The Workshop

Last night was another new experience in my acting journey in LA. There is an organization in LA called Actors West. They don't post audition notices, nor can you post your resume or headshot on their website. What they do offer are a multitude of workshops conducted by some prominent casting directors in town.

I attended my first such workshop last night conducted by a lady who is well known in LA casting circles. All actors know that when you do a live audition, you get zero feedback other than thank you, or possibly "That was very nice." There is no critique of how you really did....what you did right or wrong. In a workshop held by a casting director, that is not the case. there were probably 20 actors at last night's workshop. Each of us were part of a two person assigned scene which we did in front of the casting director and the entire workshop. My scene partner and I did our scene three times, taking different direction from the casting director after each time. Our scene went well with some positive feedback from the casting director. The casting director also collected headshots from each actor and jotted down some notes as she watched each scene. The lady who was my scene partner was a good actor, and it always helps to work with a person like that. Best of all, it was great fun. The workshop was attended by some very good actors, and most scenes went well. Of course, this is LA, and finding you are in a room full of good actors is not at all uncommon.

The casting director also took questions from the actors in a Q and A session, where we got a chance to understand how a casting director thinks, what they are looking for, how casting decisions (or recommendations to the director) are made, and as I have stated before, the many items outside of the actor's control which might, and often do, influence who is cast and who is not.

Having had one positive experience, I will be attending more casting workshops at Actors West. While primarily holding workshops conducted by casting directors, they occasionally have events where agents come in to look at actors. An added plus is that all their workshops and events are very reasonably priced, and it's a short 25 minute drive on Highway 101 for me to get to their location. Also, I have taken only private lessons since being here, and it was great to interact with other actors.

As an added bonus, Actors West has what they call a wall of headshots in their office, where anyone is free to tack up their headshot, which I did. It can't hurt, and you never know.

Other news? This past Tuesday, I auditioned for a small role in the NBC series, The Office.

It's cooler here now, with only a high of 88 expected in the San Fernando Valley, today. 88, depending on where you live, may seem cool or not, but it's a pleasant relief for this area.

More later.........