CHARACTER PERFORMER

hey I just got the role of a character performer for the ICP 2008 and was wondering what I will be doing in the role...i know i'll be in a big suit and getting my picture taken and autograph...something im used to of course...hahaha! Jokes! But how long do u go out in the costume, is it every day, how much do you get paid etc...do i learn the autograph or can i make it up lol! let me know if you have been it previously xxx Todd

 

hey, i know quite a bit about being a character. i'v never been one but iv done the ICP twice and both times iv known alot of people who are characters and one year my room mate was a character. he was goofy height too (saw in another post ur goofy).

All of this is by going on what iv been told so some of it may be slightly wrong/different!! You will have an audition when you get there, usually on 2nd or 3rd day. there is 2 parts to the audition. First a short dance, my room mate said he couldnt do the dance at all its just to show you can move about. second part is animation where you have to act out things without talking to show you can convey ideas without words!!

Training lasts about 4 or 5 days. on the last day or 2 you acually go and do meet and greets with the trainers. The trainers will make notes, and tell you how your doing, what you need to improve on and what you are doing well.

You get a big book which has all the characters you could be doing. There are loads in each height range, so you wont just be doing goofy. Each page of the book is dedicated to a character and it gives a description of the character, how it behaves, and how you should act as the character. Also has their autograph at the bottom. I remeber my room mate copying goofys signiture out about hundreds of times trying to get it right!!!

I actually have a photo of Goofys page of the book if you wanna see it.

When you are outside you will most likely be on for 20 minutes and off for 40 minutes (still being paid for the full hour). My character friends say that it sounds like u get a 40 minute break per hour but really by the time u get off, to the break areas, get ur costume off its time to put it back on! but at least you get a rest!

If its you are inside or doing characer meals, it tends to be 40/45 minutes on and 40/45 minutes off.

I think you may get like 50 cents more than others, im not sure.

You will be working usually 5 or 6 days a week with a day or 2 off. Or sometimes you would get 2 days off, then work 10 days then 2 days off, cos that still works out as 2 days off a week. Your shifts will be really varied. Alot of the times my room mate had to be in for like 6.30am for character breakfasts, and sometimes you could be working till 3am when its extra magic hours at the parks. But if you have an early shift it means u get the rest of the day off, if you have a late shift it means you have the whole day before to do stuff.

errm sorry for the long post! any other questions just ask

 

awwwh thanks alot thats helped me out a lot...cant wait! dnt mind about the early or late shifts...ive work in a hotel and thats standard near enough lol! THANK U AGEN x

 

Wow thanks that's super helpful and extremely interesting and even more exciting! What dates are you doing, ToddyBee? I'm in the June 22nd shipment

 

wow.... reading this im worried that ill be doing late and early shifts aswell...

 

I think everyone will be subject to early morning and through-the-night shifts at some point

 

You get used to the strange timings of shifts. By the end of it my flatmate felt weird getting to stay in bed until 6am, and I found it strange if I got home before 3am! You'll end up being able to live quite happily off about five hours of sleep as well- no time for sleep when you're in Disney, dammit.

I've linked this journal before, but one of the reasons I applied was after reading an American CPs Livejournal about her time as a character performer- a lot of the posts have disappeared now but you still get a sense of what it's like: http://disneylindsay.livejournal.com/. Definitely worth reading


Congrats on getting the jobs guys- you're going to have such a great summer!

 

Thankyou! Can't wait! Although I'm a little bit wibbly from hearing about performers getting hurt/injured from over enthusiastic guests! Is it common?! I don't want to be accidentely strangled!

That girl's blog is great - so jealous she got to do shows! I guess we don't get that chance *sigh* thanks for link

 

i havn't heard of any of my friends being injured from guests (hopefully the good chracter attendants will stop them from doing anything!!) but a few of my friends did get neck and back strain from being in the heavy costumes all the time.

 

I'm going out the 3rd of June
feel like i need 2 get down the gym and work out a bit more to hold up the costume hahaha! im such a weakling haha x

 

Yes, this is the first time I've felt throughly compelled to go all gym and healthy eating! I think post xmas, I will be getting fit! I'm thinking perhaps aiming to be a *little* underweight at the start, then eat however I so choose over the summer, and be back to my flabby current state!

OK, now I just have to get rid of all this! *pokes tummy* and get these *pokes arms* more tooooned. Think swimming costumes guys.... :-\

 

Most people I know lost loads of weight there anyway without going on a diet or anything. I think the fact that us u-21s lost a lot of the alcohol weight we'd gained at uni (even if you do get your hands on some, it still doesn't quite live up to freshers!). But whatever job you end up doing you'll be on your feet for long periods of time, in your free time you're walking miles around the parks and you just sweat it all off as well. I lost a stone while still eating fast food from the parks/staff McDonalds/ too much Mrs. Potts/Main St. ice cream. You'll lose even more weight if you're a character performer as well- all the people I know who were one would go around eating as much crap as they could to make sure they stayed a decent weight! Apparently some guys would end up eating five meals a day to maintain their weight... So definitely no need to worry about losing too much before you get out there!

 

blimin' eck! 5 meals a day? how did they manage that? i struggle with 3 haha, i guess if ure a character ure all sweaty so it just drips off haha...god im going to be a walking skeleton haha!

 

i still managed to put on so much weight on both my programs... mmmm wendys.

 

I was thinking the other day about Wendys lol i'm looking forward to see what that little lady has to offer! haha

 

Just found out that i'm officially going to be TIGGER! hurrah! hehehe EXCITING!

 

That's wicked! Where did you find out from? I found this site http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=410351620&start=80 which has a post with all the character heights according to an ex CM so I guess they will be roughly correct. So I will hopefully be covering Mickey, Minnie, Pinocchio, Brer Rabbit, Meeko, Piglet. How cool! The other characters it lists in tigger height are...
5'10" - 5'11": Geppetto, Sherriff of Nottingham, Foulfellow, King Lion, Tigger
5'11" - 6'0": Foulfellow, King Lion, Sheriff of Nottingham, Tigger
It's interesting to see the full list - it's made me remember a whole load of other characters.

When you say 'officially going to be' do you mean you've heard from Disney/Yummy? Cause I want to hear it from their own mouths lol!

Awww we can be Piglet and Tigger lol just need a Pooh and Eeyore now xx

 

yeah suzy told me and everything! that wud be ace if we were both pooh characters haha "Team 100 acre!" hehehe x

 

Are you doing the summer programme or the one where you stay for 6months as i really wanted to be a character performer but they didnt have that on the form im a performing arts student and would love do it how did you get in im going into operations

 

congrats todd. how was the skating at the printworks btw? xx