I joined the cast of Olivia Grace & Company last May, and frankly, I thought it’d just be a fun side job to show up at a kid’s birthday party and make them smile. I could never have predicted that I would be immersed in such a charitable culture of dreams and authentic magic-making.
My boss, Olivia Haines, runs her small business from her home, with a room in her basement designated for costumes, wigs, props, pixie dust, character makeup, shoes, tights, tiaras and anything else the little princesses of West Michigan might need from the company’s performers.
Each of our 30+ characters’ looks are hand made by American seamstresses and cost more than three months of rent. I’ll tell you, it’s truly a privilege to wear such high quality garments; makes me wish there would be a princess couture challenge on Project Runway.
But being a royal is so much more than just putting on a hoop skirt and pinning your wig. Olivia and our director of casting, Nicole Bollnow, take every detail into consideration when casting performers. They look at height, cheekbones, eyes, jawline, etc; pretty much everything Disney would consider, Olivia Grace & Company does, too.
You might enjoy my photos of spending time with Snow White or Rapunzel, but you probably won’t see me hanging out with everyone’s favorite Ice Queen unless I grow six inches and my jaw line gets sharper. The Ice Queen’s little sister, though? She and I are BEST friends.
Character performing doesn’t just stop with the look, though. We spend hours as cast members thinking of possible scenarios and stories that we can tell the kiddos to keep the interaction as magical as possible. We memorize catch phrases, poses, autographs, family members, friends…pretty much we immerse ourselves in that character’s world so the kids get to talk to the real Little Mermaid, the real Prince Charming, the real Tinkerbell.
Some have asked me if all these details are really necessary, or if I thought it might be superficial, but being well-trained means being able to be as present as possible with the kids, which makes it just as magical for us as performers. Often after luncheons, meet and greets, or any of the events that we do, the cast will talk about our favorite moment or interaction.
My most magical moment ever happened recently when I was with Tinkerbell. I was talking to a little princess who didn’t speak english well, but the performer who was with the Wayfinder Princess spoke perfect Spanish. When she came over to translate, the little girl’s face lit up brighter than I have ever seen. To talk with her favorite fairy and be understood, well, I can’t imagine how happy we made her. Tinkerbell had to pull herself together because the magic was so real.
Sometimes walking around campus I’ll get stopped by people I might have a mutual friend with who say “AGH! You’re the princess girl! My friend and I stalked your Instagram!” (Flattering, a little bit creepy, and also why didn’t you give me that follow…?) But being a part of Olivia Grace & Company is so much more than the fun pictures we get or how pretty we get to feel. It’s 110 percent about giving back and making magic for those who need it the most. That’s what true royalty means. I know myself and the rest of the cast are beyond grateful that the stars aligned and Olivia could give us the opportunity to share in her dream and her unparalleled affinity for magic.
Olivia Grace & Company is currently sponsoring an event for families who have been affected by the Government Shutdown. For every $150 donated, the company can add another character to make the evening a little more magical. Click the link to donate. https://www.gofundme.com/princess-party-for-government-employees