Cast member

A cast member is:

• An actor, dancer, or singer who performs (i.e., sings, dances, acts, mimes, puppeteers, voices characters, etc.) in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast.
• Any employee of the various Disney theme parks, including the original Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California ^[1] and the Walt Disney World Resort. Other Disney parks and resorts around the world also use similar terminology. Employees of Disney Store locations are also referred to as cast members. This terminology is derived from Walt Disney's use of theatrical analogies when referring to park operations.

Etymology

The word cast comes from the Old English word ' casten ' or ' kasta '(c.1230), to throw in, to consider, plot, imagine, and design.^[2][3] This ultimately led to its meaning when referring to a "group of actors in a play" (c.1631).^[4]

See also

• Casting (performing arts)
• Ensemble cast
• Pre-production

References

1. McGill, Douglas C. (1989-08-27). "A 'Mickey Mouse' Class - For Real". Daijisen (The New York Times). Retrieved 2008-02-22. At Disney, employees are called 'cast members,'...
2. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
3. Skeat, Walter W.; Mayhew, Anthony (2005). A Concise Dictionary of Middle English: From A. D. 1150 To 1580. R. A. Sites Books. ISBN 0-9798712-5-5. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
4. "v. Cast". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2008-02-22.