Is it wrong I don't want to study for four years?

fishbowlfreshman
Thu, 17 Oct 2013 19:46:18 +0000

Fish I’d love fishlinks to non scam casting and agent workshops in NY or LA that you would suggest going to once these kids graduate with a BFA or BA in theater and want to get seen by agents and casting.

When my son was 6 he did a casting director workshop at Actorsite in LA. He never did any in NY cause he was already working there. I have no idea if Actorsite has a good reputation. I know LA passed laws on pay for play sort of workshops.

I don’t know a lot about workshop companies and the two I mentioned for New York are the only ones I actually know about. In LA, the West Coast branch of [One on One](LA Classes - One On One NYC) apparently carries a decent reputation and [Reel Pros](http://www.reelpros.com/rpcms3/?ts=131017144213) is supposed to be okay. Although it’s not a workshop company per se, [The Actors’ Network](http://www.actors-network.com/) also has a decent reputation. They can also be valuable for getting newbies acclimated to LA in general and even have online access to directions around studio lots and books of notes about the personalities and preferences of many of the major players in the business available to members.

The actual efficacy of workshop companies - especially for CD workshops - is often hotly debated although I don’t have a particularly strong opinion one way or another. It seems to be an individual thing to me. Do a search over on Backstage and you’ll find numerous discussions. I will say that I don’t think I know a single working actor who got his/her first break or representation that way. Not that they haven’t worked out for somebody somewhere …

Also keep in mind that most of the studios I linked do showcases and hold seminars and workshops with casting directors, agents, managers and even producers and directors from time to time. Some people consider that more respectable than paying to be seen at the workshop companies since they’re part of a legitimate ongoing class. Plus the name teachers have the clout to refer you to somebody when they think you’re ready, anyway. I do know people who advanced their careers that way. Like if Lesly Kahn or Warner Loughlin refer you to a specific agent, you’ll definitely get a meeting. People get seen doing plays, too. CDs, agents and managers really do scout those all the time and there’s [more decent theatre going on in LA than the stereotype would indicate.](http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/secret-agent-man/doing-l-theater-may-get-you-agent/)