since my phone interview which gives me less time than I anticipated to think this over. I got accepted into merchandise.

Did you have any merch friends, and if so, what was their experience like? I don’t think I’m going to do this, but I’m going to go to the auditions and see what happens. June through January behind a cashier is too long for my taste I think.

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Indeed I did! My best friend while I was down there was in merchandise at EPCOT, and she absolutely loved her experience, so much so that she opted to extend her program, return for the Summer Alumni program, and later went on to be a campus rep at her school. If you PM me, I’d be happy to try to put you in contact with her so you can learn about Merch straight from the source.

One thing that I do remember her raving about was how much fun it was to talk to guests, particularly from other countries. Everyone had an interesting story to tell!

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Hey, congrats! Hope you’re able to hammer out the details, and have a GREAT experience.

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:smiley: thank you!

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dunno if you saw my PM, but I would really appreciate speaking with you and your friend, or just your friend if that’s not your cup of tea!

thanks!

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Cryptic C62 I have a couple questions for you. I am looking to do the Disney College Program for either the Spring or Fall Advatange program. I am a male and I want to tryout to be a character performer. I rarely are forums about male character performers.

When you auditioned, how many males were there?

Is it easier to be selected if you are a male?

Do most males that audition get the part?

I also don’t have any dancing experience but I do have some acting Oexperience. Will not having any dancing experience hinder my chances?

I’m 6 feet tall with an athletic build and slight tan if that means anything.

If anyone else knows any information that would be great thanks!

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I have been scouring the internet for over three days for info on this, and I am so happy this thread exists! For that, thank you!

Questions, if you will: I am 5’4" (female) and on some other thread, this was referred to as the “dead” height. Are there really no positions for this size? I don’t think I am princess material, but would love any opportunity to be a CM

Also, is it better to be over-the-top or laid back during auditions? Thanks so much!

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Just saw the post that said to make everything huge… well, forget that question!