EPCOT Entertainment cuts

[Fractal514]

This is exactly what I hate the most. People who have been loyal to the company for many years and have developed a steady career with them, just cut loose without as much as a thanks. Yes jobs in the entertainment industry are uncertain but yet for a long time WDW had become a place where it was possible to have a more steady secure job as an entertainer.

17 years seems pretty steady to me as a performer. Let me change this back and forth and find a third route... Can you describe the way in which Disney SHOULD behave in this situation. Assume that they have decided an act is going to end, how should they proceed from that point?

 

[mm52200]

17 years seems pretty steady to me as a performer. Let me change this back and forth and find a third route... Can you describe the way in which Disney SHOULD behave in this situation. Assume that they have decided an act is going to end, how should they proceed from that point?

Yes 17 years is steady and if WDW feels the entertainment roster needs a refreshing I totally understand. However, the word going around seems to be that no one is being offered new roles, they're just losing their jobs. A lot of times in the past if a show would close entertainment cast members especially longtime ones would be offered other roles or the company would try to find some way to keep them. This time however they are just being told their shows are closing and sorry about it pretty much. Remember these decisions were made because of budget cuts, and while yes some new shows are coming, that money is being saved some way probably in the form of cutting many longtime well paid Equity performers.

 

[Fractal514]

Yes 17 years is steady and if WDW feels the entertainment roster needs a refreshing I totally understand. However, the word going around seems to be that no one is being offered new roles, they're just losing their jobs. A lot of times in the past if a show would close entertainment cast members especially longtime ones would be offered other roles or the company would try to find some way to keep them. This time however they are just being told their shows are closing and sorry about it pretty much. Remember these decisions were made because of budget cuts, and while yes some new shows are coming, that money is being saved some way probably in the form of cutting many longtime well paid Equity performers.

I'm not a fan of cuts, and I wish they could keep the old and bring in the new. I do think that the gradual cutbacks have had a noticeable impact over the years when taken cumulatively. That being said, what you've described seems to me that in the past Disney has gone beyond what they needed to do in order to help long-term cast members. It seems they can't/won't this time, so again I ask, what SHOULD Disney do, or is this just a crappy situation and nothing would have made this better/easier?

 

[mm52200]

I'm not a fan of cuts, and I wish they could keep the old and bring in the new. I do think that the gradual cutbacks have had a noticeable impact over the years when taken cumulatively. That being said, what you've described seems to me that in the past Disney has gone beyond what they needed to do in order to help long-term cast members. It seems they can't/won't this time, so again I ask, what SHOULD Disney do, or is this just a crappy situation and nothing would have made this better/easier?

Hmm like I and others have said offer them roles in other shows or renew their contracts, keep the shows and god forbid ADD entertainment, etc. Not cut them loose with less than a month's warning after many years of service.

 

[PhotoDave219]

When employees are loyal to the company, the company should reciprocate.

 

[wannabeBelle]

When employees are loyal to the company, the company should reciprocate.

I know it isnt the popular feeling in American Corporate right now but I totally agree!!!!! Marie

 

[toasty]

There are a multitude of reasons why they may be making these changes, Not the least of which could be to cut on salary & benefits if these performers fall under employees verses contractors. Disney ~loves~ hiring contractors these days for the simple reason that they are less expensive if you know the set hours they are to work and will not be putting in extra to get the job done.

Yeah, but aren't we still just talking about a comparatively small number of employees? WDW employs over 60,000 people and even though these folks are entertainers, they're still a very small slice of the pie in the big picture. Even including the crews that work on these shows that could very well be working on their replacement shows, too, are we even up to 100 people? I know they are popular amongst WDWE circles, but when you strip away the WDW magic, we're basically talking about relatively unknown bands that are not themselves the reason that people go to EPCOT, right?

 

[Phil12]

Four for a Dollar (Return 2 Zero) are still making a living after WDW terminated their contract several years ago.

 

[raymusiccity]

Four for a Dollar (Return 2 Zero) are still making a living after WDW terminated their contract several years ago.

The loss of good talent isn't limited to Epcot, .....no one has heard from 'Push', the talking trash can.

Well, maybe a little trash talk, but, that's it !

 

[PhotoDave219]

Four for a Dollar (Return 2 Zero) are still making a living after WDW terminated their contract several years ago.

I had not heard nor have I heard anything about them in the area since.

But good for them.

 

[note2001]

Yeah, but aren't we still just talking about a comparatively small number of employees? WDW employs over 60,000 people and even though these folks are entertainers, they're still a very small slice of the pie in the big picture. Even including the crews that work on these shows that could very well be working on their replacement shows, too, are we even up to 100 people? I know they are popular amongst WDWE circles, but when you strip away the WDW magic, we're basically talking about relatively unknown bands that are not themselves the reason that people go to EPCOT, right?

Perhaps it was a money deal, I'm leaning toward thinking there is a new guy in charge, trying to spruce up the place by going with a younger, livelier entertainment group overall & using money as an excuse.

 

[lazyboy97o]

While I agree about some of the previously cut acts, I just don't yet get, based on the one sentence we got, how this is "Walmarting" at all. 2 of the shows were Americanized bands (look Celtic Rock and Morrocan Rock!). They are being replaced with what on appearance looks like entertainment more traditional to the host country. That's anti-Walmarting in my opinion.
I'm also willing to give the flags a chance after surfing the interwebz yesterday to find out if this was traditional to Italy, which I've seen reference to it going back to the Middle Ages. I'll wait and see if it's something like this:

Or more like this:

Walmart, while having store brands, does not really sell their own product. They sell current, brand name merchandise. What made them different was their business model and philosophy, an obsession with reducing costs and volume. These changes are an example of Walmarting not because of the product, which like at an actual Walmart could range from something worthwhile to utter crap, but because of the business model behind the decision making. The new acts being just as good or better can be detrimental to the larger, long-term health of the total experience because it could reinforce the broken decision making process.

 

[Matt_Black]

So, regardless of how much talent they might have, we should automatically hate the new acts?

 

[LongtimeReader]

I confess that I haven't read this whole thread, so it may have been brought up, but a while back there was a rumor of Voices of Liberty in danger, I think brought up by Spirit. I was able to debunk that (sort of, as one never knows for sure) but explained that a bigwig had come in and wanted to analyze the current offerings resort-wide. This looks to be a result of his findings, if you ask me. Timing certainly works out. It is very sad that a lot of longtime entertainment coworkers will be shown the door, but as far as I know it wasn't handled poorly or out of the ordinary. Any seasoned performer knows that we are in the most unstable career choice ever. I'm sure it doesn't soften the blow too much for those that have gotten so comfortable after 20 or so years of steady work, but... it happens everywhere.

Now...the idol thing was handled poorly. "Oh I'm sorry, did we say January? We meant next week." Ouch.

 

[LongtimeReader]

Yes 17 years is steady and if WDW feels the entertainment roster needs a refreshing I totally understand. However, the word going around seems to be that no one is being offered new roles, they're just losing their jobs. A lot of times in the past if a show would close entertainment cast members especially longtime ones would be offered other roles or the company would try to find some way to keep them. This time however they are just being told their shows are closing and sorry about it pretty much. Remember these decisions were made because of budget cuts, and while yes some new shows are coming, that money is being saved some way probably in the form of cutting many longtime well paid Equity performers.

This is slightly rose colored. Plenty of folks in the past 20+Years have been longtime performers and got cut with no offer of a full time transfer. And conversely, a few of these current shows have members that can and will do other things in the company. This is no more brutal than any other year in the past, just more at one time.

 

[Tinkrbell]

Yeah, but aren't we still just talking about a comparatively small number of employees? WDW employs over 60,000 people and even though these folks are entertainers, they're still a very small slice of the pie in the big picture. Even including the crews that work on these shows that could very well be working on their replacement shows, too, are we even up to 100 people? I know they are popular amongst WDWE circles, but when you strip away the WDW magic, we're basically talking about relatively unknown bands that are not themselves the reason that people go to EPCOT, right?

If you count all the technicians, costuming, cosmotology, operations, the numbers affected by show cuts are much higher than 100. At the American Idol cast event yesterday, there were at least 100 people there, and most of them were people you never see on stage.

 

[Killnme]

I am really ed about the World Showcase Players being cut. I like their humor and watch 2-3 shows every time we are there.

But knowing Disney once one of the members die (god forbid) Disney will finally get rid of Captain Eo and put a video tribute of them in there.

 

[PirateFrank]

I'm sorry, but I don't think that I am. Disney is NOT just cutting, they are replacing.....But, in the end, they aren't actually cutting what is offered to the public, just changing what it is....

I don't think you get it. @PhotoDave219 is still waiting for your budgetary support, supporting the idea that TDO isn't cutting their entertainment budget, but I'll help you out here.

TWDC's fiscal year ends at the end of this September. In fact, I think that day is actually Sept 27, 2014....by the way, do you know when Off Kilter's last performance is scheduled?

If TDO wanted to make a switch for equally valued entertainment -- they could have done that *any* time throughout the year. If you're assertion stands, then the price they are paying for Off Kilter, Mo Rockin', Fife/Drum and potentially, British Rev would be no different than the proposed Cosa Nostra Flag party and Bob & Doug McKenzie's lumberjack revue. I, and everyone else here who have thought this through, find that very hard to believe.

The fact that they are doing it at year end suggests that they are:

a) expecting to pay a different, likely lower, price for the entertainment in FY2015.
b) expecting to report out the proposed and intended cuts in the P&R budget for FY2015.

It's that simple. Make this change at any other part of the year and it's still suspicious of a budget cut. However, make on on the very day the fiscal year closes and there is no question of the motives here.

If you read the recent quarterly reports and review the transcripts of the conference calls over the past year, you will know that Iger has had to explain, in writing and verbally, the driver behind P&R's higher costs ("
higher costs for the continued roll out of MyMagic+").

I can't get inside Iger's head -- but I suspect he really wants to stop talking about it. Since MyMagic+ costs are *not* going down in our lifetimes -- the only myopic alternative he and Staggs sees, is to cut expenses elsewhere in P&R.

Sorry -- this is *not* an equal change. It's a dramatic cut. One done with the express purpose of driving down costs throughout the park so that MyMagic+ can no longer be a talking point amongst stock holders.

 

[216bruce]

So, what could they put in the American Adventure that's stereotypical of American culture? ECV races? A gun show?

Picketing and rigged elections?

 

[Matt_Black]

Picketing and rigged elections?

Religious extremists who are paranoid about religious extremism?