Stage Managing for Disney

[Kelasaurus]

Hello all,

Let's get this out of the way: I'm a Disneyaholic.  I have been one my whole life. 

I was recently at Disneyland, and I saw the "booth" for Fantasmic, and I instantly thought "dream job!"

It seems as if there are not a ton of Disney fans on this forum, but I am interested to know: Has anyone worked for Disney (in theme park shows or otherwise)?  What was it like?  How did you get there?

I am so curious!

[lydiaelaine]

I'm a Disney addict, too. I wish I had experience to share, but I'm very interested to see if anyone can share their stories!

[thankyou5]

I too thought working for Disneyland would be a dream job.  I applied several years ago and ended up as an assistant stage manager on Fantasmic! and Aladdin for 6 months last year.  Though for me the reality was not quite as magical.

There are a few great things about stage managing at Disneyland.  The technology is great.  I was exposed to a lot of automation and special effects that I had never seen before.  You learn a ton in a short period of time if you work on the two big shows like I did.  Working with IA crews are also a very valuable experience.  The performers for the most part are also really great.

Some of the down sides.
Applying is not easy.  You have to either have a contact or apply at the main office.  They hired a ton of ASM's last season and I believe most stayed on, so there may not be any openings for years.

Disneyland only hires assistant stage managers and you begin as a casual temporary, which means no benefits, no guaranteed hours.  You could work 4 hours in one week or nearly 60.

While I was employed the ASM's voted to become part of IASTE, which means union dues, initiation fees and no benefits of outside work as IA has never before represented stage managers.

There is nearly no opportunity for advancement to become a Stage Manager who calls the shows (which is who you saw in the "booth").  It's almost entirely based on seniority.

You must fit into their way of doing things. There is next to no toleration for being innovative or coming up with new ideas.  The shows are very entrenched as well as the personnel.

I also found the environment to be very clicky.

Disney is also overly budget minded.  As a result things do not get fixed unless they break and then the fix is only temporary.  Equipment breaks down all of the time and as a result many artistic elements of the show are sacrificed on nearly a daily basis. The drive by upper management was for the show to go on no matter how badly the artistic integrity was compromised.


There are of course many people who I found were happy being with Disneyland for years.  I chose to leave in search of a more fulfilling position.

[MatthewShiner]

Other things to take in consideration for Disney - Stage Management is not considered strictly management - although it depends on the show.  You are more a cue caller.  They have show directors that maintain most of the shows.  You are swapped out alot.  To keep people from going into overtime, and to have up to ten shows a day for some attractions, you need to be replaceable.  Which also means, everyone needs to manage the "Disney" way, so there is a lot of compromising of individual style.

Like most commercial ventures, they are EXTREMELY bottom line conscious and very cooperate.   You will also find that you will be trapped between various departments a lot, specially when you are doing a well established show.  (Like a special event, a temporary show, etc.)

Also, there is the fact you are dealing with a certain level of talent - because they need so much talent, not all of it going to be GREAT, and often they are very, very young.

I have a few friends who launched great careers with the parks.
 

[KMC]

The company I work for does a considerable amount of work for Disney Cruise Line, and to a lesser extent Walt Disney Imagineering.  I actually am writing this post from my hotel room in Port Canaveral as we're tieing up our loose ends onboard the Fantasy. 

In my capacity and the relationship I have with Disney as a client they're a very good company to work for.  The company is full of talented people and they really push the bounds of technology to the limits.  The product Disney produces for its guests is very, very impressive.  They do have a very strict and rigorous set of standards, but they're in place for a reason, and at the end of the day it works.

As Matthew mentioned, Disney is very corporate.  They're a publicly traded company with a market cap of ~$76bn.  They exist for the sole purpose to make money.  There are myriad secondary and tertiary goals (entertainment, creating a phenomenal experience for guests, etc...), but they all serve the primary purpose.  So yes, they're mindful of the bottom line.  "Overly" mindful, I suppose that's a matter of opinion.  When you work for a large corporation, that's the way it works.

If you this matches your expectation of working for Disney, go for it.  A lot of excellent careers have started there.  They do amazing work and it's a company full of very talented people. 



Note: I am not a Disney employee.  The opinions here are my own.

[NomieRae]

I too am a big fan of Disney - and have chosen not to work for them for the exact reasons some people have listed here because it strips away the magic and I'd much rather enjoy the illusion and work on non-commercial and non-corporate projects. The limited times I have been employed by them on projects I didn't really enjoy it and didn't feel like I was an SM (much like Matt talks about above)

That being said I have not and probably would never turn down a Disney Broadway contract. While they're not necessarily successful long running shows (Tarzan anyone?) I would love that experience for my resume and life.

Much like many of my generation of stage managers, I would have given my right arm to work on Newsies. Le sigh.

[megf]

I worked for Universal Studios Hollywood. Not Disney, but in the LA world of theme park stage management, the two sites are often compared, and (when I was there) many young SMs applied for positions in both parks.

While the pleasures of working in theme park entertainment can be debated, it is a GREAT way to explore how big, sophisticated technology works in a live entertainment setting. No, it's likely you won't tech a show in this context, and you probably won't be called on to work closely with the actors, or even attend a rehearsal at all... which can feel like a serious departure from "straight" theater. That said, it's often one of the few opportunities an early-career SM can take to experience extremely high production values, where cost is no object for the producer.

[AKBowman]

@nerdfighter are you in college? If so, and you're looking to take a semester off, there is the Disney College Program. It's an internship they have in both Florida and California. I did it about 3 years ago. Although there aren't any positions in stage management or any kind of technical crew, they do have a lot of people in costuming (I worked in parade wardrobe). As a CP, you are kinda the lowest of the low on the Disney totem pole- you don't get paid very much (minimum wage) and the work you do isn't the most fulfilling. However, it can be a lot of fun and you'll meet some really great people. Plus you can go to the parks for free anytime when you're not working!
Walt Disney World has an interesting class called Entertainment Show Production which gives you a behind the scenes look at how they operate. They also have other classes that can give you college credit if you work it out with your university. If you network while you're there, you could perhaps shadow one of the stage managers on a large show.
A lot of the people who do the college program are 'Disneyholics', but I went into it just needing a break from school. You learn a lot about the history of Disney and how they work as a company and while some people can say it ruins the magic, I found that it made me even more interested.
I definitely wouldn't want to work there full time, but the one semester I did was fun.
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

[DCPSM2012]

I went to Disneyland last summer and had the exact same reaction! Glad I'm not the only one who became excited!

[Tosin]

Hello James. Merry Christmas. I am Tosin. I saw fantasmic at disneyland in florida some years back. I would like to get some intel from you as regards the show. I would be really glad if you could send me a mail. E-mail add- tosinabiona@gmail.com

Regards,
Tosin
Post Merge: Dec 26, 2014, 03:30 amHello. Merry Christmas. I am Tosin. I saw fantasmic at disneyland in florida some years back. I would like to get some intel from you as regards the show. I would be really glad if you could send me a mail. E-mail add- tosinabiona@gmail.com

Regards,
Tosin