It's Halloween 365 days a year for costumed character actors on Long Island

Many people dress in elaborate costumes for Halloween, but it’s unlikely they can equal the attire Sinead Atkinson of Hauppauge wears year-round for work: a silicone tail and top, sea-inspired jewelry and a curled wig.

A character performer who appears as everything from a mermaid to a princess at parties and events, she wore the garb when taking on the persona of Mist the Mermaid at the Maine Renaissance festival in Acton, Maine in July.

It was just another day at work for Atkinson, 31, who founded Timeless Tales Entertainment with her sister Mairead Atkinson, 28, also of Hauppauge. 

“It’s truly such a magical experience, being fully transformed into someone else,” Sinead says of her office attire. “I’m almost always in costume for some reason or other, and for someone who is very shy, it’s very comfortable being someone else for a little while.”

Sinead and Mairead started dressing up as children, experiencing the pleasure of costumes before turning it into a big part of their profession. “We always enjoyed dressing up, ever since we were very little,” Sinead says, noting they have done theater and dance since they were children, performing across Long Island, the Hudson Valley and up and along the East Coast.

While getting into costume is mostly reserved for Oct. 31 for the public, for character actors who perform at festivals and children's parties, every day on the job feels like Halloween. Throughout the year, Sinead and Mairead find their almost every weekend, and the occasional Friday night, filled with gigs and wigs. And other local companies, such as Glenwood Landing-based Royal Princess Prep Entertainment, employs nearly 25 performers who can embody 125 different characters any day of the week. For these Long Islanders, however, stepping into costume isn't just about playing make-believe. 

Kelsey Edquist, who owns Royal Princess Prep, says there's little that separates the actor and the character when they slip into their outfit. 

"It’s not just a person in a costume. It’s that character come to life,” she says.

MORE THAN A COSTUME

Edquist, who also takes on character roles herself, says performers study and are trained to portray their role down to the very last detail. “They learn everything they can about that character, so they know answers to questions that parents or children may have,” Edquist says. “We go through posing, character voices, phrasing, mannerisms, things they may say, their songs.”

Edquist started character appearances in 2016 while attending NYU Tisch School of the Arts for musical theater. “I had some friends looking for performers for their parties,” she says. “I thought it sounded like a wonderful idea. It grew from there.”

Brendan Bitler, 29, of West Babylon portrays a look similar to Spider-Man, but also those with nods to Snow White’s Prince, Captain America, Peter Pan, Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter and many more for Royal Princess Prep Entertainment.

“Each costume is unique,” says Bitler, who also works as a substitute teacher. He says slipping into his role makes him feel confident and powerful. “Even if I'm having a hard day, I know that while I’m in my costume, I have the power to bring a smile to the faces of children and their families as they see their favorite character come to life right in front of their eyes and befriend them.”

BECOMING THE CHARACTER

The most popular characters children ask for, according to Edquist, are Anna and Elsa from "Frozen," Spider-Man and Barbie. Near Halloween, the Sanderson sisters from "Hocus Pocus" become popular. Sinead says their beloved characters are fairy tale princesses and mermaids with their own back stories. Sinead’s favorite princess to perform is “the Fairest Princess,” while Mairead’s is “The Enchanted Rose Princess.” Character actors will often portray pals of popular superheroes and princesses or similar versions, like a snow princess, due to both potential legal restrictions and to help keep the magic alive for children should they catch on. 

"We say we’re friends with that character. Ariel is always Ariel. Cinderella is always Cinderella. It’s never this person as Cinderella,” Edquist says. Performers, she adds, "embody the character from the moment they arrive. They will never break character." 

But before being a princess, mermaid or superhero, there's the process of becoming one. Getting into character means reviewing the source material, practicing poses and movements, stretching, warming up voices for singing, and mapping facial expressions in the mirror, Sinead says.

It also means spending hours in the dressing room. 

It can take between one and three hours to get into costume, wig, and makeup, depending on the character, she adds. Characters with “neutral” makeup are easier to prepare for than those with colorful makeup, glitter, or body paint, she says. Wig prep can mean braiding hair and putting it into a net wig cap with a velour wig grip to keep everything in place.

“Our mermaids take the longest to prep for, given the silicone prosthetic tails, waterproof makeup prep, and more intense wig prep to ensure everything stays on underwater,” Sinead explains.

Days can often last from early morning warmups to the end of the event, stretching from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. or later, including cleaning and storing costumes, tucking up wigs and reorganizing supplies, the actors say.

“Character entertainment is essentially long-form improv,” Sinead says. “You have a set of given circumstances and a story to tell, but since conversation is always natural, characters have to know how to navigate children’s questions, relate the fairy tales back to the guests, and tell stories.”

Costumes help, but don’t entirely create the character. 

“Costuming is integral to the performance in that the garments can make the fairy tale seem real,” Sinead says. “However, we always believe that the performance itself is the most important part of any event or party.”

Even for people who dress up all year long, Halloween can be peak season. Sinead's Halloween season includes gigs from Long Island to Massachusetts. 

“We’re very lucky that we get to use our imagination and dress up all year long, she says.