DCP Character Performer Auditions

I auditioned at a Disney College Program specific set of Character Performer Auditions in NYC on March 2nd. I just want to start out by saying that I had SO much fun, and if you're even considering any role at Disney, that these are a great thing to attend.

Some of the girls there had been to auditions 7 or 8 times, but alas, this was my first. I met some really awesome people (people auditioning as well as previous cast members and current casting directors). They did ask that we didn't ruin the magic, so I'm not going to reveal many details about the process, but I'll give you a little scoop.

I was staying about an hour away from the studio location, so I woke up a few hours early (around 7:30am) and put on a very light face of makeup. For my outfit, I chose a simple pair of athletic capris and an athletic tank, and opted for jazz shoes (ballet shoes and new sneakers work as well, but many studios will not allow you to have "street" shoes on their dance floor). Disney very much encourages you to keep your makeup simple (as you would at most auditions), and they will actually send you home if you have too much make up or show up "dressed as a character" [kenziemacbrown has a really good Disney audition makeup video here].

I got to the audition about 20 minutes prior to scheduled check in (50 minutes until the start of the audition), and there were already around 50 people there. They ask that you don't come more than 30 minutes before check in as courtesy to the studios and other auditions happening, but I'm pretty sure people didn't listen.

Now, this was the important part – the casting directors are watching you from the very beginning! Smile. Be charismatic. Find a group of people and start chatting with them. First off, you're making a good impression; second, you'll meet some really awesome people this way. So of course, this is what I did and it worked!

After check in (you literally were just handed a number), we were split into groups of 50 and spread around the different studios (there is a LOT of traveling from room to room, so only bring the essentials). We were introduced to our choreographer who was super sweet and definitely screamed "Disney" as well as our lead casting director (who was also super sweet), and the audition had officially began!

Our casting director let us know that the auditions were primarily for fur characters (ya know, like Mickey and Minnie), so the thing they were looking for first and foremost was the height of everyone. They look to find people who they can use in multiple roles and for the short amount of time that you'll be at the DCP. In addition, they were looking for parade performers (those with strong movement), and – if you're lucky – they were looking for look-alikes as well. Our casting director basically said "there's no need to come up to me and say 'please consider me for ___', because she already has!". Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do if they aren't looking for your height or face.

Round One was a very simple dance consisting of two eight counts (basically 16 movement sections). I was in the very first group to perform (we were split up into 4's), and I knew even if I messed up the dance, I should just keep smiling and make eye contact with the casting director. This is what they're looking for! They don't really care if all of their Character Performers can dance, but they want to know that you can engage with the crowd. I nailed the dance (though I did accidentally grapevine into the wall because it was such a small room), and I made perfect eye contact and smiled because I was having so much fun.

After everyone performed, the casting director let everyone know that they did an amazing job, but it was time for cuts. "If you're number is called, please say 'here', we'd like for you to stay. If not, we're glad you came and please come back if you're interested!" And then my number was called. I was ecstatic.

After that, there was a lot of waiting. It seemed like literally forever. But now we could all combine because the cut took the 200 people down to 50.

We were moved into yet another room, and there we were given out audition cards to fill in. It basically just asks stuff like your audition number, name, address, college program timeframe, etc. It also asks if you have any tattoos or piercings; they ask you to be very honest. If you do have a tattoo or nontraditional piercings, they take pictures of them. Depending on the location, it may not affect your chances of becoming a character performer. I think mine did, despite the fact that it will be gone on the 22nd of this month (they didn't seem to care because it was there now). Oh well! They took a picture of your face, and measured your height (your "Disney height") for a better look at who you could be. There is no need to bring a headshot to these auditions as it probably won't be looked at (see the part where they take their own picture).

Round Two began after this (and about a million more years of waiting). Round Two was the official last round, and anyone in this round was still being considered after they performed again. It consisted of an animation exercise (basically a glorified, practiced improve piece) in which we were toymakers and they switched to being the toy we created, as well as a longer, more complicated dance. This dance was probably six to eight 8-counts, and was definitely fast-paced and a lot of choreo to get so quickly.

Everyone was ordered by height after we learned the dance, and we were grouped into 5s this time. I was the 4th shortest there, so I was once again in the first group to perform. I knew I was going to struggle on the dance a little, but I tried my best and had fun (even though I REALLY messed up the dance). I then performed my animation where I was creating a stuffed tiger and then became the tiger. We were thanked and that was that!

I heard a few girls saying they were asked to stay, but from what I heard it was for parade performers. Who knows if they also asked people to stay for face characters (I'm assuming they did), even though there are call backs for face characters. Oh well!

I should here back on whether I was offered any role within the next few days. I don't really have much feedback on anything that I did during the process, so I don't know how to improve for the next time I audition (and you best believe I will be auditioning again!)

So if you decide to audition, just have fun and smile – it'll show in your performance and increase your chances tremendously!

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Kenzie's channel was the one that I obsessively watched prior to the audition, so you should check it out for more details. The dances that she does in her audition video were different from the one's I learned, but don't worry about the specifics as much as having fun!