Disney workers fired over sweaty costumes

This was only 3 actors costumes........not the entire cast, yet they all refused to do their jobs??? This was just *touching* a costume worn previously??



Sorry I am on Disney's side on this one, if this had been a continuing issue it would have been a different story. BTY, the article does not mention anything about other times this happening, which I am sure would be included. CM's posting on Facebook would not be credible with the issues at hand.

AKK
 
1) I stand with the performers on this one.
2) Personally, I would not wear a soiled costume, regardless how it was soiled.
. . . not going to wear my own soiled costume (aka, uniform)
. . . nor, going to take on someone else's sweat
. . . nor, going to have someone else take on my sweat
3) Of course, I take mine home and wash them instead of using the WDW laundry.
4) Obviously, theater costumes typically cannot be laundered at home.
 
Costumes are insanely gross. Just think, those large ballgowns that the ladies wear in the Electric Light Parade cannot simply be thrown into a washing machine as they are full of electronic equipment.

I speak from experience. They stink. And are gross. And cause some funky rashes.
 

So they aren't dirty sweaty costumes, they are clean costumes that dirty costumes were next to hanging on a rack and there is a chance that they touched them?

Grow up.
 
So they aren't dirty sweaty costumes, they are clean costumes that dirty costumes were next to hanging on a rack and there is a chance that they touched them?

Grow up.

No, they were clean clothes that someone smashed a rack of dripping sweaty clothes up against. If I drenched my work out clothes (and I'm talking a quart of sweat if you wring them out) and then I stuff your clean underwear into a hamper with my disgusting sweaty clothes and then when you go to get them they are damp... You're putting those on? I'm not - and I'm a grown up.
 
No, they were clean clothes that someone smashed a rack of dripping sweaty clothes up against. If I drenched my work out clothes (and I'm talking a quart of sweat if you wring them out) and then I stuff your clean underwear into a hamper with my disgusting sweaty clothes and then when you go to get them they are damp... You're putting those on? I'm not - and I'm a grown up.
So the costumes have gone from "touching" to "smashed against" with no additional news reports? Interesting leap.
 
So you would suck it up and go on with the show with the possibilty of contracting some disease (EBOLA as one)? hmmmmm

Incident = June 2014.
Ebola in Dallas (i.e. not in contact distance of Lion King dressing room) = September 2014.
 
I find it interesting the were no back up costumes that they could provide for the dancers. What if something were to rip or tear? I could only imagine how much they sweat during the show. I am thinking of DH clothes after the gym, if I had clothes touching his clothes no way I would wear it after. It not only smells, but putting on wet clothes from someone else's sweat just disgusting.
 
No, they were clean clothes that someone smashed a rack of dripping sweaty clothes up against. If I drenched my work out clothes (and I'm talking a quart of sweat if you wring them out) and then I stuff your clean underwear into a hamper with my disgusting sweaty clothes and then when you go to get them they are damp... You're putting those on? I'm not - and I'm a grown up.

Then you are not a performer. I have been (not at WDW) the show goes on. Then you complain.

A unitard dries pretty quick. Spray some smell good on it and let's roll. Then you find out who is responsible (not Disney, whatever employee that did it) and you file a written complaint about the action. Most likely the employee would be given a warning and then if they did it again they would be fired. A person did this, not a company. The company of Disney does not have its policy set as 'please hang clean unitards next to ones that are dripping with sweat.'

The only way I could see it being different is if this process has already taken place many, many times and nothing was changed. Then I can see getting fed up enough to say, enough is enough. Not doing it again. And if that turns out to be the case then so be it. Then it is Disney's fault for not firing the idiot employee who can't separate dirty clothes from clean ones.

But, that is just MHO from this article, no one knows what is really going on. I sure love that show and the performers in it.
 
Number of larger issues I see here.

1) Why don't they have "back-up" clothes like another poster mentioned? What were to happen if someone's costume accidentally ripped or went missing? It seems like most shows have a limited number of "back-ups".

2) Since when did FOTLK hinge on three performers? With a cast that large, I can't imagine they couldn't have put on something resembling the actual show sans the three CMs.

3) To what extent were these costumes "tainted"? I'd imagine that these CMs knew (or at least suspected) the consequences of not going on, but they still didn't, so they probably had a good reason. My guess would be that the costumes had to be pretty sweaty for them to refuse to go on. But that's just speculation.

I'm curious as to the answer to these questions, but I'm thinking the answers don't look good for Disney. I agree with the PP who talked about workout clothes. It's easy for a bunch of us Disney/FOTLK fans to talk about how shameful not going on is but it's entirely different situation when you're the one wearing the soiled clothes. Why wasn't the person responsible for managing/cleaning/hanging the costumes fired? That said, we just don't know enough to make any sort of judgment, so I'm in the "wait and see" camp on this one.
 
Then you are not a performer. I have been (not at WDW) the show goes on. Then you complain.

A unitard dries pretty quick. Spray some smell good on it and let's roll. Then you find out who is responsible (not Disney, whatever employee that did it) and you file a written complaint about the action. Most likely the employee would be given a warning and then if they did it again they would be fired. A person did this, not a company. The company of Disney does not have its policy set as 'please hang clean unitards next to ones that are dripping with sweat.'

The only way I could see it being different is if this process has already taken place many, many times and nothing was changed. Then I can see getting fed up enough to say, enough is enough. Not doing it again. And if that turns out to be the case then so be it. Then it is Disney's fault for not firing the idiot employee who can't separate dirty clothes from clean ones.

But, that is just MHO from this article, no one knows what is really going on. I sure love that show and the performers in it.

Actually, I am a performer. In my case, people are paying for a specific show, so yes, unless I pass out, I'm going on (but I don't need to deal with someone's sweat on my clothes). And, I'm up there by myself, so if I don't go on, a significant portion of the show just doesn't happen. However, in this situation, if indeed the clothes were damp with someone else's sweat and there is no way that you can work the show around it or find replacement unitards, then you simply tell everyone that the current show has been canceled and that they can come back in one hour for the next one. Things get shut down for various reasons all the time in the parks.
And I've already said in another post that the person responsible should be reprimanded but not fired.
 
Number of larger issues I see here.

1) Why don't they have "back-up" clothes like another poster mentioned? What were to happen if someone's costume accidentally ripped or went missing? It seems like most shows have a limited number of "back-ups".

2) Since when did FOTLK hinge on three performers? With a cast that large, I can't imagine they couldn't have put on something resembling the actual show sans the three CMs.

3) To what extent were these costumes "tainted"? I'd imagine that these CMs knew (or at least suspected) the consequences of not going on, but they still didn't, so they probably had a good reason. My guess would be that the costumes had to be pretty sweaty for them to refuse to go on. But that's just speculation.

I'm curious as to the answer to these questions, but I'm thinking the answers don't look good for Disney. I agree with the PP who talked about workout clothes. It's easy for a bunch of us Disney/FOTLK fans to talk about how shameful not going on is but it's entirely different situation when you're the one wearing the soiled clothes. Why wasn't the person responsible for managing/cleaning/hanging the costumes fired? That said, we just don't know enough to make any sort of judgment, so I'm in the "wait and see" camp on this one.

Thank you Andy, this is exactly the things I'm thinking, you put it better than my several attempts.
 
Then you are not a performer. I have been (not at WDW) the show goes on. Then you complain. A unitard dries pretty quick. Spray some smell good on it and let's roll. Then you find out who is responsible (not Disney, whatever employee that did it) and you file a written complaint about the action. Most likely the employee would be given a warning and then if they did it again they would be fired. A person did this, not a company. The company of Disney does not have its policy set as 'please hang clean unitards next to ones that are dripping with sweat.' The only way I could see it being different is if this process has already taken place many, many times and nothing was changed. Then I can see getting fed up enough to say, enough is enough. Not doing it again. And if that turns out to be the case then so be it. Then it is Disney's fault for not firing the idiot employee who can't separate dirty clothes from clean ones. But, that is just MHO from this article, no one knows what is really going on. I sure love that show and the performers in it.

I am a performer as well-- and no, that's not what you do. There are very strict rules about the care and maintenance of costumes for the health of actors for a reason. There ARE health risks involved-- jock itch being only one of them (and I've seen it, it's DISGUSTING.) And if my costume was in ANY WAY damp from someone else's sweat, I wouldn't wear it, period. I wouldn't spray some Lysol on it and suck it up- actors have to do gross things early in their careers, but the thing is- Disney has been in the entertainment biz a LONG time, and they should know better! There should be rules and regulations about the care and maintenance of costumes. The fact that as recent as 2001 performers were expected to share tights grosses me out, and with the addition of this story, I think Disney needs just a little tweaking with how they care for costumes that performers wear.

We will agree to disagree, I'd imagine. But as an actor I just couldn't agree to put on a costume that had been treated like that. If it was damp from someone else's sweat... Yuck. I makes me nauseous thinking about it.
 
My workplace provides my working clothes(scrubs) and I would not wear scrubs that were soiled.Granted, there are usually more than enough to go around( unless people from other floors have been stealing them from the OR). Like a previous poster, I am also surprised that there aren't backups. I also agree that Disney should have better practices in place regarding this issue.
 
Number of larger issues I see here.

1) Why don't they have "back-up" clothes like another poster mentioned? What were to happen if someone's costume accidentally ripped or went missing? It seems like most shows have a limited number of "back-ups".

2) Since when did FOTLK hinge on three performers? With a cast that large, I can't imagine they couldn't have put on something resembling the actual show sans the three CMs.

3) To what extent were these costumes "tainted"? I'd imagine that these CMs knew (or at least suspected) the consequences of not going on, but they still didn't, so they probably had a good reason. My guess would be that the costumes had to be pretty sweaty for them to refuse to go on. But that's just speculation.

I'm curious as to the answer to these questions, but I'm thinking the answers don't look good for Disney. I agree with the PP who talked about workout clothes. It's easy for a bunch of us Disney/FOTLK fans to talk about how shameful not going on is but it's entirely different situation when you're the one wearing the soiled clothes. Why wasn't the person responsible for managing/cleaning/hanging the costumes fired? That said, we just don't know enough to make any sort of judgment, so I'm in the "wait and see" camp on this one.

Some very good points here. I'd just suggest that for Point #2 it really depends on what role we are talking about. If it were the tumble monkeys, for example, then this is a significant part of the show. If it were the stilt walkers, then no, probably not noticeable.

I'm wondering if the performers were doing this on purpose to try to get a bigger say in the way the show was run?
 
I have to say - i wouldn't really be worried about disease so much...BUT - I don't think it was a matter of the unitard just touching the sweaty items. I just can't see a performer refusing to go on because "mommy - his sleeve touched mine". And again, there were three of them - it wasn't just one guy who could easily be shrugged off as overly picky.
The sweaty rack was probably drenched in sweat and wasn't just "touching" but was squashed up against the clean clothes.
If it were me.... if I went to get my unitard and it was actually damp from someone else's sweat... I'm not sure what decision I'd make, but I would definitely not be happy.

Where in the article can you make an assumption that the clothes were "squashed up" against other sweaty clothes?
 
Some very good points here. I'd just suggest that for Point #2 it really depends on what role we are talking about. If it were the tumble monkeys, for example, then this is a significant part of the show. If it were the stilt walkers, then no, probably not noticeable.

I'm wondering if the performers were doing this on purpose to try to get a bigger say in the way the show was run?

These were not principal performers. The teamsters are representing these employees. Actors Equity represents the principal performers.
 
Why, oh why, couldn't the outfits in question be some lumberjack flannels instead of Lion King unitards?

popcorn::
 
So you would suck it up and go on with the show with the possibilty of contracting some disease (EBOLA as one)? hmmmmm
Ebola? Really? So much bad info out there...just keeps getting passed around. No wonder peopled in this country are panicked...where panic is not warrented.

No, they were clean clothes that someone smashed a rack of dripping sweaty clothes up against. If I drenched my work out clothes (and I'm talking a quart of sweat if you wring them out) and then I stuff your clean underwear into a hamper with my disgusting sweaty clothes and then when you go to get them they are damp... You're putting those on? I'm not - and I'm a grown up.

Has there been a different news story? Because I don't remember reading anything about costumes being squashed against others.
Here's the thing.....from what I understand...the 'used' costumes had been set outside to 'dry' but it started raining, so they were brought in. They got put up against 'clean' costumes. For the life of me I can't see how that much 'sweat' is going to be transferred from one to the other. It's not as if the performers were told to put on those dirty/sweaty costumes. Yes, there would be a huge issue with that. But they were supposed to put on clean outfits that had touched sweaty ones.
Do we know the entire story? Nope. We have no way of knowing if these three CMs had had previous issues and had complained before. We don't know exactly how 'wet' the clean outfits were. We seldom get the true situation from the press. They run with what little they know. And that's how rumor starts.
 













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