Late Tuesday night, news broke of the next wave of Cast Member layoffs at Walt Disney World—all still a part of the previously-announced 28,000 quota, but no less devastating. This round of layoffs mainly impacted entertainment across the parks and resorts, from fan-favorite “Streetmosphere” to established Broadway-style shows, like “Festival of the Lion King”.
All Seasonal and Part-Time characters and performers were let go, regardless of tenure, including acts nearly as old as Walt Disney World itself, like the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. We here at WDWNT are distraught at the gutting of live entertainment across Walt Disney World, since these performers—along with frontline Cast Members—brought the parks to life every single day. Below, you’ll find the most current list of impacted shows and performing acts at each park and resort.
Magic Kingdom
EPCOT
- Voices of Liberty (non-principal vocalists)
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Citizens of Hollywood
- “Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage”
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
- Jedi Training Academy: Trials of the Temple
- Green Army Men (Toy Story Land)
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Walt Disney World Resorts
- “Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue” at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
- The Grand Floridian Society Orchestra at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
It’s unknown whether the shows will go dark permanently, but we hope to see the return of these extremely talented performers to the parks very soon. Select equity performers returned to Walt Disney World back in September after initial negotiations, but for the most part, the majority of entertainment across the resort remained dark, with performers on extended furlough up until the recent layoffs.
The Walt Disney Company restored the salaries of its Senior Executives in late August, when thousands of Cast Members were still on furlough.
We at WDWNT are supporting these Cast Members as much as possible. You can help too! Help raise money for the Cast Member Pantry by donating directly through WDWNT.
The donation-based organization also has an Amazon Wish List as well as Venmo—their account is: @castmemberpantry. Cast Members can email Cast Member Pantry or contact them via their Facebook page to book a 15-minute “shopping” window.
