Regarding Disney Cast Members

I wrote this entry for my other blog Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo. It is a rant, more or less, that was born after I was accepted to the College Program and had to explain to everyone what a Disney Cast Member is:

Regarding Disney Cast Members from
Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo: a muttering of sweet nothings

October 19, 2008

Ever since I was accepted to the Disney College Program, I have had to explain to pretty much everyone that although I am working at Disneyland, I will not be walking around in a duck suit, I will not be singing, and I will not be dancing.

First of all, everyone at Disneyland is called a Cast Member. There are no employees. You are given your role by Disney Casting, you put on a costume instead of a uniform, and you perform you role in the great show that is Disneyland. I had known all this before, but it was re-explained to me at my College Program presentation.

This is a hard concept for people to grasp. Someone will ask me, "Your going to work at Disneyland? Won't those suits be hot?" I explain that I will be a Custodial Cast Member and I will keep the park clean, and that I chose not to audition for a Character role. I then explain that everyone at Disneyland are called a Cast Members and they all contribute to the giant performance of Disneyland and without fail I get this response: "So you will sing and dance while you are sweeping?"

Is there something wrong with just having a normal job? Can't someone work at Disneyland without having to wear a character suit or dance in a parade? Does any body stop to think what Disneyland would be like if there were only characters, singers, and dancers? There would be trash everywhere, none of the attractions would work, the characters would get mauled, and the sound of screams would fill the night sky, which would be silenced shortly thereafter due to the giant bats that circle the perimeter of the park.

I guess because my interests lie in Performing Arts, people expect me to have a performance based role that involves a lot of singing and dancing. I guess people think that I just couldn't stand to do a normal job like custodial work. Maybe it's more exciting to say, "I know the guy who plays Goofy at Disneyland" instead of "I know the guy who cleans up the urine from the horse that was pulling the carriage that Goofy was riding in."

Well the point is, I will be a Custodial Cast Member at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. My duties include sweeping, mopping, taking out the trash, cleaning the bathrooms, etc. Although I will contribute to the atmosphere of Disneyland by being cheerful, efficient, and by occasionally humming a happy working tune (with an accompanied bell-kick), I will not be singing or dancing in any formal capacity. But I am stoked nonetheless.