English teacher Dana Curry has been a real character, literally.
Immediately after graduating from Abilene Christian University with her Bachelor of Science and Education and M. A. in Communications, Curry auditioned at SMU in Dallas, Texas, for a role as a cast member in the talent division of Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
“I was extremely happy when I received the offer to come to work with the Disney organization; however, I had no idea what I would exactly be doing,” Curry said. “It was not until I arrived that I discovered that I would be a show character playing Minnie Mouse.”
Depending on the rehearsals for the castle shows, Curry lived at Disney World Park for an entire week to practice for the upcoming show. On normal schedules, characters worked a 10-hour day.
“We had training and orientation for the company and then we also had the training in the talent and entertainment division and that was just basically show choreography,” Curry said.
Performing eight 35-minute shows a day required the characters to be in good physical condition; therefore, they were required to attend conditioning classes.
“We had like five trainers that were there to make sure that we were not hurt.” Curry said.
Disney World characters were expected to follow very strict rules and learn all of the “traditions”. Two of these rules were pictures back stage were a very big no-no and girls were not allowed to where makeup.
During her three years working as Minnie Mouse, Curry performed at every park in Disney World, including Disney MGM Studios (now known as Disney Hollywood Studios).
The costume was difficult to perform in, according to Curry. She suspects that the shoes for the costume are one of the main reasons for the arthritis in her ankles. During one of her many castle performances, Curry admits that she actually tripped and fell. Even though there were some downsides, Curry said there was definitely a positive side.
“I had the opportunity to meet famous celebrities including George Lucas, Billy Joel and even Michael Jackson,” Curry said. “I will always remember Michael Jackson arriving backstage with his security detail. He was a superstar, so it was very exciting when he visited the park.”
Not only did she perform for thousands of children, she was also in the show cast that performed for First Lady Nancy Reagan’s visit to Walt Disney World in 1988.
“I truly loved working for the Walt Disney World Company, and I hope that I can bring much of that experience into my classroom,” Curry said. “It was a lot of fun and I recommend it for anyone. I wouldn’t of changed it for the world.”
