Q: Describe the event that took place.

A: [The princess tea party] was an hour and a half before the performance. [There were] little children, mostly girls, but there were still a few boys. They could come and they had snacks and games set up [for the children], but it was mainly so they could take pictures and meet classic Disney princesses like Rapunzel, Elsa, Anna [and] Snow White. The Disney princesses and characters floated around, interacted with people and played games with them. They could also meet the cast of “The Little Mermaid.”

Q: Why did this event take place?

A: It was a fundraiser to help raise money for the theater, but also it was because it was “The Little Mermaid” and a lot of the parents wanted to do something that related to Disney and that related to the princess Ariel. They wanted to do something fun for children, not just adults.  

Q:What princess did you dress up as?

A: I was dressed up as Rapunzel.  

Q:How were you chosen to be your princess?

A: They mainly chose people who were on crew, so a lot of people who were on crew were the princesses. I don’t know exactly why [Miss Nicole Raber, Guidance,] chose some people, but I think she just thought that “This person would be a good Elsa, and this person would be a good Snow White,” and so on.

Q:How did you prepare for the event?

A: I watched the movie because I hadn’t seen the movie before [and] I listened to a few of the songs. I watched her character to see how she moves, how she talks and how she thinks of life.

Q:What did you typically say to the children?

A: I always said “Hi” and then if girls had long hair I would always ask them “Are you going to grow your hair as long as mine?” and a lot of them would nod their heads, “Yes.” I would just say things like,”You look so pretty today,” and “I like your hair.”  

Q: What was your favorite part?

A: I loved that all the kid’s faces lit up when they saw the princesses. There was one girl who was a little late, and when she turned the corner and saw the princesses she gasped and her face lit up. They would always run up to the princesses saying “There’s Rapunzel,” or “There’s Elsa,” or “There’s Belle,” and it was just really cool and it just warmed my heart.  

Q: What was a more difficult aspect of the event?

A: It was difficult to stay in character the whole time because at the end all of us were hungry and there were a lot of food and snacks set up. It was also kind of hard when it was over because we had so much fun being the characters and talking with all the kids.