theme parks

[Lee Nelson]

hey there, what is it with theme parks, weve been approached by a couple over the years and while the prospect of performing a lot of shows over a long contract is appealing to someone who hates the downtime of performing why is it that they all offer such ridiculously poor renumeration for the professional entertainers they are seeking.
Does anyone have any positive stories of theme park work that could perhaps justify it or have I only been offered really crap gigs???? I seem to think not because one just got posted on the Gigs page and it was just as bad as what Ive been offered in the past.....are their good ones out there or are they all run by money crazy pigs who think that all entertainers are college summer holiday workers???

Lee

[Steven Ragatz]

I performed at several theme parks as a college summer holiday worker over the years, but then again, I guess it took me a long time to finish college...

I had good experiences with them in spite of the comparably low pay. It's all in the attitude. If you want to develop family oriented material, then working a theme park gig for a season may be a great way to subsist during an extensive rehearsal period. After all, you get fresh audiences every hour on the hour, and at six (or seven!) shows a day, six days a week, your material gets polished in a hurry. There is no pressure to do the A material because your pay doesn't depend on hats so you are free to improvise with half baked stuff and take things into new directions.

It's not for everyone. Any of the parks that I worked (Disney, Busch, Paramount, and Great America) all had squeaky clean images that the management desperately clung to. There wasn't the slightest "edge" to any acceptable material allowed. In my case, that was just fine, because I wanted to do a clean act that could play anywhere, but if you prefer a more rough attitude with your show, then you would probably go into diabetic convulsions in any of the US parks.

The parks are all about image. They create the image of the "vacation" with their brochures, tours, vacation plans and picture perfect vistas 24-7. Most of the time they don't really want entertainment, just the image of it. If you actually bring a good entertaining show to the public, then all the better, but it's not a real requirement as long as you look like you are.

It's one of those experiences that you get out of it what you put into it.

Steven Ragatz

[worldwidese]

You've guessed right! It's all about the bottom line. They only want out of school teenagers with shiny faces who are looking for a little pocket money. Professionals are not what US Theme Parks hire, unless you're willing to perform for teen age wages.You might consider a contract at a Theme Park just to get your working Visas to enter the country.

Maybe you should look in the direction of England. The Holiday Camps reputedly have a better wage scale.

[Doctor Eric]

Ahem...
Ask this same question of myself, Tim Cridland, Daniel Browning Smith, Jewels, Erik Sprague... Theme Parks can pay very well, but of course, all of the above are at least part-time sideshow acts, so maybe they just pay other variety entertainers extremely low? Also, we all work parks in October for halloween events.

[Greedybogle]

I am in high school, and spent my last summer working at a large chain theme park.

I am young, and the time was well spent. I met others with my interests, had plenty of time to practice my skills and develop material, and generally enjoyed myself. It was, as has been pointed out, low-pressure and steady work.

That said, I would never do it again. The wages were steady, but miniscule, and now that I feel I've found my feet as a performer, I will limit my theme park experience to the one summer.

The park I worked at also hired established professionals to do shows, and, while we never discussed the details, I know they left disgruntled and miserable.

The bottom line: Theme parks are great for performers who are just getting started and want some risk-free firsthand experience, but established performers might do well to find other venues.

[Juggalicious]

Clayton I know exactly what you are talking about - - doesnt it suck being a performer there - I love my Job elsewhere in the park but the performance is not fun at all The only good thing about working in performance there is the good pay you get for only doing fun stuff- I know the performers you are talking about I work for them now -

[ 04-05-2003: Message edited by: Juggalicious ]

[ 04-06-2003: Message edited by: Juggalicious ]</p>