Following the recently posted auditions for the roles of Ariel and Prince Eric, Disney has also posted auditions for puppeteers to join the company of “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as well as shared new concept art for the show.
New ‘The Little Mermaid’ Concept Art Revealed
The auditions were advertised with new concept art on the Official Disney Auditions Instagram account, with the art featuring puppet designs for Sebastian, Flounder, and Max, Prince Eric’s dog.
The trio is surrounded by scrapbook-style decorations representing both the land and sea, with seaweed, shells, and starfish in various colors. Each character seems to have some defining trait to heighten their appearance, be it Sebastian’s glittery red shell, Flounder’s star-shaped freckles, or the rope strands in Max’s fur.
Puppeteer Auditions Posted
On the Disney Auditions website, the actual audition is not only for “The Little Mermaid” show, but also for “Festival of the Lion King.” It is possible that these performers could be cross-trained between shows, or that the puppets themselves could be similar in construction and operation.
Online submissions will be accepted through Sunday, February 25, 2024.
Here are the details directly from the website:
Disney Live Entertainment is seeking energetic performers with puppetry experience, for puppeteer roles within the Character Department at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, FL.
Please note that all performers, including puppeteers, also perform as fully-costumed Disney Characters in our Parks and Resorts.
SEEKING THE FOLLOWING ROLE:
Puppeteers: 5’2” – 6’3”, with puppeteering experience to help bring to life The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure and Festival of the Lion King.
Puppeteers will use their skills to interact with guests and tell classic Disney tales using a variety of puppeteering techniques and styles, from hand-and-rod, to mechanical, to full-body parade puppets.
NOTE: Puppeteers will also be required to bring to life our walk-around Disney costumed Characters in Parks and Resorts. Because of this, a basic movement routine in included in the Online Submission, as well as improv exercises.
SUBMISSION AND ONLINE AUDITION CHECK-IN INSTRUCTIONS:
This is a 2 step process. Candidates must submit AND check-in to the audition to be considered.STEP 1 – SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
- Please click “My Profile” to create or update your performer profile.
- Please click on the “movement” link to view and learn your audition choreography and animation. Record yourself performing the movement.
- Please click on the “puppetry” link to view and learn the puppeteering task. Record yourself performing the task.
- Under the LINKS section, add your links to your video to a sharing site like YouTube or Vimeo – if using YouTube, please mark the video as “unlisted”.
- Please upload the below 3 current photos of yourself. Please pull long hair back so it is off the face, and only wear light makeup if desired. Form-fitting attire is preferred.
- Direct shot from the waist up, looking into the camera
- Full-body shot, looking straight forward into the camera
- Profile shot, from the waist up
STEP 2 – CHECK-IN INSTRUCTIONS
- Visit Disney Auditions Check-In
- Select the audition: “Walt Disney World ONLINE SUBMISSIONS: Puppeteers.”
- Take your selfie to complete the submission process
- You’re all set. There is no need to submit more than once
Submissions will be accepted through February 25, 2024. Candidates will be contacted by Talent Casting should they be selected to move on to the next round. Selected candidates MUST be available in the Orlando, FL area for a callback.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE CALLBACK:
If selected to move to the next round, the audition will begin with a very basic movement combination, and an improv animation exercise, with performers using their whole body to act out a storyline. Following this, performers will learn a basic puppeteer exercise. Using ping-pong ball eyes attached to their hands, performers will create a basic puppet and lip-sync along to popular music. Performers will be graded on syncopation, ability to match syllables to lyrics, and overall creativity.
Selected performers will then be asked to puppeteer hand-and-rod style puppets.REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be at least 18 years of age, and authorized to work in the United States.
- This audition opportunity is OPEN to current Character Performers.
The new show, replacing the former “Voyage of The Little Mermaid,” is inspired by the 1989 animated film, which follows Ariel on her journey to become part of the human world. The show will include musical numbers from the film, including “Part of Your World,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and “Kiss the Girl.”
“The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure” will premiere this fall.
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