Are you a Disney lover who also knows your way around an ice rink? Disney On Ice may be the perfect place for you! With eight internationally touring shows that at any one time cast over 450 entertainers, Disney On Ice has created one of the biggest ice shows on Earth and a continent-spanning family of show-stopping talent.
“It’s an awesome job and adventure,” says Judy Thomas, Disney On Ice’s talent director and production coordinator. “Really, the world becomes your textbook. Some of our skaters have done all tours—they’ve basically seen the world, and there’s no education like that.”
READ: “How Feld Entertainment Brought ‘Frozen’ to the Ice”
Does Disney On Ice sound like something you want to get involved in? Auditions are ongoing year-round and begin with a video portfolio submission to Ice Creative Casting. In-person auditions are scheduled on an as-needed basis from there. Backstage spoke further with Thomas about the Disney On Ice casting process and her insider tips for booking the job of a lifetime.
Make sure your skating skills are up to snuff.
“For the figure skaters, we are looking for strong edge skills performed with confidence. Choreography is very important—ability to pick up choreography quickly. Working in group formations is important. To qualify for consideration, [skaters] should be at a junior or senior level.”
Prep your portfolio.
“We request that [performers] send in a portfolio, which consists of a full skating résumé, photos, and video. The video should be anywhere from three to six minutes in length starting with an introduction of the performer and then performing all elements: jumps, spins, footwork, and combinations. We really want to see that personality and those performance skills shine through.”
Time your submission right.
“Ideally, if we’re coming through [an applicant’s] area, we would prefer to have it about six weeks in advance to facilitate an audition.”
Personalize your video introduction. Show who you are off the rink!
“If I don’t have the opportunity to meet someone in person, I really enjoy that introduction at the beginning [of the audition video]. Think of it as a conversation, an in-person conversation. I want to see that energy and that enthusiasm and that passion. It is such an incredible opportunity and you want to have that passion for it to really engage in it 100 percent.”
Don’t shy away from flexing those acting muscles!
“When I see musical theater [talent] or something of that nature, it just shows me that they’ve had some experience in that area, which is so helpful. Although they are hired and trained as skaters and technicians (whether it be ice dancers or single skaters or pair skaters), ultimately, this is a performance job. We try to intertwine all of those elements—the technical skills with the theatrical skills, and the need to really portray these roles to suit the expectations of the audience.”
Courtesy Feld Entertainment
Look the Disney part.
“[Silhouettes are] something that I always have to be aware of to hire with the expectations of portraying that role. First, I would need to know what technical skills are required [of a role], and then [a performer] would have to be believable in their physical appearance—although we wouldn’t necessarily be looking for all the specifics in that person as far as Ariel having red hair and everything. Costuming certainly helps that effort.”
Possess a “high potential for teamwork.”
“Most of our tours are anywhere from 10–11 months of the year, and when you have a large group of people traveling together, living together in hotels, [and] working seven days a week, teamwork is incredibly important. If it was a show that was for three weeks or a month, anyone, I think, can make that happen. But you really need the attitude, the work ethic, the teamwork, flexibility, versatility—all of that comes into play.”
And it doesn’t hurt to act in-line with your dream Disney role.
“Certainly if that person was going to show some of Robin Williams’ comedic Genie attributes, that would show me personality, so those opportunities are there. But in general, most of our performers audition and from there, we cast appropriately within the nine shows. But [imitation] would be wonderful to see—and then I would notice that and go, ‘Well, he should be on a show where the Genie is!’ ”
Ready to hit the ice? For more information on how to apply for Disney On Ice, visit Feld Entertainment’s website here.
Want to get cast by Disney? Check out our Disney audition listings.