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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Real characters for hire

Once Upon A Time Productions performers march in the St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Treva Lind treva.lind@comcast.net

On a recent warm, sunny day, Oliven Harris belted out a song from the movie “Frozen” in rehearsal for her job performing as an ice queen.

It’s a skill still in high demand for Harris, 19, working as one of 11 employees who sing at events in costume as popular movie characters for the Spokane entertainment business Once Upon A Time Productions.

Customers book the company for special occasions from children’s birthday parties to business promotions, said Ed Guise, who started the business with his wife, Annette Guise, in September. Other popular singing characters include Cinderella and Rapunzel.

“We usually do an hour appearance,” Guise said. “They sing two to three songs including duets. We then sing ‘Happy Birthday’ if it’s a party and give them a little coronation. We also have a large winter backdrop with a castle for photos.”

The Guises operate the business out of their North Spokane home. They hired performers ages 16 to 20 who auditioned to portray characters ranging from a Scottish princess to Snow White.

As for the top requests: “Let It Go” hasn’t let go of its popularity, Ed Guise said.

“The main ones that get hired are the ice princess and ice queen, and Rapunzel,” he said. “ ‘Frozen’ has been so dominant for most of our first year.”

Once Upon A Time’s other characters include a frog princess, pirate kid, Arabian and Scottish princesses, and “Beauty.” One singing prince is on the roster. Other characters can appear to dance, rather than sing, as “Minion mascots” or a snowman similar to one in “Frozen.”

The couple is careful in promotions to avoid referring to certain Disney characters by name. Ed Guise said they researched the legalities of what they can and can’t say regarding Disney movies to avoid infringing on any copyrights held by the corporate giant.

Some classic characters originate from old folk lore, such as Cinderella and Snow White, so those names are considered in the public domain, Guise said.

They can’t advertise Disney-created names, though, so that’s why Harris portrays an ice queen rather than an Elsa from “Frozen.”

“What we found out is there are so many companies doing this,” Guise said. “There are four here and dozens in California, and that’s right in their backyard.”

“When we’re at a private event, there’s no restriction on what we can say,” he said.

Guise said Once Upon A Time can go to events anywhere in Spokane County and into Idaho. The business charges $100 for the first character appearance, and $50 per additional performer for an event, he said. It offers different party packages, and options that include face-painting and princess hair-styling sessions at additional costs.

Some of the employees, like Harris, can play more than one character. She also can be Cinderella, and with a wig change, the Scottish royal.

Ed Guise previously worked as a sound engineer and lighting technician for several Spokane-area bands before deciding to be a stay-at-home dad for the couple’s daughters Allison, 5, and Zoey, 2. They wanted to start a business working around their children’s schedule.

When starting, Guise bought a PA system. He soon got a call for a gig before an outdoor showing of “Frozen” in Mirabeau Park.

“So the first crowd we worked for was before 500 people,” he said.

His wife, who also works for a software business, helps make costumes and provides backup.

“We’ve been so busy,” said Annette Guise. “We were just at a Shock game. It’s great for business because it does draw a lot of attention.”

The snowman and Minion characters were at a photo booth for the arena football team.

“I think it brings out the kid in everyone,” Ed Guise said. “You should have seen all the adults who wanted to get their picture taken with our snowman character.”