As they approach the start of their sophomore year at UT, Laura and Rachel Clift have already met hundreds of adoring fans, performed at dozens of venues and led successful double lives as cartoon characters.

The twin sisters started Neverland & Company last October as a way to make money in college without resorting to food service or retail. Instead, the two perform in full costume as different fairy tale characters for birthday parties and other events.

Rachel Clift described how the sisters grew up on fairy tales and how, for these two theatre majors, a job centered around performance seemed an obvious choice.

“We decided to do something where we could be ourselves and be creative and stuff, so I had the idea to start a company,” Rachel Clift said. “It was October when we started researching it, and it just kind of went from there and we realized, ‘You know, we can actually do this.’”

Although Neverland & Company is the most extensive project undertaken by the twins, entrepreneurial ventures aren’t new to them.

“Rachel is the photographer, and she would do photo shoots like senior pictures and stuff,” Laura Clift said. “She would do that as a job in high school, and I would sell art on Etsy.”

Despite their past experience, the extensive networking behind Neverland & Company took some getting used to for the Clifts.

“It involves a lot more communication with people,” Rachel Clift said. “With photo shoots it would be a high schooler and I would just talk to her. Now we talk to the parents; we interact with the kids and with other kids at the parties.”

Beyond networking, organizing an event takes a tremendous amount of planning.

“It’s not just setting up a day and a price,” Rachel Clift explained. “We have to figure out who they want, how many kids are going to be there, where the party is located, what they want to do for the craft game, if they want us to sing or if they want us to read a book, and then we need to have all that timed.”

But the best laid plans can go awry, and Rachel and Laura Clift have learned to improvise their routine based off of each party atmosphere.

“We have to gauge how the party is going because some kids are, like, super energetic and you cannot get them to sit down for a story,” Rachel Clift said. “Then other kids just stare at you the whole time.”

Most of their performance involves singing, dancing and playing familiar games the twins have adapted to each character. Developing distinct character personas is a crucial part of the job, and Rachel and Laura Clift emphasize this fact to any performers they employ.

“They need to completely study the character from when they were made to their newest movie,” Rachel Clift said. “They have to know the vocabulary and mannerisms and how they would react in a certain situation. You’ve got to know everything from their parent’s names to their birthday, because kids ask those random little questions and you can’t just say, ‘Oh I don’t remember.’”

In addition to the detailed character study, performers must learn how to apply heavy stage makeup and wear antiquated items of clothing for costume.

“The first time we did a party it took us two or three hours to get ready, and that’s how long our new girls take,” Laura Clift said. “But now we can be ready in 45 minutes.”

“Getting in costume also doesn’t take as long, but with new girls we have to help them,” Rachel Clift said. “They say ‘Hoop skirt? What — how do I do this?’”

Rachel Clift said the sisters plan to add eight new characters this fall and then 15 within the next year.

“We got a lot of requests when we first started about having this or that superhero and I was like, ‘Uh we have Cinderella right now, but we’re working on it,’” Laura Clift said. “We have a couple superheroes that should be here by October.”

In spite of the long hours, endless brainstorming and extensive preparation, the sisters wouldn’t change a thing.

“We have probably just as much fun as the kids do,” Laura Clift said. “Overall, it’s worth all the work and money that goes into it.”

Rachel Clift shared her favorite part at ‘Meet and Greet’ events when the kids first spot the twin sisters.

“They run up and hug you and they are so sweet,” Rachel Clift said. “All they want is just to talk to you and it’s just precious. You can’t beat it.”