How good are Disney actors?

[tentaguasu]

I've gone to WDW 3 times in the last 4 years or so. I hadn't noticed until this last time that several cast members in major shows (e.g. Nemo at AK) seem to be the same as prior trips.

It makes sense - you've got to be good to do the shows and that's not something you can just train anyone off the street to do.

But it got me wondering - how "prestigious" is it to be an actor in one of these shows?

One the one hand, I'd think a talented actor would prefer to be on broadway or something like that. On the other hand, being a full time paid actor at major attraction is a pretty good gig.

Are these positions coveted? Or where people start on the way up? Or where they land if they can't make "the bigs"? Or is Disney "the bigs"?

Just curious...

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

performers (those with a singing or speaking role) in shows such as Nemo, Festival of the Lion King, etc are members of the Actor's Equity Association, which is the same union that represents many Broadway performers.

Some folks go from Disney to Broadway, some go from Broadway to Disney. Others choose to stay at Disney for various reasons (family, weather, etc). I'd imagine each person has their own reasons for being where they are, and whether or not it's where they want to be.

I've also heard that some folks do both ... they may perform at WDW during times between their Broadway or touring engagements.

 

[goofy4tink]

My dd is a theatre major in college. Her goals??? She wants to finish school and do the Disney College Program and then hopefully get a job at WDW. She would really love to be cast in a show but knows that that may very well not happen right away.
She looks at a job at WDW as a starting off point. Would she love to be on broadway? Sure, but that just isn't all that realistic. It's a job....and if you want to perform, then it's a good job.

 

[ghtx]

Broadway is more prestigious than Disney.

Disney is preferable (for some) to touring companies since you get to settle down in one place.

 

[Robo]

performers (those with a singing or speaking role) in shows such as Nemo, Festival of the Lion King, etc are members of the Actor's Equity Association, which is the same union that represents many Broadway performers.

Some folks go from Disney to Broadway, some go from Broadway to Disney. Others choose to stay at Disney for various reasons (family, weather, etc). I'd imagine each person has their own reasons for being where they are, and whether or not it's where they want to be.

I've also heard that some folks do both ... they may perform at WDW during times between their Broadway or touring engagements.

Yup.

True of actors who appear in all kinds of venues around the country.

To get an acting gig (Disney) with a long-term performing contract with union-scale wages, and a guarantee that you'll be performing to full houses of guests from around the world for most of the performances is a plumb deal for many performers.

We have a local (Kansas City) actor/director/choreographer who performed at Disneyland in many principle roles for several years who loved the experiences there.
He was also a Broadway (NYC) performer and was in national touring companies for major productions.
He says that playing "Genie" in the Aladdin stage show in Anaheim was a gig that he'd have loved to
keep doing "forever."
I can just imagine the thrill of performing for SO MANY audience members every single day in a role
that would get such an amazing outpouring of positive guest reactions.
You could be a "never-to-be-forgotten" memory for thousands of people.

 

[TDC Nala]

I knew an actor at WDW who went to Broadway. When the show he was in closed, he came back. He'd been in Broadway shows before that too.

 

[DizzneyDi]

They're definitely Broadway quality. Grant Norman, one of the actors who plays Bruce the shark in Finding Nemo, has played both the Beast in the national tour and Gaston on Broadway.

 

[WDSearcher]

Broadway is more prestigious than Disney.
Disney is preferable (for some) to touring companies since you get to settle down in one place.

Although ... it depends on the show. I've known performers that have turned down a chorus role in a predicted-not-to-run-long Broadway show in order to take a lead role in a Disney production. Being "third boy from the left" in the chorus of a Broadway stinker won't look as good on your resume as a lead role in Nemo or FoLK.

 

[ghtx]

Although ... it depends on the show. I've known performers that have turned down a chorus role in a predicted-not-to-run-long Broadway show in order to take a lead role in a Disney production. Being "third boy from the left" in the chorus of a Broadway stinker won't look as good on your resume as a lead role in Nemo or FoLK.

Yeah, that sounds right.

It's like saying "movies are more prestigious than TV," which is certainly true, but a lead role on a TV show is (probably) more coveted than a supporting role in a movie.