I love Halloween. I get my acting fix from it, and because I have a great film quality Jason Voorhees mask and costume, people go picture crazy. Observe -

http://youtu.be/YclmHTU6ftY

Well, Halloween ideas lurk through my psyche all year, and I recently had this idea -

I was thinking of doing the "Planet of the Apes" thing. Film quality, no less, but I need a little person. For the unaware - In the "Planet of the Apes" films, the roles between Apes and humans are reversed. Highly intelligent humanoid Apes who talk rule the world, and human beings are kept as slaves, or used for research, or entertainment, or hunted and killed for sport.
 
Anyhow, I would dress up as a Gorilla with highly realistic-looking make-up, and I would play an organ grinder while the little person would be dressed as either a bellhop or a clown, and would dance for tips. The whole appeal of the performance on 6th street during Halloween night would be that the role between Ape and human would be reversed, with the Ape playing an organ grinder, and a human dancing. (A long time ago, it was common to see men out in the street playing an organ grinder while a monkey would dance for tips.)
 
The act, while intended as entertainment, would also be meant to serve as a message against animal cruelty. The "Planet of the Apes" films have always been satire films that spoof human behavior. This act would not be intended to demean little people at all. It is merely intended to reverse the role between Ape and human.

In our world, we have Apes and monkeys. Apes are kept in cages, but monkeys are used for entertainment. In a world where Apes rule, and humans are slaves, regular-sized people would be kept in cages, whereas little people would be used for entertainment for the Apes.
 

In this act, the little person could keep all the gratuities, and I would provide water bottles, money, and dinner.

Anyhow, I posted some of this on Craig's List. - It was flagged and removed twice. Then today, when speaking to little person talent agency on the phone today, the guy sounded offended, and even threw me a VERY outlandish price - Eleven hundred dollars for two hours. I could tell this was his passive way of saying not a chance in Hades. I of course played it cool, and acted like the price was a handful of change, with a promise I'd call him back. (Yeah, right.)

I've spoken to other various agencies without telling them everything, and in general, these folks demand several hundred dollars for just an hour or half an hour.

So my questions are -

1. Is the whole thing coming across as demeaning dwarfs?

2. Why is it so darn hard and pricy to find a midget?