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The cruise ship industry is a billion dollar industry and, with over twenty million guests sailing worldwide throughout the year, the opportunity to perform for large captive audiences on a nightly basis can be an exhilarating prospect!
Entertainment is playing an increasingly large role in marketing particular ships and itineraries and over the last few years, old-fashioned revue shows have been phased out and replaced with diverse cutting edge productions from Cirque du Soleil and Broadway to contemporary concert, rock and burlesque shows.
New ships are being constructed all the time, and their brand new theatres boast state of the art technical systems rivalling those of their older land-based counterparts, and delivering awe-inspiring visual effects, lighting rigs, moving stages and sophisticated sound.
Royal Caribbean alone casts over one thousand singers, dancers, high divers and acrobats every year along with character performers and around one hundred figure skaters.
Long gone is the idea that singing and dancing on a cruise ship is an easy step-touch gig, and agents are no longer discouraging their clients from sailing away for a few months at a time.
While a Broadway production contract may remain the coveted prize in terms of earning power, many cruise lines offer a competitive salary with no rent or food costs; bonuses for aerial work, being dance captain or looking after the costumes and wigs; and there are always part-time side jobs available to provide top-up earning potential.
If you don’t spend all your earnings at the bar, you can enjoy a contract of sightseeing and meals on land (any opportunity to eat something other than ship food every day for months on end!) and still bring home enough to get on the property ladder.
So, should you audition?! There’s no denying that life on a ship can be one big party – visiting Caribbean beaches or historical Mayan ruins by day, performing a show and hitting the crew bar at night – but is it for everyone? Living in close quarters can be challenging, most cabins are double occupancy and are getting smaller as the vessels get larger.
I have fond memories of boarding one brand new ship and giggling my way through moving in with my roommate trying to find space for our possessions tetris style, while down the hall, one of our cast mates was having an emotional meltdown at the lack of personal space.
It was her first contract, and yes, she signed a second… The famous last words “I’m only doing one contract” have been proved untrue on more occasions than I can count. If you fancy sailing the world with few responsibilities while doing what you love to do, cruise lines present some great opportunities.
While finding lust in the crew bar is certainly more prevalent than finding love, many of my married friends met on the ocean….so set sail and find your love boat, or simply enjoy the romance of exploring the world.
Katie Hurrey is a freelance associate choreographer and rehearsal director from the UK working in Miami Beach, Florida. She is resident choreographer for MAMMA MIA! on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas where she spent the previous five years as associate choreographer for Chicago The Musical. Katie became a rehearsal director and choreographer at Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Miami production studios in 2004 following years as a featured dancer and dance captain on many of their flagships. She specializes in musical theatre/ large-scale production shows/ staging corporate events and directs many signature productions throughout the year. The responsibility of overseeing every aspect of production, from technical, scenic, lighting and company management to staging, direction and choreography, has provided a diverse range of experience and her passion is to inspire performers, cultivate dancers' technique and pay homage to original choreography, style and intent.
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