Luis Douglas Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove Interview

DISNEY ON ICE PRESENTS TREASURE TROVE
A Live Celebration of Disney's Animated Gems
AUSTRALIA TOUR 29 MAY – 13 JULY 2014

Tickets on sale now

Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove opens in Australia on 29 May 2014 and will take audiences on a magical journey spanning 50 years of Disney animated film. From the inaugural Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to the 50th film – Tangled, this ice skating extravaganza commemorates the legacy of Disney films with an all-new medley of Disney tales that will captivate audiences. Produced by Feld Entertainment, Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove is opening in Perth on 29 May and travels to Adelaide, Wollongong, Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney until 13 July.

Get lost with Rapunzel and Flynn and enter the worlds of your other favourite Disney princesses - Cinderella, Jasmine, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Mulan and Snow White. Set sail with Peter Pan, the always playful Tinker Bell and the cunning Captain Hook and his crew as they head on an adventure beyond Never Land! Trek through the wilderness and wildlife of Africa with Simba, Nala, Pumbaa and Timon as they discover the true meaning of the -Circle of Life.' Embark on a mischievous ride with Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear from Disney Pixar's Toy Story and explore the mystical and marvelous Wonderland with Alice and the Mad Hatter. Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove will take Australian audiences on the journey of a lifetime.

2014 National Tour Dates

Perth - Perth Arena	29 May - 1 June	(Thurs - Sun)
Adelaide - Adelaide Entertainment Centre	7 - 9 June	(Sat - Mon)
Wollongong – WIN Entertainment Centre	13 - 15 June	(Fri -Sun)
Newcastle - Newcastle Entertainment Centre	20 - 22 June	(Fri - Sun)
Brisbane - Brisbane Entertainment Centre	28 - 30 June	(Sat - Mon)
Melbourne - Hisense Arena, Melbourne	3 - 7 July	(Thurs - Mon)
Sydney - Allphones Arena, Sydney Olympic Park	9 - 13 July	(Wed - Sun)

Purchase tickets from Ticketek: 132 849 or www.ticketek.com.au/disneyonice.
Tickets start from just $25.50*. Credit card & transaction fees may apply.  Additional discounts apply.
For more information visit www.disneyonice.com.au  

* Additional discounts apply. Credit card & transaction fees may apply

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Interview with Luis Douglas

Question: What role do you play in Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove?

Luis Douglas: I portray the role of the boy who refuses to grow up, Peter Pan, in the show! Some would say a very appropriate role for me...


Question: How did you go about auditioning for the role of Peter Pan in Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove?

Luis Douglas: When I joined the company 3 years ago I was hired as an ensemble skater, which means you mostly skate chorus numbers but you also have the opportunity to understudy different roles in the show.

While I understudied a few different roles in the show, Peter was always my favourite to do - I just had such a blast and felt that I really didn't have to act that much for the character as I act like him most of the time as it is! I mean he's a boy who refuses to grow up and can fly - who wouldn't want to be Peter Pan?! After understudying the role for about a year and a half, the principle playing Peter at the time left the company and when I got the call to ask if I would be interested in taking on the role full time, well I don't think I've ever said yes so quickly in my life!


Question: What are you enjoying most about your role as Peter Pan?

Luis Douglas: There are so many things I love about portraying Peter, I get to play around with the audience a lot, the Lost Boys are always up to something and that keeps me on my toes, however my hands down favourite thing is flying! My first entrance in Peter is when I fly out and every single time I get the same feeling of pure excitement, all of the lights, the noise of the crowd, seeing little kids in the audience dressed up as their favourite characters and waving - all of it just hits me at once and I absolutely love it. Kind of funny seeing as I am completely terrified of heights...


Question: Was Peter Pan a Disney movie that you watched, growing up?

Luis Douglas: This is such a cheesy answer but yes definitely! Peter Pan was one of my favourite movies growing up, I had an old VHS copy of it and I'm pretty sure I wore it out the amount of times I watched it! Growing up I always wanted to play Peter Pan and Pirates, in fact I'm pretty sure my mum still has a picture somewhere of me as a wee boy dressed in my Peter Pan costume in the garden, running around and pretending I was in Neverland, (I'm sure one or two of her rosebushes may have taken some casualties as they were playing the role of the 'pirates').


Question: What originally inspired you to try ice skating?

Luis Douglas: I have a younger sister who at this point must of tried every single sport imaginable, but fortunately she went through her ice skating phase when she was quite young. One day, I was at the rink with her and my parents watching her skate and it just looked like so much fun I wanted to try it. I begged my mum to let me have a go, so she went and got me a pair of rental skates and I was off! I stepped on the ice and remembered an episode of 'Tom and Jerry' (a cartoon about a cat and mouse constantly chasing each other) where they flooded and froze the kitchen and skated about on it. So I pushed away from the sides and just kept thinking to myself, 'just do what Tom and Jerry do..' and from that moment on I was a skater!


Question: What do you enjoy most about being on stage for Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove?

Luis Douglas: There are so many things that are great things about working with Disney On Ice, I get to travel, I work with a wonderful cast and crew and I get to skate for a job! However I would I have to say my favourite thing is performing for an audience every single day and seeing the effect it has on them. It doesn't matter if it's only one person a show, but the feeling I get seeing someone's face light up as they enjoy the show makes everything worth it. That and Disney means so much to so many people for a lot of different reasons and getting to be part of someone's 'Disney Experience' is a very humbling and exciting feeling.


Question: What do you find most difficult about touring with Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove?

Luis Douglas: Being away from home for long stretches of time while on tour is definitely something that I've personally found quite difficult. This is not only because I miss seeing my family, but for a lot of little reasons as well. I miss home comforts, I miss not having to live out of a suitcase and packing up every week, I even miss hearing the Scottish accent! Fortunately there are so many great things about working with Disney On Ice that it makes all these little things worthwhile.


Question: What other Disney On Ice shows have you performed in?

Luis Douglas: I have been lucky enough this year to work with another Disney On Ice show called Worlds Of Fantasy while Treasure Trove was on break. It was a great experience to see how other shows work and different dynamics within the cast. Every ice show cast is like a big family so going to work on a different show is like being invited in to another family's home. While I had a wonderful time and I was able to go back and work a few other times throughout the year, it always made me so excited to get back to my own 'family'!


Question: Why do you think all Australians should come and see Disney On Ice presents Treasure Trove?

Luis Douglas: What makes Treasure Trove such a great show is that we literally have something for everyone! We have all the classic princesses for the girls and we have pirates, Peter Pan, The Lion King for the boys! We also have a great mix of Disney 'classics' such as Snow White and Alice in Wonderland for parents to re live their childhoods as well as some of the newer Disney tales such as Princess and the Frog and Tangled for the newest generation of Disney fans! Also, who wouldn't want to get out of the Australian heat for a wee bit and see a super 'cool' ice show?!


Question: What advice would you give young Australians who are looking at beginning ice skating?

Luis Douglas: Figure skating is one of the toughest sports to get in to and requires a lot of time and dedication, however what you get back is one of the most rewarding and gratifying experiences you can hope to gain from any sport. I would definitely say to try skating a few times at a local rink on rental skates, just to get a feel for it and if you enjoy then look at pursuing lessons with a private coach. From point you just have to keep going, keep working and never give up! Trust me, you'll love it!


Interview by Brooke Hunter