Walt Disney theatre tour.
This lunchtime for about fifty minutes we undertook a WDT tour. Meeting up at preludes with a TV monitor showing a show, but all the talkback added back in was the first introduction. We had a performer as a guide and then each department did a speech. We went in the control room, then looked down at the stage from there. Sorry no photos it wasn't allowed. Then to the sound guys shoeing the mixing board which is as old as the ship. They ran music around all of the speakers. Then down to the first row, speaking to floor managers, each person is in charge of things from props to scenery to quick changes with some artists having up to nine parts in a show. We went on stage then on the orchestra life, there are three, and around the scenery holing areas, they will always gave one show on stage and the rest back stage due to lack of space, and also guest artists equipment. All crammed in. The costumes like Cinderella's can be very very heavy. For safety the floor manager will only OK pyrotechnics when all performers are in the correct position. They apply to
DCL or Parks they may get swapped around, and learn main roles and understudy roles, after a few months in Toronto they come on ship around two weeks in advance when the old cast are performing, they rehearse and watch then the old crew are off and they are on. This crew also has trained on Halloween in February, and Christmas add ons. They have trained on Tangled starting on the Magic in November, and they say rumour us Frozen is coming to a DCL ship as well as live on Broadway.
Performers may just get less than a minute to change clothes, they say that on the ship there is just one character IE one Cinderella. It was very interesting and enjoyable. Lots of things you didn't know, the tour ended up in O Grills pub by a back door. Contracts for performers are about 7-9 months and techs 4 months.
All of the voices the singing is live bar the pre show announcement for not saving seats and introduction of the CD.
