Universal Orlando’s Lora Wallace is always at least one holiday ahead

Jim Hill

10 years ago

You know the old saying — “April showers bring May
flowers” — right? Well, that’s not how Lora Wallace — who works as a
show director for Universal Orlando Resort — looks at her calendar.

“You have to understand that — here at Universal
Orlando — we prep for Halloween Horror Nights year ’round,” Wallace
explained. “We had our first meeting for the 2015 edition of Horror Nights
three weeks before the 2014 edition opened. So by the time May rolls around, we
already need to be building the haunted houses that people will be walking
though come September & October.”

And the reason that work has to begin so early on this
seasonal event is that — by the first week of August — Lora has to already be
rehearsing Universal Orlando team members for the roles that they’ll be playing
in that theme park’s spookified streets and mazes.

“Mind you, what’s kind of bizarre is that — just as
we’re in the middle of rehearsals for Halloween Horror Nights — I then have to
begin casting for Universal Orlando’s holiday program. As I try and find the
very best performers to appear in Grinchmas over at Islands of Adventure,”
Wallace continued. “I don’t do that by choice. It’s just that — by the
end of summer — all of the other theme parks & attractions in and around Orlando
are already holding their Christmas casting sessions. And if I want to be
certain that Universal has the very best people appearing in the holiday shows
at its theme parks … Well, that’s why we have to hold our Christmas casting
sessions in late summer as well.”

So is Lora always at least one holiday ahead? Sort of. As
soon as something seasonal like Halloween Horror Nights or Grinchmas opens at
the Universal Orlando Resort, Wallace immediately enters the here & now.
She then puts herself in the guests shoes and goes out into the theme parks to
try these experiences just as the they would.”

“That’s honestly the most important aspect of my job as
show director. Making sure that I see things just as the guests do and then
making sure that Universal Orlando’s entertainment offerings are actually
entertaining. Our goal is to always give our guests a top quality show experience
right from the get-go. And if that’s not happening for some reason … Well,
here at Universal Orlando, the customer is always right. And if they’re not
being entertained by a show, we then immediately begin making tweaks &
changes to that show’s script and start adjusting the cast’s
performances,” Lora stated.

Which — I know — makes Wallace sound like kind of a tough
taskmaster. But here’s the thing: Lora was once where all of these Universal
Orlando performers are today. Standing in the spotlight, singing and sweating
in the Central Florida heat as she tried to entertain
some tourists.

Lora Wallace as the Bride of Frankenstein

“I’ve been with Universal Orlando for over 18 years
now. And one of my first jobs at this resort was playing a singing, dancing
Bride of Frankenstein in the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue, ” Wallace
laughed. “So I’ve been exactly right where all of these performers are
right now. Back in the day, I had to get notes from my show director as well.
Learn what I could do personally to deliver a better overall show experience
for Universal Orlando’s guests.”

And it’s that personal touch which Lora has tried to foster
with all of the performers that she directs at Universal Orlando Resort. Making
sure that — whenever possible — the people who sing, dance and interact with
the guests at these theme parks always then try to forge some sort of personal
connection with the guests.

“This is why — whenever we send a performer out into
the parks to do a meet-n-greet or a photo op — I always tell them to actually talk
with the guests. Make these people aware that this same performer will be
appearing in the Macy’s Holiday Parade or in our Mardi Gras parade in a
specific spot in that parade’s line-up,” Wallace said. “And the
little kids? They just love this. They love being able to spot someone they’ve
previously met in the park performing in the parade. So they wave frantically
from the curb to get that performer’s attention. And you should see their faces
light up when that performer actually acknowledges them and waves back.”

Now you’d think — given that the Universal Orlando version
of Halloween, Christmas and Mardi Gras run for weeks at a time– that Lora must
have her hands full, what with having to keep this huge team of performers
motivated over the long haul. Making sure that they deliver a top quality, high
energy performance day-after-day, night-after-night. But that’s where you’d be
wrong.

“When it comes down to casting these seasonal shows,
I’ve found that there are performers who really love Halloween Horror Nights
and will only audition for that event. Likewise there are people who only want
to perform in our Macy’s Holiday Parade or in our Mardi Gras celebration. So
they’ll only come out when we’re holding auditions for those specific events,”
Wallace explained. “So in this situation, my job as a show director is to
make sure that I’m always casting the right people for the right shows. Making
sure that I’m harnessing all of that person’s passion & enthusiasm and then
channeling that into the right production. So that Universal Orlando visitors
will then experience the best possible performance which comes from a highly
motivated team member.”

“I won’t lie to you. Being a show director can
sometimes be a very stressful, very demanding job. But given that we have
places in our theme parks like New York Street that are such natural stages,
our guests expect that all the shows we present here at Universal Orlando are
going to be big, grand and entertaining. And it’s sometimes a challenge to deliver
on that expectation,” Wallace stated. “But I’ve honestly got the
greatest job. More importantly, I absolutely love what I do. There’s no other
career that I’d rather have.”

So with the 2015 edition of Universal Orlando’s Mardi Gras now
officially in the rear view mirror, Lora — for the moment, anyway — is
focusing all of her attention on this year’s edition of Halloween Horror
Nights. Which perhaps explains this seasonal event’s catch phrase: “It’s
never too early to start panicking.”

“And given that this year’s event will be the 25th
anniversary of Universal Orlando’s very first Halloween offering, we’ve got
some very special stuff planned for 2015. Stuff that I’m not allowed to talk
about. Not yet, anyway,” Lora teased.

This article originally appeared on the Huffington Post’s Entertainment page on Thursday, April 30, 2015