Molly Martin
Audio By Carbonatix
In many ways, I have an unserious job. I get into a gorilla suit and I try to make people laugh as they roam the halls of Casa Bonita. But I love it. I believe in the magic of the Pink Palace. I find purpose in it. The Entertainment cast strives to bring joy to every guest who walks through those doors. It is an honorable profession, now more than ever.
Jeff Stonic
Casa Bonita is, non-ironically, one of Colorado’s most important cultural institutions. It has brought joy and created that magic for fifty-one years, building relationships over multiple generations. Carrying on that legacy is a responsibility I take seriously.
And I love the people I work with. Every day, I feel creatively challenged by them to make that CB magic real. I have become a better improviser, actor and person because of the people I have met working at Casa. So it hurts me when I see CB Management’s continued mistreatment of the Entertainment cast.
October sees the reduction of over a thousand hours for the Entertainment cast in the form of the removal of the roaming characters: Amazon Annie, Black Bart, Captain Isabella and the Sheriff. Management gave us two weeks’ notice and left it up to us to figure out how to deal with the loss of income.
They broke the law when they did it. The Casa Bonita Entertainment cast voted to have Actors’ Equity represent us as our union twice, both times unanimously. Management is required by federal law to bargain with Equity over making changes to working conditions during ongoing contract negotiations. Actors’ Equity has filed an unfair labor practice over the issue.
They hurt us emotionally when they did it. Over the last week of September, I got to watch several of my colleagues break down and cry, wondering if that would be the last time they played these characters they love so much.
“I am hopeful that this will not be the end of these characters,” one Black Bart told me, “But I think it’s the end of me as these characters.”
He is not alone in that sentiment. At least two of my cast mates have told me that Casa’s careless removal of the roaming characters for the month of October directly led to their resignation. And that worries me. Culture is people, and the people are leaving.
We care about these characters. We love them, we put a lot of ourselves into them.
“She really helped me,” one of the Captain Isabellas told me, tears in her eyes. “I really needed her. She helped me grow out of a dark place and helped me find that strength within myself.” I hugged her for a second and then got back out on the floor to go make the people laugh.
To add insult (and chaos) to injury, Casa Bonita has encouraged the public to dress up as the removed roaming characters in its press release announcing Casa BooNita.
“Insulting and downright dangerous decision,” I saw one of my cast mates post. “There is a reason why Disney does not let adults dress up as its face characters. Instead of preserving the magic and authenticity of the characters, Casa Bonita has opened its doors to potentially ruining the experience for children and creating a huge safety risk. Can’t wait for a kid to meet some drunk adult three margaritas deep dressed as ‘Black Bart.’”
They ended with one word: “Shame.”
Despite all of this, I remain hopeful and committed to being a part of the solution at CB. I am happy we voted to unionize and I am horrified at how necessary having a union turned out to be. And it is not just the Entertainment department — management at Casa Bonita faces a rapidly unionizing workforce. In the last year, IATSE has organized arcade workers and crew, and is preparing for an upcoming election for more than 150 servers, bussers, front-of-house and guest service workers.
I will leave you with an excerpt from the goodbye note that one of my good friends on the cast wrote us when he resigned last week:
“Hope remains. For hope is not blind nor foolish nor wishful. But wrought in the strength of friendship. And magic does not fade as unpolished spoons or worn denim, but lingers in the sound of falling water, in the gleam of bubbles in magenta light, and in the laughter we have shared. At times, I have forgotten that magic. I strive not to again.”
He is a funny and talented actor, and I’ll miss working with him. He believes in the magic of Casa Bonita, and that makes me motivated to be a part of the recipe that creates it.
P.S. Please be nice to the Gorilla.
A community rally will take place at 1 p.m. Monday, October 6, at Morse Park, 8180 West 20th Avenue, Lakewood, to celebrate Casa Bonita workers’ union efforts.
