I’m going to say something that might rub a few casting directors the wrong way.
I don’t think casting director workshops are worth it.
There. I said it.
And before anyone comes for me, this isn’t because I don’t value casting directors. Of course I do. I’ve been working as a TV and film actress for over 20 years. Casting directors are a huge part of our industry, and building relationships with casting is important.
But I think we need to be really honest about why actors attend casting director workshops in the first place.
We go because we want to be seen.
We hope the casting director likes us, remembers us and, somewhere down the line, thinks of us for a role.
Yes, learning something along the way is a lovely bonus. But if we are being completely honest with ourselves, that isn’t usually the main reason we booked the workshop.
And that is exactly where I think the problem begins.
What is the point of a casting director workshop?
If your main objective is to get in front of a casting director who hasn’t seen you before, then essentially you are introducing yourself professionally.
So my question is:
Do you really want that introduction to happen in circumstances you don’t fully control?
Because I don’t.
When I send a self-tape for an actual role, I know what I’m auditioning for. I can prepare the scene, make choices, understand the tone and present an interpretation of a character that I genuinely believe I could play.
At a casting director workshop, you may not have that luxury.
And if the entire reason you are there is to make a casting director remember you, I would want them to remember me doing something that represents me at my absolute best.
Casting directors are not necessarily directors
This is another slightly controversial one, but hear me out.
Most casting directors are not directors.
And that is absolutely fine, because directing actors isn't their job.
Casting and directing are different skills.
I’ve realised this even more since running my weekly Screen Acting GYM. Directing an actor well is actually bloody difficult.
It requires practice. You need to know how to communicate an idea without confusing the actor. You need to understand what isn't working, why it isn't working and, crucially, how to communicate an adjustment that might actually unlock something.
Sometimes the direction you give one actor would be completely useless to another.
It is a skill.
But in a casting director workshop, the casting director is often put into a position where they are effectively directing actors because everyone is working on scenes and expecting feedback.
Personally, if my primary goal is screen acting training, I would rather work with somebody whose job in that room is specifically to help develop my performance.
If my primary goal is to meet a casting director, then I would rather think carefully about what I want that casting director to see.
The biggest problem: you might be completely wrong for the scene
This is probably my biggest issue with casting director workshops.
The material.
I've heard of plenty of workshops where actors are sent a selection of scenes and told to choose whichever one they want to perform.
That sounds reasonable.
Until none of them suit you.
I was talking to an actress recently who had exactly this experience. She is very castable, but she looked through the scenes provided for a casting director workshop and didn't feel that any of them really suited her.
She picked one because, well... she had to pick something.
She didn't particularly connect with the character. She didn't feel naturally right for the role. She wasn't excited about the material.
And guess what happened?
She didn't perform particularly well.
She came away feeling really shit about herself and unhappy with the feedback she had received.
And I remember thinking: but what exactly have we proved here?
If I gave myself a scene written for a character I would never realistically be cast as, I might be terrible in it too.
That doesn't necessarily tell you whether somebody is a good actor.
Casting matters.
Good acting doesn't mean being right for every role
This is something I talk about constantly with actors.
Being a good actor does not mean being equally convincing in every single role.
Part of becoming more confident as a screen actor is understanding where you naturally fit and then expanding from there.
If I am choosing material for an actor, I think about their casting, playing age, energy and what I actually believe they could realistically walk onto a professional set and play.
That doesn't mean we never challenge ourselves. Of course we should.
But there is a difference between training outside your comfort zone and introducing yourself professionally to someone who could potentially employ you.
Those are two very different situations.
Do you want a casting director seeing your work in progress?
A workshop is supposed to be a place to experiment.
To make mistakes.
To try something, get redirected and try again.
That is exactly what a good acting class should allow you to do.
But that creates a strange contradiction when the person running the workshop is also somebody you desperately want to impress.
Do you actually feel free to fail?
Because I wouldn't.
And more importantly, is your work in progress really what you want a casting director to remember you for?
Personally, no.
If a casting director is seeing me for the first time, I want as much control as reasonably possible over that introduction.
I want to choose the material.
I want to understand the tone.
I want the character to make sense for my casting.
I want the performance to represent what I can actually do.
So how do you get casting directors to notice you?
This is where I think actors can be much more strategic.
Especially if you don't have an established agent regularly getting you into rooms.
Start researching.
Look at the casting directors you genuinely want to work with and look at what they actually cast.
Not just one production. Look for patterns.
Do they regularly cast gritty TV drama?
Medical dramas?
Comedy?
Crime?
Period drama?
Very naturalistic independent films?
Then ask yourself:
What could I create that allows them to see me in that world?
If somebody regularly casts medical drama and that is where you realistically see yourself working, create a strong medical scene.
Get yourself some scrubs. They cost about a tenner.
Suddenly they don't have to make quite such a big imaginative leap.
If somebody regularly casts dry British comedy, don't send them a massive over-the-top sitcom performance just because it is technically "comedy."
Create something that shows you understand the tone of the work they actually cast.
This is something I believe strongly about when creating showreel or Tape REEL material for actors.
Don't just show people that you can act. Show them where they could cast you.
Your self-tape can be a marketing tool
Actors often think about self-tapes purely as auditions.
I don't.
I think a really good self-tape can also be a marketing tool.
You can create material specifically designed to show casting what you do well.
And unlike a workshop, you control the narrative.
You choose the scene.
You choose the character.
You choose the genre.
You choose the take.
You choose what they see.
That, to me, is much more powerful.
Keep it SHORT
If you are going to approach a casting director with footage, please don't send them a four-minute scene and expect them to sit down with a cup of tea and watch the whole thing.
They might.
But I wouldn't build my strategy around that possibility.
Instead, find the golden moment.
Honestly, 15 seconds can be enough.
Give them a tiny moment that makes them curious about you.
Then, if they want more, make it incredibly easy for them to find the full scene through your Spotlight profile, showreel or wherever you professionally host your footage.
You don't necessarily need someone to watch three minutes of you acting.
You need them to watch long enough to think:
Oh. Who's that?
That is a very different objective.
Are casting director workshops ever useful?
Of course, some actors will have brilliant experiences at casting director workshops.
You might connect with somebody. You might receive genuinely useful feedback. You might learn something about that casting director's process. And yes, perhaps they might remember you later.
I'm not saying nobody should ever attend one.
I'm saying that for me personally, the risk-to-reward doesn't make sense.
If I want to learn how a casting director works, there are interviews, podcasts, Q&As and industry events where I can listen to them talk about their process.
If I want to train, I want to train somewhere where I'm allowed to experiment, fail and develop without worrying about whether the person watching might be casting a BBC drama next Tuesday.
And if I want to introduce myself to a casting director professionally, I would rather do it strategically with material that actually represents me.
Control the narrative
Ultimately, this is what it comes down to for me.
As actors, there is SO much about this industry that we cannot control.
We can't control what productions are casting.
We can't control whether our agent gets us an audition.
We can't control who else is being considered.
We can't control whether the director suddenly decides the character should be ten years older.
But we can control how we present ourselves.
So when you have that opportunity, use it.
Know your casting. Understand the kind of work you want to be considered for. Create footage that supports it. And make it as easy as possible for casting to imagine you doing the job.
That, personally, is where I would put my energy — rather than hoping I happen to get the right scene, on the right day, in front of the right casting director.
And if you're trying to create footage that shows casting where you actually fit, that's exactly what I focus on with my Tape REEL for Actors service. If you want somewhere to keep developing the actual craft — where you're allowed to experiment, get redirected and occasionally get it completely wrong — that's what my weekly Screen Acting Classes in London are for.
Sending you a BIG HUG,
Natalia
Owning It Acting Studio
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