Casting Workshop - My Review
I'm writing this mainly for those who have heard about these workshops but aren't sure whether to attend, but also to pass on a couple of pieces of advice I got from the workshop itself (don't worry, the advice will be obvious).
Firstly, I'll say that this is the first acting workshop I've been to since I was 16 years old, so I was slightly unsure what to expect from it. On the drive over there I had ideas bouncing around my head for what to expect, but had very little to work off. I'd been told I didn't need to bring anything, but naturally I thought I should have a couple of monologues ready in case I needed them, and LOTS of water because my voice felt rough and I didn't want to lose it.
So my first piece of advice: Don't worry about being under prepared. I was worried everyone else would have things ready for the session and I'd feel like a fool for just turning up, but that didn't happen. £Everyone else was like me, ready to read what was given and work with what we had.
These chances are few and far between, so take the chance to get as much help as you can...
The workshop started with the coach introducing himself, and explaining a bit about his career history, which was good to hear, and his general advise on how to rehearse and conduct a good casting audition. This part was particularly interesting for me, as I've only ever done one professional casting session, most of my others being done via video audition or over the phone after sharing my previous work with them.
After that, we were given some scripts, paired up with someone else, and told to have a go at reading the lines and doing the scenes. This was good, and a great way to make a bunch of actors feel relaxed. While we did this, the coach came round and gave us some initial notes based on the snippets of the rehearsal he saw. And once we'd had about 20 minutes of practice, we performed the scenes to the group. After the performance, we got some more detailed notes, both to the individuals performing and to the larger group, and had another go based off of these notes.
After a short break, we repeated the exercise, this time with different partners and a slightly longer scene, and like the first time it was good to hear some constructive feedback from a professional as you went about the normal process of reading lines and discussing characters. The performances again were very interesting, and the feedback was really useful to help me improve.
We then closed the session off by a bit of feedback, and a Q&A session with the coach. This brings in my second piece of advice: Ask any questions you have. These chances are few and far between, so take the chance to get as much help as you can, particularly from someone who has so much experience from the other side of the table.
I learnt some really useful things from people's questions, giving my advice on how to use the space given, how to rehearse for these auditions on your own and with someone else, tips on finding pieces which will help you improve and develop your acting range, and how to improve your own self-taped recordings.
I'm not going to tell you the specific advice I got, unless you ask me nicely, as I'd encourage you to go to one of these sessions and experience them for yourselves.
My next piece of advice: Make connections. This is something I wished I'd been able to do more of during and after the session. The room was full of great people, who each had their own stories and experiences which it was a good chance to get to hear. I'd advise you use this chance to build your network of actors, particularly with people in similar situations as you.
And so here comes my final piece of advice: If you get the chance to attend one of these workshops, take it. The session was really fun, I met some great people, and got some advice which will hopefully improve my auditioning for future jobs!
Until next time!
Tim