Disney Day at SDSU: A Day of Auditions, Workshops, and Career Insights
On Tuesday, February 11, San Diego State University welcomed casting directors from the Disney Organization to campus for a day-long workshop and audition.
Students from the new BA in Musical Theatre program in the School of Theatre, Television, and Film joined BFA Dance majors from the School of Music & Dance for a singing audition, an acting audition, a dance audition, and an hourlong information session about performing opportunities with Disney.
Led by Disney casting director, Robert Orosco (a Miss Saigon Broadway veteran), the Disney team worked with students in the morning on short music selections and a specially written monologue. Orosco honed in on improving students’ abilities to communicate the Disney message, all the while giving specific and constructive feedback on their ability to tell stories.
Fourth-year BA Musical Theatre student, Milo Mee, said, “Initially, the day was filled with nerves as we sang for actual Disney casting directors. However, it quickly transformed into an inspiring experience as they shared invaluable career advice that we would never have received elsewhere. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
In the afternoon, Disney choreographer Michelle Paxton worked with dancers from SDSU instructor Melissa Glasgow’s Musical Theatre Dance course alongside the Musical Theatre majors. A combination that started out easy became progressively more and more complicated to assess the precise level of students’ capabilities.
At the end of the day, the team gave a presentation describing the variety of Disney performing opportunities around the world. The main Disney parks in California and Florida are only two of the many parks worldwide including parks in France, Japan, Hong Kong, and China. In addition, students were introduced to opportunities on the six ships of the Disney Cruise Line fleet.
By the end of the day, students left inspired and motivated, armed with practical advice and a clearer understanding of opportunities in the world of professional performance.
