CICERO — “Never meet your heroes,” an old adage suggests, but the phrase doesn’t mention superheroes, princesses or villains.
Royal Promise Productions is offering an opportunity to meet a wide range of characters from fairytales and films at “A Royal Halloween.” The meet-and-greet takes place Sunday, Oct. 16, at the Comfort Suites Cicero Ballroom.
“It’s going to be our biggest character event that we’ve had so far,” said Jessica Denson, one of RPP’s “founding fairies.”
Since the summer of 2020, RPP has been building a fan base in Syracuse and Rochester. The company provides live, costumed character entertainment in which Denson, co-founder Ashley Daddona and their stable of 20 cast members dress as fairies, princesses and superheroes.
Copyright regulations prevent Royal Promise Productions from naming trademarked characters, but fans and their families will readily recognize the “Winter Sisters” — the icy blond “Spirit Queen” and her redheaded kid sister, the “North Queen.” Characters in the public domain, like the Little Mermaid, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty, are part of the royal repertoire as well.
As the cast has grown, RPP has added new characters to the roster. The addition of villains such as Cinderella’s stepsisters, the scheming sorceress of Sleeping Beauty, and a certain fashionista with a penchant for puppies dovetails perfectly with Halloween.
“We’ve been wanting to do a Halloween event,” Denson said. “I like villains — I think they’re cool. I think adults gravitate more toward villains especially because of the Disney live action [movies].”
Guests are welcome to wear their Halloween costumes to A Royal Halloween, where they can rub elbows with more than 15 of their favorite characters. For an added fee, guests can participate in Cinderella’s coronation ceremony or join Tinker Bell in sprinkling some pixie dust and making a wish.
Denson and Daddona have had a busy year. Back in the spring, they teamed up with Party Princesses CNY for a princess dress and Easter basket giveaway for kids in need. For the second summer in a row, they partnered with CNY Carriage Company to offer monthly carriage rides. RPP also has held events at Sweet Dream Candy Shoppe in Baldwinsville and tea parties at Sugar Rush Boutique in Camillus. The year’s grand finale will be a holiday ball featuring Santa Claus.
Starting a business during the pandemic hasn’t been easy, Denson said, but every event is a learning experience.
“Every time we do an event, we learn what works better when we’re coordinating time frames or cast members,” she said. “The biggest thing we’ve done this year is give our cast members some better quality in-person training.”
During the height of COVID, Daddona and Denson conducted virtual trainings, but in-person workshops allow trainees to ask questions in real time and catch nuances they might otherwise miss over a choppy Zoom connection.
The next round of auditions for the royal roster is in February. A background in performance, singing or dance is not required.
“The biggest thing is just having a positive mindset and wanting to do this purely because you enjoy Disney or you enjoy working with children or you truly enjoy performing,” Denson said. “Everything we do is trainable. Sometimes it’s easier to train someone who has no experience.”
RPP is especially looking for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous or people of color) or male performers to expand their repertoire. Denson said they hope to offer characters from “Encanto” — which takes place in Colombia and features a majority Latin American cast — as well as more superheroes.
Tickets for A Royal Halloween are $15 per person (children 1 year and under get in free). Visit RoyalPromiseProductions.com to purchase tickets.
“We will be doing a family four-pack giveaway on our Facebook page,” Denson added.
Follow @RoyalPromiseProductions on Facebook to learn more.
