Car and crowd control 

Image: Brittany DiCologero

As covered queue, our cast member would be responsible for keeping guests behind a gate near the tunnel that goes into the seating area, until the coordinator gives the okay to start letting guests into the stadium. Once covered queue begins letting guests in, he or she must direct them through the tunnel onto Camera Alley (where the camera truck tends to drive back and forth during the show) so that they can find their seats. The covered queue cast member needs to be able to multitask and communicate clearly with other cast members over the radio, as this position involves monitoring the flow of guests into the stadium, while loading guests into the elevator and communicating with cast members on the mezzanine to keep an accurate count of how many seats remain.  

 When the coordinator calls it, covered queue needs to stop guests from entering the tunnel, and keep them behind the gate so he or she can change the direction of the gates. It can sometimes be difficult to stop a crowd from entering the stadium as just one person, but with some practice it can be done with ease. Once the gates in the tunnel are closed, covered queue redirects the guests to the left side of the stadium, while still assisting guests using the elevator and keeping radio contact with the mezzanine. 

Image: Brittany DiCologero 

Once the line is backed up enough, covered queue would call the coordinator and alert him or her of the backup, so that he or she could direct the cast member working at merge to change the direction of the crowd. At is time, covered queue would only need to work with guests using the elevator, or guests who would be seated in the house left lower level and/or wheelchair and transfer seating.  

During the show, the covered queue cast member has it easy, as he or she is simply a resource for guests who exit the show early, and as basic security making sure guests do not go anywhere that they shouldn't. Right before the show's finale, when the red hero car goes up the ramp and through a wall of flames, covered queue is responsible for ensuring no guests are in the tunnel area, and opening the tunnel gates so that the car can get through. Accurate and efficient radio communication following cues from the show is key here so that guests in the stands know to exit on house right, as the covered queue area will be blocked off during the finale.  

Once the finale is over, covered queue must act quickly putting all of the gates back to their original positions so that guests exiting the show can do so as soon as they are ready. As the stadium empties out, Lights Motors Action cast members will grab pickers, buckets, pans, and brooms to clean the stadium. The first members who arrive to the stadium would be responsible for sweeping anything small but primarily popcorn, and the cast members using the pickers and buckets would pick up large pieces of trash. Once their buckets fill up, they'd separate the trash and recycling into larger barrels and go back for some more until the stadium was clean and ready for the next show.   

"Ka-chow!" 

 Before I began my college program at Lights Motors Action, I honestly did not understand how truly great the show was. I saw the show once, back in 2006, just one year after it opened. I knew the stunts were impressive, but as a thirteen year old girl being dragged around by the grownups of the family in the heat of July, it was not one of the more memorable moments of the trip. The second time I watched the show, was during my first day of on the job training last year. Of course, I was able to watch Lights Motors Action countless times before it closed, and I am so appreciative of the memories this experience had afforded me.  

Image: Brittany DiCologero

After only a couple of weeks of working at Lights Motors Action, my initial disappointment that I was not placed at a ride seemed to disappear. There were logistical differences that I felt made working at a show better, such as our numerous chances to interact with guests before the show, and our daily schedule where we basically knew how the entire day was going to work. (In other areas in Disney, you might be working a rotation, which means you probably won't know what other positions you'll be working each day or when your breaks will be until they actually happen). Working at a show over a ride also means that you get to experience the attraction firsthand with the guests. When you work at a ride, you might load and unload guests from the attraction, but you are never going to be on the attraction with them. By working at Lights Motors Action, I was able to see the excitement on the guests' faces while watching the show each shift.