Christmas Actor - Hobbledown Epsom

Mary Rush Care Ltd; Epsom; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

The Escapade Group in Epsom is seeking bright Christmas Actors to bring Santa’s Secret Village to life. This is a hands-on, walkabout style role where you improvise, perform for families and keep audiences in character throughout busy days.

You’ll lead story times, appear in festive scenes, and move groups through interactive experiences, often working with Christmas Hosts. Previous theatre or entertainment experience is valued, and your energy and storytelling will create memorable moments for

Qualifications

• Experience in theatre, pantomime, am-dram, presenting or entertainment.
• Ability to tell stories, connect with audiences and improvise naturally.
• Willingness to work weekends and peak holiday periods.

Responsibilities

• Bring Santa’s Secret Village to life with interactive moments.
• Lead story times, shows and walkabout performances.
• Entertain families and groups, staying in character throughout.
• Move guests through experiences and adapt to changing scenes.
• Collaborate with Christmas Hosts and fellow cast members.
• Spot opportunities to create memorable, festive moments.

Skills

Confident performer

Warm & engaging

Strong storytelling

Improvise under pressure

Good comedic timing

Lead and direct groups

Read a room / audience

High energy in interactions

Stay in character

Team player / collaborative

Job description

Horton Lane, Epsom, KT19 8PT, UNITED KINGDOM

If you can hold the attention of a room full of excited children, improvise when something unexpected happens and stay completely in character while a six-year-old asks you a question nobody prepared you for, we should probably talk.

We’re looking for brilliant Christmas Actors to help bring Santa’s Secret Village to life.

This is a proper performance role — but not one where you stand on a stage, deliver the same lines and disappear backstage.

You’ll be right in the middle of the action.

One moment you could be leading story time, the next you’re appearing in a festive scene, entertaining families in a walkabout moment or helping create a completely spontaneous bit of Christmas magic.

Every shift will look a little different.

And that’s exactly the point.

Key dates

You’ll need to be available for the following:

Recruitment Open Days
Tuesday 3 November, 5pm–8pm
Saturday 7 November, 10am–5pm

Training
Weekend of 14–15 November

PR Activity
Weekend of 21–22 November

Open to the Public
28–29 November onwards

You’ll also need good availability across weekends in the run-up to Christmas and throughout the Christmas holidays, including Christmas Eve.

December is rather important when you work in Santa’s Village, so strong festive availability is essential.

So, what will you actually be doing?

Your job is simple to explain.

Make Santa’s Secret Village feel real.

How you do that will change throughout the day.

You could be:

Bringing festive characters and stories to life

Leading story times, shows and interactive moments

Performing for groups of children, adults and entire families

Getting guests involved rather than simply performing at them

Appearing in walkabout scenes and spontaneous character interactions

Playing different festive characters throughout the day

Improvising when guests throw something unexpected your way

Keeping the story and energy going even when things change around you

Working closely with our Christmas Hosts and fellow cast members

Helping move groups through experiences while staying completely in character

Spotting those little opportunities to create a moment a family will remember

Some performances will be planned.

Some will absolutely not be.

That’s where the fun begins.

We’re looking for performers with personality

You’ll need to be comfortable performing for children and adults of all ages, sometimes in a busy environment with lots happening around you.

We’re looking for people who:

Are confident, warm and engaging performers

Have strong storytelling skills

Can improvise without completely derailing Christmas

Have good comic timing

Are comfortable leading and directing groups

Can read an audience and adapt their performance

Bring plenty of energy to every interaction

Can stay in character when guests ask unexpected questions

Enjoy working collaboratively as part of a cast

Have the stamina for an active performance role

And most importantly, you’ll genuinely enjoy making people smile.

You don’t need to have worked at the North Pole before

Previous experience in theatre, pantomime, am-dram, presenting, teaching, tour guiding, entertainment or children’s activities would all translate brilliantly into this role.

If you can also sing, perform magic, use puppets, dance or have another performance skill hidden up your festive sleeve, we’d love to hear about it.

What matters most is that you can tell a story, connect with an audience and throw yourself into creating an experience.

What does a brilliant shift look like?

Children are completely absorbed in the story.

Adults are enjoying it just as much as they pretend not to be.

The energy stays high.

And guests leave believing they’ve experienced something a little bit special.

They should just see Christmas magic.

About The Escapade Group

We’re The Escapade Group, a growing family of visitor attractions built around play, adventure, animals and brilliant family days out.

Our attractions include Hobbledown Epsom, Hobbledown Heath, Gripped London, Kidspace Croydon, Kidspace Romford, Watermouth Castle and Farmer Ted’s Adventure Farm.

Across the group you’ll find everything from adventure play and animal encounters to high ropes, indoor play, birthday parties, seasonal events and plenty of organised chaos.

Different attractions. Different experiences. One thing in common: brilliant teams creating memorable days out for families.

And whether someone is serving lunch, caring for animals, running an attraction, welcoming guests through the gates or spending December convincing children they really do work for Santa, every member of the team plays a part in making those experiences special.

Screening Questions

• Can you work weekends and the dates specified in the advert?
• Will your commute be 30 minutes or less?