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EPCOT Entertainment cuts
- Thread starter wannabeBelle
- Start date
dreamfinder
Well-Known Member
Believe it or not, musical influences go world around. I'm fairly certain we could find a Moroccan country music act if we looked. I know that heavy metal has quite an underground following in some Islamic countries where concert goers can be arrested for going to their shows. I know I have ska/punk and goodness knows what else styles of music in my collection in 20-30 different languages. So finding an act in Morocco, I mean of native born Moroccans performing songs in Arabic or French, in a style that we westerners would consider to be pop music wouldn't surprise me at all.
Not judging the new acts, in so much as the way they cleaned house all at once. Rotate an act through each quarter, no problem with that. Removes the staleness, keeps stuff fresh, etc.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics here -> http://www.bls.gov/ro7/ro7ecec.htm
So while I doubt all of these guys were getting $20 an hour, other stats put total benefits for an employee for a year at around $10,000. Assuming full time employees, 6 for Mo Rockin, 5 for Off Kilter, 5 for Spirit of America, and 3 for World Showcase Players (may be more, no idea about subs, etc) we are at 19 employees. So running with the $10,000 cost for benefits, that's $190,000 in benefit costs alone. Simply by shifting acts to 3rd party or independent contracts, that's almost that $200,000 figure you were talking about. Do the number of needed techs reduce? (Might be a wash here, not sure if Celtic folk and Berber troup we be mic'ed or not) Would an independent contractor be expected to provide their own costumes? More savings if WDW no longer has to provide and maintain. No idea what union acts get paid per hour, but especially with a long running group, if they can cut hourly wage from $20 down to $15, that's another savings of $10,000 per employee per year. So sticking with our $20 per hour and 8 hours per day, those 4 shows "cost" $3,040 in wages daily. Could WDW get 4 groups of ethnic performers for under $2,500 daily? I'd say yes. I don't see a huge market for steady wages for Italian flag groups and Canadian lumberjacks in central FL. That's another almost $200,000 yearly, so $400,000 just in benefits and wages potentially.
While I hate employers who try to save costs by running out long time employees and bringing in lower wage new hires, but that $400,000 could potentially go a long way. Taking the posted face character rate of $12.85 on the auditions site, and the approx CP pay of $8ish, we can average character pay to be around $10/hr. (May be higher or lower, but it makes the example math easier) Say we look at one Character Spot room. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, handlers and CM at FP merge, thats what, 10 at a time counting breaks? 12 hours a day, 356 days a year, approx $438,000 ($10x10x12x365) to staff that. Bam, just paid for CP to staff half the M&G for a whole year. Some exec gets a bonus...... Admittedly some days it's open for more than 12 hours, CMs may easily get more than that $10 per hour (I hope) but it adds up fast to a sharpened pencil in the accounting office.
(Not supporting cuts, just showing how to an MBA in a Mens Warehouse suit it can look pretty good)
DisUniversal
Well-Known Member
...and if just 3 or 4 thousand guests per year out of the 11.3 million that visited Epcot last year, decide not to go because of the cuts, they've lost their entire $400K in savings. That's just a decline of less than 3 1/100ths of 1 percent before they've screwed themselves. This is the part of the equation I think the bean counters no longer consider.
PAW PAW 70
Active Member
You hit the nail on the head. This was a great performance for our younger kids to see. Hope they reconsider!
Fractal514
Well-Known Member
They do not consider it because it does not exist. I feel very confident in saying that the number of folks who will stop going to Epcot because of the acts departing is equal or less than the number of folks who will visit to see the new acts and mostly amounts to friends, family, and die-hard friends of the acts themselves and NOT the random/average park goer. Honestly, the folks in this thread are likely the most angered over this change (who aren't directly affected) and how many people here are planning to cancel a trip because of it? Not just willing to say they are in a forum thread, but actually going to cancel?
216bruce
Well-Known Member
Those of us on this forum seem to always forget that we are a tiny, tiny minority. Most of the folks, a vast, vast majority, won't notice nor care about the entertainment changes. It's this way really with just about most of the stuff we wail and moan about- hub redesign, entertainment cuts, refillable mugs, store closures etc. They only notice the big stuff- new attractions and lands. I love our passion for all of this but 99% don't notice, care.
sadly enough. Marie
71jason
Well-Known Member
Already have. And I suspect Off-Kilter will still exist in some form, just not with as regular appearances.
If they were closing down Haunted Mansion, would your advice be to go buy up all the HM pins and bric-a-brac? Because it seems like you're missing the larger points here.
And I know this is going to be a shocking admission, but I have all 5 albums signed by the original 5 band members. Who woulda thunk?? Marie
Fractal514
Well-Known Member
If you are equating Off-Kilter with the Haunted Mansion, I would argue that you are missing a larger point. The two are NOT comparable in any sense. I understand what you are saying, but you're taken your point to an extreme place that it implodes on itself. In fact, I would argue that comparing the two really puts how insignificant a show like Off-Kilter really is in the grand scheme of a theme park. No one (or at least an amount of folks so small as to be insignificant) goes to Epcot just for Off-Kilter. They have been performing in Epcot since 1997, I'd say that's a damn good run and I'm shocked they've lasted this long, not because they aren't good, but because I DO think that refreshing and changing out the performance acts is the easiest and cheapest way they can contribute to keeping Epcot feeling fresh.
Wags14
Active Member
Bummer, terrible news. My wife and I really enjoyed Off Kilter while sipping a cold "beverage", and my kids always seemed to stop dead in their tracks and marvel at Spirit of America. Opened up some great history discussions too.
But business is business. Member Dreamfinder put it best, DIS is saving some cash and can now promote brand new acts for their once in a lifetime tourists. It seems like after all that's who they are catering for anyways.
But business is business. Member Dreamfinder put it best, DIS is saving some cash and can now promote brand new acts for their once in a lifetime tourists. It seems like after all that's who they are catering for anyways.
lobelia
Well-Known Member
Most lumberjack shows include log rolling, cutting a log with an axe on a log they are standing on, climbing a pole and cutting the top with an axe, throwing an axe, sawing through a log with a long saw but very little chainsaw action. It is usually in the form of a contest. I can't see it offered at night. They will need some sort of pool for the log rolling. There are traveling lumberjack shows that set up a pool for this where ever they go. I guess I never thought of it as Canadian culture. There are international contestants. It's fun to watch but it doesn't feel cultural to me. There is a weekend long festival about 20 minutes from where I live in Ohio.
DisUniversal
Well-Known Member
Well yeah, do you know what those pins would be worth on eBay a year later?!? Wish I had bought one (or two) of the Maelstrom tshirts they offered for sale earlier this month.
Haymarket2008
Well-Known Member
This is good news to me. Apart from the Fife & Drum, everything else makes sense. These people have been playing here for YEARS. Time to switch it out. We don't want a tired act. And it's not like they are replacing it with nothing. Although the Lumberjack show sounds pretty awful.
Thumper14
Active Member
I saw this yesterday, maybe this explains things
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...xperiences-coming-to-world-showcase-at-epcot/
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...xperiences-coming-to-world-showcase-at-epcot/
DisUniversal
Well-Known Member
According to an official response from Disney, after the existing acts close, "New experiences are planned to make their debut in the following months. We’ll feature each new group on Disney Parks Blog as they open." So, based on how fast 7DMT was built, how well the parking garages are coming along and the blinding speed at which Avatarland is being constructed, I'd say the new acts should begin sometime in the next year or two.
I popped through the blog again and all I see is how many people are going to miss the various acts. I understand keeping things fresh, but some things maybe aren't broken and should not be fixed/replaced. Marie