It's practically every girl's dream to be a Disney princess, so it comes as no surprise that there are thousands upon thousands of young ladies each year who attend character performer auditions for Walt Disney's Parks & Resorts around the globe. But what if I told you there's something more magical than being a character performer?
When I applied for the Disney College Program in the spring of 2014, the role of being a character performer was at the top of my list. As a vocal music major with an extensive background in stage performance, I felt like there was no other job in Walt Disney World that would be nearly as satisfying. I wanted to utilize my talents and abilities, quite like being a character performer would. Unfortunately, auditions for character performers were not held anywhere close to home, and on the weekend I had planned to travel to an audition, my family and I were in the midst of moving into our new home. Knowing that auditions were frequently held in Orlando (including ones specifically for Disney College Program participants), I went forward, accepting a role as a merchandise cast member for the fall semester of 2014. At that point in time, I believed that I would merely start out in merchandise, changing roles about midway through the program to become a character performer as I had originally intended.
When I first announced that I had an internship at Walt Disney World, just about everyone and their dog assumed that I’d be in some elaborate costume, singing on stage and signing autographs all day. I remember feeling really embarrassed admitting that I’d actually be working in retail. Sure, I’d worked retail for almost two and a half years, but no one imagined I’d be going on an internship for it, especially when my degree was in music. Over and over, I had to confront confused looks, explaining how great the opportunity was for me just to work for Disney in any capacity, even if I was getting no college credit for it whatsoever. Of course, I’d always follow the explanations up with, “Well, I plan on auditioning to be a character performer while I’m there.” That seemed to satisfy most people.
Not surprisingly, I did actually attend an audition during my program, but sadly, I didn’t get offered a position as a character performer. I failed the dance portion of the audition miserably. I forgot some of the steps and had to wing some of it, and in turn, practically pulled an “Elaine Benes” on the dance floor. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Seinfeld reference, here's a visual for you:
It definitely wasn't my most graceful moment and I knew after that they would not be calling my name out of the 700+ people that were auditioning that day.
While the girl I was before the program would’ve been absolutely devastated, the girl I became while on the program simply laughed the whole thing off.
To the nice person in my group that said I did "good" that day: thank you for trying to make me look better, but you obviously turned your head at the point where I forgot all the steps!
The truth is that I was actually really happy working retail in Disney, and I loved that whenever I interacted with the guests, I didn't have to pretend to be anything I wasn't. I simply was myself. I was Morgan, the Disney College Program participant from Oral Roberts University, and I wore it proudly on my name tag for everyone to see. Sure, I'd be lying to say that there wasn't a small part of me that still wanted to be helping princesses like Belle or Ariel create magical moments for guests, but I had just as many (if not more) opportunities to create those moments for guests working within merchandise.
You see, there is something really special about being able to share the Disney magic without a mask, and that is that it enables you to be able to have some really deep, meaningful experiences with the guests you encounter. Truly, it wasn't until after these experiences that I realized just how important it was for me to get a role in merchandise and not in character performing. I knew then that I was destined to make those connections, to speak those words and touch those lives.
During the program, I worked at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. In the resort, there are multiple shops, and during Christmastime, there is even a life-size gingerbread house (where you can buy gourmet gingerbread) that sits inside the lobby! (You can see the top of the house in the picture above.) I got to work in all the shops, including the gingerbread house, and I had the time of my life! While before the program I was worried working in a hotel would be a drag, it turned out to be quite opposite. The Grand is one of the busiest resorts on all of Disney property. With a five-star restaurant, character experiences, the spa and, of course, it's convenient location on the Magic Kingdom monorail circuit, it was filled with both resort guests and visitors a-like. Maybe it was because I worked outside the madness of the parks that I was able to have some really memorable and intimate moments with my guests, but whatever the case, I wouldn't've traded it for the world.
I remember the first time a guest ever opened up to me. I was working in Mouse Merchantile, the children's gift shop, when a mother told me this vacation was just what they needed to get over the loss of their dog. I thought it was random and strange that she would tell me this (especially since it was making her emotional to talk about it), but I also appreciated the fact that she was willing to open up to me. The encounter made me remember a time when my own family had planned a vacation to Disney World. My grandma passed away literally days before we left. While it was hard to go on vacation when we were dealing with such a hard loss, it really helped us alleviate some of that pain.
While working in Disney World, I learned something. I learned that you never know what's really going on in someone's life when you cross paths with them. For me to be able to relate to and share my experiences with those guests, many times even reaching out to pray with them, was life-changing, honestly, for the both of us. The loss of one family's dog was just the beginning. I would encounter many more opportunities to talk to and pray for other guests.
I remember meeting one family, while passing out gingerbread house brochures, that shared with me there was some news awaiting for them when they returned home. One of the ladies had beaten cancer, but was having some complications and recently had to get some tests done to see if the cancer had returned. There were tears just talking about the possibility of battling cancer again. How a conversation about Basin bath salts turned into a conversation about cancer, I'll never know. What I do know is that praying for them and taking the time to talk with them made their vacation all the more magical.
It wasn't all tears and prayers, though. Being myself with the guests meant that I could be a complete and utter goofball. I didn't have to worry about being graceful. In fact, the more goofy, the better! About 50 percent of the time, you could find me in the halls with a huge Mickey glove giving kids high-fives. I laughed with people, I told stories with people and I absorbed everything I could from those people. Older folks would pass on their wisdom to me, younger folks would crack jokes with me, and the children . . . the children made every day an adventure. I couldn't even count the number of times on my hand that I pretended I was a princess with some little girls or got into epic sword-fight battles with young boys.
At the end of the day, I was me. There was no mask. There was no barrier. There was no filter. And that was amazing.
While I was embarrassed at first to tell people I would be working retail in Disney, I shouldn't have been embarrassed at all. Because contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be a character performer to have the best job in Walt Disney World. You simply need to be yourself and let your best self shine through.
