Disney Character Performer Auditions

Hey guys! So for this post I will will writing about my character performer audition for Disney.

First thing you need to do, is go on the Disney auditions website here. On this page they have common questions and information about the auditions. If you scroll down they have the listings for when and where the audition will be held. They hold them all around the country so hopefully you can find one to go to. This page has the listings for the only ones that CP's can go to. The page for all other auditions is here. They also have a bunch of good information on that site, so even if you are only a CP, check it out.

Common questions asked...

What do I wear?

I would suggest wearing something comfortable. At my audition, there were two girls in dresses and character shoes and they just looked uncomfortable. Everyone else was in yoga pants, t-shirts, and workout clothes. I wore a cute, bright purple shirt and cropped leggings. I suggest wearing a bright shirt at any audition you ever go to because it makes you stand out. For shoes, I had sneakers, but other people had jazz shoes, elastosplits, and ballet shoes. Where what you are comfortable dancing in. If you are not a dancer, don't go out and buy jazz shoes, because you don't need them. I was able to do everything in tennis shoes.

What should I bring?

Bring your SMILE! Haha that is probably the number one most important thing about your audition. They are looking for people who are smiling and having fun. I know some people say to bring a resume and head shot, but if you are a CP you don't need it. If you are auditioning for a full time role, I would bring one. I brought a small bag to hold my keys, wallet, snack, and water bottle. BRING WATER. It gets hot if you make it to the second round! Also, if you have long hair, bring a hair tie. They could potentially ask you to put your hair up if they are considering you for a face character.

Can my parents/ friends come to watch?

Your loved ones are allowed to come, but they will sit in the lobby. It is a closed audition so they will not be able to come into the room with you. My Mom came with me and picked up a lot of information just talking to other parents and Disney Cast Members working there.

Alright, so now I will tell you my audition process. They might not all be the exact same, but they should be similar. Hopefully this will help you prepare for your audition.

My audition was set to start at 10:30 am, so I arrived with my Mom at 9:00. We stood in a long line outside of the building for just a few minutes, and then they started signing people in. I was number 50, so if you want to be one of the lower numbers, I suggest getting there early! Don't be afriad to talk to people in line. I know you will feel so nervous but they are in the same situation as you. Plus it helps to pass the time. After signing in, they measured our height. Some people say that they measure you too small or too tall, but mine was exact so I don't know what they are talking about hahaha.

Once they checked everyone in, you move into another room to wait. This is where you need to meet and talk to people, because they will be watching how you interact with others! Just be yourself and talk about how excited you are with everyone else. The people I met were sooooo sweet.

Next, they broke us into 2 large groups to teach us a simple, across the floor march. Don't stress over this! It is very simple. Just go in with an open mind and work it! They gave us time to practice it with other people and then we performed it in front of the casting director. The biggest thing to remember is to smile. They do not care if you mess up once or twice. As long as you smile, and looked like you are having a blast, you will be fine. When I went I messed up on one part and instead of stopping, I continued to do the step wrong and smiled even bigger. I was looking right at the casting director when this happened and he smiled back at me and circled my number! So please don't give up! If you make a mistake, pretend like you meant to do it!

After everyone had performed, we waited for the director to pick which people he wanted to stay. We had started out the day with 155 people. He then came into the room and told us he had cut it down to 50. I was so nervous! I squeezed hands with all of the friends I had made as he went through the list. Then he called my number! I was SHOCKED. I held back a scream and hugged all of my friends.

Next, they take your picture and give you a form to fill out with basic name, email, and address. Also your shoe size, eye color, and height. They ask if you have any tattoos or piercings. Be honest. At this point, they start to stress how they come into these auditions looking for certain characters. they could be only looking for males, or Snow Whites, or dancers. It is always different, and you don't know what they want. So don't be discouraged if you don't get picked this time. You made it this far for a reason, so you can always try again at another audition if this one doesn't go in your favor.

The next step in the process is a little harder than the first. It's focused on animation and dancing. They gave us thirty seconds to "tell a story" of planting a tree, and washing a dog. It's all about the big movements and gestures. NO TALKING. They also teach us a harder dance routine. If you have zero dance experience, this will be a little more difficult, but they make sure to go over it many times so you will do just fine :) Once you learn the routine, you perform in groups of four in front of the casting director. You do animation, dance, animation, dance. Then you stand in front of the director, smile for a couple of minutes, while he scribbles notes down, and you're done! YAY!!

It was by far the most fun audition I have ever been to! Even if you are kinda considering it, just go for it! You will meet so many cool people there, who love Disney just as much as you do. They say that the results will be out in 2-3 weeks. Now we are on to another waiting game. In the meantime, watch a bunch of Disney movies and search up groups on Facebook, because there are always people with questions and answers. Have fun at your audition, if that's what you decide to do, and good luck! :)