We are hiring dancers and actors aged
15-22 (approx) from anywhere in Canada.
It’s the coolest job you don’t quite have (yet).
“I’m a performer in theatrical stage shows at an amusement park”. It’s the kind of answer to the standard “so what do you do?” that raises eyebrows in interest. This isn’t just a summer job. It’s summer fun, summer friends, summer money, and summer performance experience all wrapped up in one. If you’re looking for a new thing, then we’re looking for you.
Here’s what some of our past cast members say:
“When I think about being in the cast Calaway Live, I think of quick-changes , the magic show where I was dressed as a gorilla , being mascot Jill Bunny, the wonderful talented choreographer, the many friends I made, learning a cast schedule, laughing, performing, enjoying and smiling! Calaway Live helped me realize that I wanted to perform and gave me the tools I would need to continue, from auditioning and rehearsing to the strong work ethic and tough skin that is needed to survive in this industry.”
Kara Tremel
Currently performing in the Tony award-winning musical Jersey Boys. Other credits include: Saturday Night Fever, Beauty and the Beast, Grease, Dames at Sea, Anne of Green Gables and Cabaret.
"I was involved in theatre from a young age but never really thought of dancing until a friend dragged me to the Calaway Live audition. CalawayPark and the people I worked with opened my eyes to a whole new world of performing. 10 years later I’m traveling the world, working as a professional dancer… I know what a valuable experience Calaway Live was for me!"
Kyle Ronellenfitch
Princess Cruiselines
“Working for CalawayPark in the Entertainment division for seven years was an extremely valuable experience for me. Not only did I improve my stage performance skills but I also gained other important skills that would help me later on in the professional world. I went on from Calaway Live and pursued an education to become a Doctor of Chiropractic. During this time I danced for Alberta Ballet and Toronto's "The Dance Company". Now I am dancing and practicing chiropractic on board the Celebrity Infinity cruise ship. The encouragement from the friends and family I made through CalawayPark have shaped the direction that my life has taken until this point. I would encourage anyone to work for this company as the experience will be life changing.”
Dr. Amber Nottell, (D.C.)
Chiropractor and Dancer, Celebrity Cruise Lines
Past cast members have identified how they have benefited from their experience working as a performer in the Calaway Park Entertainment department:
- Free performance training. Cast members receive on-going coaching on their stage performance and have the chance to experience different genres and styles of dance and music.
- Being a part of 1000s of kid’s memories. This is mentioned many times by cast members… having their photos taken with kids after every show, receiving letters and drawings from young fans, and inspiring kids to want to perform one day.
- Being paid to perform – not a regular job. Actually being employed in doing something they love to do and have a lot of passion towards.
- A “show run” experience. Having the opportunity to perform a lengthy show run is a step towards being part of professional production, much like a Broadway musical or a touring show. For example, our mainstage show in the Showtime Theatre is performed over 200 times in the season and sees in excess of 100,000 audience members.
- Being a part of the performing community. With common interests in drama and dance, cast members are immersed into learning about the professional community, productions that are in town, other skills such as auditioning and resume building, and knowledge drawn from each other.
- Diverse job for work skills. Cast members also work in other areas of the park including Ride Operation, Admissions and Retail, allowing for growth in not only their performance skills but other hirable skills such as cash handling, customer service and leadership, to name a few. Cast members in high school also have the opportunity to earn credits for their work as Calaway Park is an official Work Experience site for the Public, Catholic and Rockyview school boards with teachers working on site throughout the season.
- Meeting friends with common interest. There is no doubt that the social aspect of the job is one of the reasons performers return to the park year after year!
- Flexible time commitment during the school year. Talented people are busy people. Cast members have appreciated the flexibility during the rehearsal period to still be involved in their other activities like school productions, sports teams, dance classes, vacation, etc. prior to the Calaway Park season opening on weekends in May.
- Performing and/or work reference. It’s all in who you know! Working in the Calaway cast and maintaining a positive and meaningful contribution has created opportunity for cast members, both with employment outside of the Calaway season as well as performing jobs and opportunities with film and theatre.
- Career resources. Cast members have found it useful to liase with our Entertainment professionals for advice about pursuing a career in the arts. As a creative team our choreographers and production staff have experience with cruise ships, major theme parks, film, television and theatre, both on stage and in behind-the-scenes positions.
- Free Transportation. As Calaway Park is just outside the city limits and perceived as further away from home, employees of the park are offered a free bus service to get them to and from work in-season.
How To Get My Summer Contract with the Cast:
If you are fun, positive, welcoming, fun, helpful, talented, fun, outgoing, trustworthy, a team player, and uh, fun, then we’d really like to meet you!
We’re looking for:
FEMALE ACTORS AND DANCERS
Requirements:
Previous formal dance training is required (any combination of jazz, ballet, tap, funk, hip hop, etc). Females with natural funk or hip hop rhythm are welcome. Vocal training is also an asset but not required. Good work ethic and attitude, and being fun to work with is a must.
MALE ACTORS AND DANCERS
Requirements:
Performance experience in musical theatre, drama or dance is required. For actors, aptitude for physical movement and natural rhythm is preferred. Vocal training is also an asset, but not required. Good work ethic and attitude, and being fun to work with is a must.
There are two processes for auditioning depending on where you live:
CALGARY AND AREA RESIDENTS
You dance with a dance studio or perform in your school production, all the time dreaming that Calgary offered some way for you to get paid for doing what you love. BINGO! We're right in your backyard and waiting to expose your talent to the WORLD! Well maybe not the world, but to the hundreds of thousands of families that come through the gates at Calaway Park each year.
Attend our OPEN-CALL AUDITION for the 2009 cast:
WHEN: Date TBA (a Saturday in early January 2009)
WHERE: The Metropolitan Centre
(333 – 4th Avenue SW, downtown across from the Westin Hotel)
TIME: All participants arrive at 9:30 am.
WHAT TO BRING, WHAT TO DO…..
Bring a resume and a recent photo. Include your previous employment history and your past performance training and experience.
No performance preparation is necessary for the audition. The audition is run as a workshop… Plan to be there all day. Cuts will be made throughout the day. The latest the audition will run is approximately 5:00 p.m.
Dress in comfortable clothing ready to learn choreography (no jeans please).
Please ensure you are available on the Sunday in the event you receive a call-back.
For audition tips and discussion boards visit our CalawayPark Auditions page on Facebook!
OTHER INFORMATION
We are looking for a diverse age group for the cast, approximately but not limited to aged 15 to 22. Minimum age to be eligible for this job is 15.
REHEARSALS FOR CALGARY CAST: You must be living in Calgary or the adjacent surrounding areas from January through October and able to attend all rehearsals. Rehearsal evenings are TBA for 2009.
Rehearsals are held in a studio in Calgary until mid-April. Rehearsals move on-site to Calaway Park mid-April. Sometimes talented people are busy people... We are open to discussing minor date conflicts you may have with the rehearsal schedule arising from dance competitions, school productions, spring break vacations, etc.
The 2009 Calaway Park operating season is:
- Opening Day May 17 – June 22 – Friday Nights, Saturdays and Sundays
- June 22 – Sept.1 – Daily
- Sept.6 – Oct.13 – Saturdays and Sundays
*Vacation time during the operating season is difficult to accommodate.
That’s all of the information for now. Come join us at our Calgary auditions and we'll have some fun together (as we examine your every move…. MWAHAHA)
If you have further questions please contact this guy….
Chris Thompson, Artistic Director
CalawayParkEntertainment@telus.net
Or this gal…
Estelle Phillips, Entertainment Manager
Estelle.Phillips@calawaypark.com
CANADIAN RESIDENTS FROM OUTSIDE CALGARY
Big. Summer. Fun.
You hear that? That's the sound of all the boring, fun-hating, non-talented, dull-job-loving people clicking away from this page, scared away by the mere thought of being in the spotlight, having fun and making new friends this summer. But not you. Whether you're planning your launch into a performing career, planning an escape from the suburbs, or venturing out of your town, city or province for the first time, Calaway Park's "Working Holiday Program" is waiting for performers like you. Come live and perform and get paid in Calgary from June through August! First, a little bit about us...
You must be (THIS TALENTED) to work here.
As Western Canada's largest amusement park, Calaway Park has piled over 25 years of thrills and family fun to hundreds of thousands of visitors. Aside from our 30 rides and attractions, 24 games and 24 food locations across 95 acres of a beautifully landscaped oasis nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains (it's true!), live entertainment has always been a key part of our park. Calaway Park produces 4 to 5 new stage productions every year with a few that have been internationally recognized, and employs over 50 dancers and actors each season (that would be you) to bring some theatrical magic to our guests.
Okay, Calaway Park doesn’t have everything….
But Calgary, the Rocky Mountains and Alberta sure do. Take a break from your new friends-slash-cast members and get to know the million or so people in Calgary - especially during the world-famous Calgary Stampede in July. Take in a high-altitude perspective from the glass-floored Calgary Tower or Canada Olympic Park's 90m observation deck. When you're back on the ground, ride COP's professional mountain bike park or take in some Olympic history. See real grizzly bears (without having to run for your life) at the world-renowned Calgary Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Hear undiscovered bands at a local club, or go big at The Saddledome with major music concerts and pro sports events. For the sensitive brainy types, you can expand your worldly knowledge at The Glenbow Museum, feed your secret nerdy side at the Telus World of Science, walk into Alberta's past at Heritage Park, or cultivate your creativity at Art Central or one of the numerous downtown galleries. If you haven't danced enough at work, Calgary has the most dance studios per capita in Canada! Take a drop-in class on your days off at any one of the numerous summer programs in the city. If the urban scene isn't your scene, Banff's Rocky Mountain escape is only an hour away, including the castle-like Banff Springs Hotel. Venture in any direction for hiking, camping, world-class golf and natural hot springs. You'll pretty much have a good time. Visit calgaryattractions.com for more cool stuff to do.
Even we have to admit that being paid to spend the summer performing at an amusement park shouldn’t really be called work….
Especially when we have competitive starting wages with raise and promotion opportunities, free bus transportation to and from work, summer housing for as little as $200 per month, staff social events throughout the season, and a work schedule that lets you have a life outside of the theatre. To top it off, we have post-secondary education scholarships for qualifying staff. On top of the fact that you'll be having the time of your life performing, we've pretty much got you covered.
Here’s what you need to do:
1. Put together a package for us that includes:
A resume. Include your past work and performance experience, and your contact information.
A photo. Doesn’t need to be a professional headshot if you don’t have one, just a photo we can refer to with your resume.
A video (either VHS or DVD, or you can email a video file or YouTube link).
- An introduction to you….Tell us about the following:
- Who you are and where you’re from
- Your performing and work background
- Why is this experience important to you?
- How are you going to make the best of this experience for yourself and the company? Basically, why should we hire you?
- Also, just for fun, what type of animal you would be and why?
- A short choreographed dance or energetic theatrical piece, and/or any sample of your performing skills. If you include footage of a larger production, make sure we know who to look at. We want to see the best of you.
- Send your package to us any time in 2008 but no later than JANUARY 31, 2009
Estelle Phillips
Entertainment Manager
Calaway Park
245033 Range Road 33
Calgary, Alberta T3Z 2E9
Or email your resume, photo and video/link to Estelle.Phillips@calawaypark.com
We will contact you for a phone interview.
OTHER INFORMATION
For the “Working Holiday Cast” you must be 18 years of age by May 2009 to be eligible.
The overall commitment for this contract is June through August 2009.
For audition tips and discussion boards, visit our Calaway Park Audition page on Facebook!
If you have further questions please contact this guy….
Chris Thompson, Artistic Director
CalawayParkEntertainment@telus.net
Or this gal…
Estelle Phillips, Entertainment Manager
Estelle.Phillips@calawaypark.com |
