Are Casting Director Workshops Useful for Actors?

Casting Director Workshops –

Are Casting Director Workshops Useful for Actors?

The topic of casting director workshops is one that is quite controversial in the acting community. There are conflicting views about whether casting directors should participate in workshops for actors or at least whether casting directors should accept payment for workshops for actors. (See “What is a CD (Casting Director) as Related to Acting Auditions?” for more on what a casting director is and does.)

My daughter has never really been to many casting director workshops. We have certainly looked into some and considered them in many cases. Her talent managers were not generally in favor of them, either. And due to what we’ve read and what we’ve been told by many people, we have not considered them to be a good choice.

Check out what Billy DaMota thinks of Casting Director workshops — and the responses of others to his letter on the topic at Backstage.

We do, however, know a number of actors and/or their parents who think casting director workshops are great. They can result in an actor being called into an audition by the casting director. For that reason, as our daughter moves from child actor to an older teen or young adult actor, we are considering her participating in some workshops. It is great for networking, especially if you’ve made a transition or have taken a break from auditioning for a while.

So how do you decide whether to participate in a casting director workshop?

It is a matter of opinion certainly, and the choice is yours, but there are a few things to think about in making this decision.

If you are considering enrolling in a casting director workshop, you need to weigh the costs and benefits.

The following are some things to consider in deciding whether you want to go to a casting director wokshop, and if you decide to go to one, in choosing which casting director workshop to attend:

1. The cost of the casting director workshop – make sure the cost for the workshop is not ridiculous, particularly if there is no limit on the number of people who will be participating.
2. The reputation of the casting director – look not just for the reputation in terms of what casting experience the casting director has had but also at their reputation in terms of how useful other participants consider this casting director’s workshops to be. Some may be pretty good teachers, others not so much.
3. Your location – If you are in L.A. and have a huge number of possible workshps available to you, you can pick and choose the casting director. If you are not in L.A. or NYC, you may want to experience a workshop to learn more about the entertainment industry in general and won’t have that many opportunities, so if you want to go to a casting director workshop, you’ll have to go to what is available to you.
4. What you hope to gain from a casting director workshop – you need to understand that there is no promise of an audition or certainly not employment as the result of such a workshop, and while there is always a chance of being called in for an audition, it is certainly the exception and not the rule.
5. The shows that the casting director casts – Some casting directors mainly cast comedies and others mainly cast dramas, so consider what you are mostly interested in and mostly suitable for when you pick one or the other.
6. Where to go to a casting director workshop – Many organizations hold casting director workshops, and they have different formats, different size classes, and other factors that can result in the workshop being really great or a total waste of time. The cost can vary by a huge amount from free to $25 on up to $250 or $300 (or perhaps even more).  Get recommendations from previous attendees if possible and read about what the format is, how many people are typically present, and how long they last to see what the value for the money is before you decide where to go to one (especially if you are in the L.A. or NYC area).

If you decide to go to a workshop, concentrate on learning what you can from the workshop rather than just trying to do what you can to get noticed by the casting director. If you are working at learning/practicing the craft of acting and working hard at that, they are more likely to notice you in a positive way than if you are just doing everything you can to get them to notice you.

The fact is, the main purpose for going to these workshops is for networking. Make sure you are prepared so that if you do get their attention, it is for your skill and charisma as an actor.

To your success,
Debbie Sikkema