Reaching for the Stars Reaching for the Stars

Reaching for the Stars

The American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios puts talented parkgoers on stage.

by Melinda Newman

Through the Years Musically inclined guests at Walt Disney World® Resort now have a new way to show off their talent—by visiting The American Idol Experience at Disney's Hollywood Studios™.

The way The American Idol Experience works is simple: A limited number of guests inside Disney's Hollywood Studios™, each of whom must be at least 14 years old, can audition on a first-come, first-served basis for a preliminary show. Step one is singing a song a cappella in front of a casting director. Selected performers advance to the second round, auditioning for The American Idol Experience producers. This time, they select a song from a preapproved list of more than 100 tunes, including many Disney classics.

Each singer who makes it through these two rounds gets a quick session with a vocal coach, rehearsal on the big stage, and hair and makeup. The performers then sing during one of several preliminary shows; the audience of theme park guests vote for their favorite using keypads at their seats. Performers who receive the most votes during each preliminary performance advance to perform again at the finale show that evening.

Through the Years Here's the best part. A Dream Ticket is awarded to the performer with the most votes in the finale show. This allows him or her to audition for American Idol at the tryout city of their choosing. Dream Ticket recipients must satisfy American Idol TV program requirements, such as age and residency. (Season 9 requirements: only U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents eligible to work full-time in the U.S., ages 16-28. A Dream Ticket does not include travel, meals, lodging or other expenses.)

High school junior Krista Harris arrived at Disney's Hollywood Studios™ on a school trip with her Jay (Fla.) High School classmates on February 13 and decided to sign up for The American Idol Experience. "I'd never been to Disney," she says, and she certainly had no idea that her life was about to change.

In Harris's a cappella audition, she sang "Fully Alive" by Flyleaf. For round two, she picked "This is Me" from Camp Rock and "The Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas. She received the most votes and made it to that day's finale show. Although she did not receive the Dream Ticket, she plans to audition when the next season of American Idol begins. "It gave me a taste of how you do the whole thing," she says. "You kind of know what it's going to feel like."

Seymour (Tenn.) High School senior Murrella Parton's experience began when she traveled to Disney's Hollywood Studios™ on March 6 with her choir for the Disney Honors event. "I thought [The American Idol Experience] was some virtual tour, so me and some buddies signed up, thinking it was a game," she says.

Through the Years After auditioning first with Manhattan Transfer's "Operator" and then Martina McBride's "Independence Day," Parton recalls, "I made it to the finale show. It was just a joy. Everyone was extremely nice and I truly felt that I was some type of big star."

In the finale show, she and the other performers sang in front of more than 1,000 guests. "It was an absolute dream," says Parton.

BY THE NUMBERS
The American Idol Experience held its grand opening in February 2009.
The attraction seats up to 1,000 people. Its 25,000 square feet of indoor space also include a stage similar to American Idol's Los Angeles stage, which is more than 3,000 square feet.
The live show uses 4 cameras, including a robotic camera that captures the audience, a Steadicam for the onstage and audience action, a handheld camera, and a back-of-house camera for wide shots.
The theater and audition space contain 113 video screens and 105 audio speakers.