Kings Island: The birthplace of my professional performance education
Once I knew I wanted to sing and perform for a living, the most obvious goal was to be in shows at Kings Island! That’s in my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, if you didn’t already know. I remember that I auditioned more than once, but I think it was my 3rd audition when I finally got the letter stating they wanted to offer me a job for the summer AND pre/post-season!!! It was like winning the lottery!! I think I still have that letter somewhere in the cobweb-covered boxes of memorabilia.
Now, I need you to know that I was not the typical performer. I didn’t grow up in dance class or childhood voice lessons. Besides being the chubby toddler standing on the coffee table belting out tunes with Tom Jones, I started singing and studying voice at age 16. And, by that point, I had only taken a few tap classes. As far as ballet knowledge goes, I had seen the Nutcracker a couple of times (Mother Ginger was my favorite, go figure!), I lusted after Baryshnikov (who didn’t!?), and I had taken a couple of ballet classes at the Dolly Dinkle school in my neighborhood so I could navigate the dream ballet in our HS production of West Side Story with some semblance of grace. All I ended up doing was injuring my knee, trying to keep up with the turnout of a bunch of tiny 5-year-olds!
Kings Island was my first professional job as a performer, and I was beyond thrilled and scared!! Over the next five seasons of summer and winter shows, I got the very best education a performer could get! I worked with some of the industry’s finest talents, and I was not only held to the highest standard of performance but of professionalism off stage as well. Now, that doesn’t mean we didn’t play our share of games, but I learned SO much about having a high level of integrity and respect for this business.
My KI education was much more than just learning the basics of performing. It was a well-rounded course in work ethic. Show up early enough to warm up on your own, come to rehearsal prepared, rehearse and memorize at home, be on time, respect your leaders, take notes graciously, and APPLY them! I don’t remember if someone told us this or if I just imagined it in my head. But, I always thought that if I didn’t work hard enough to get the dances and songs right or properly apply the notes I was given, that there was a filing cabinet FULL of viable replacements just waiting to take my place!
Eventually, I was asked to be a Swing, which meant learning many of the female tracks. One year we did a show that had a big circus number that included tumbling. I could do a cartwheel, but not a round-off. During a rehearsal, the choreographer said, “This is where you do the round-off.” And I said, “I don’t know how to do a round-off.” And that is when she looked at me and said, “You want to remain a Swing? (insert my sheepish nod of yes here) Then you’ll learn to do a round-off.” And that is exactly what I did!
I learned how to push myself, strive, love to learn, and grow. I grew to love the challenge of being a Swing, then Vocal Captain, learning new skills the entire way. I learned how critical it is to respect your equipment, all people in ALL departments, each other, and your craft. It truly takes a company of MANY people with different talents and one shared mission to create and execute a fabulous show, so respect EVERYONE!
I know it’s been said a million times by many, but being a part of a show is like being a member of a family. You work hard together; you laugh so hard you can’t breathe, you fight, and you help and protect each other. Some of my most cherished memories are from my Kings Island days, and the friendships with my KI pals are so very deeply dyed in my heart, never to fade. How on earth did I get so lucky!?
A few tidbits that I love about my KI education:
Learning how to choreograph a quick costume change
Learning how to tease and plaster my hair with Aqua ‘Rock’! (Aqua Net hairspray)
“Hit your mark and don’t mark!”
