Workshops are something that are generally known to be too much money for not a lot of outcome. In the acting world I have heard workshops referred to as a “waste of time” or “just the worst”. But I have heard differently from people whom I trust. Those people, are my agents. Recently I visited them and they requested that I do a few workshops before pilot season, “not the useless ones. The ones that will actually help you!” So they sent me a list of casting directors to check out and see if they have workshops. They range from the CW, to Disney, and I am pretty excited about it.
When you meet a casting director, and they get the chance to work with you and direct you a little bit, they are more likely to want to call you in and see you again. This is because if you work well with them (which you should always try your best to do), and especially if they like your acting, they will be inclined to want to help you in your career and what you are trying to accomplish through acting. Its pretty awesome to have a casting director who wants to call you in for everything that you could possibly be called in for, because the more auditions you get, the more parts you are likely to book!
So the next time that you push aside a workshop, remember to consider all of the options. This could be a workshop that will actually benefit your future in acting. It could give you the key to what you’ve been missing for a little bit, which is the “who you know” of your four burners (read my previous blog post, “Mixture For Success” if you just thought, “what does cooking have anything to do with this?”). It also could be a point of making sure that you are actually taking the advice that your agents are giving to you, which is a VERY important thing to do!
Make sure that the workshop you are going to be attending is in your price range, not too far away from you (if it is more than one day), and something that your AGENTS think is a good idea!