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PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT WORKSHOPS

When you decide whether or not to attend a cold-reading workshop, we would like to make certain that you understand what a workshop does and does not provide. You are very likely aware of the following information, but we want to make sure that there is no confusion about what the role of a cold-reading workshop is.

Our cold reading workshop consists of a program of approximately two hours during which 16-26 actors will be paired and have an opportunity to read brief script excerpts with a limited opportunity to rehearse. The reading will take place before the other actors and an industry professional. Most often the industry professional is a casting director. There will be a question and answer session and an opportunity to obtain feedback on the readings.

A cold-reading workshop does provide these benefits:

Practice of and feedback with respect to cold reading skills in a situation which approximates actually reading for a role;

Demystifying the process of obtaining employment with a production company;

Learning what casting directors look for in auditions; and

Networking with other actors.

We do audition actors before they participate in any workshops. We reject a majority of those who seek to participate in workshops. This audition process is intended to make sure that individuals who attend workshops will benefit from the workshops and that attendees will interact with others of comparable ability. This audition process is also intended to limit the risk that an individual will derive little benefit from attending a workshop. It is very important to realize that we do not screen participants in workshops to correspond with any role for which a casting director may seek an actor in the future.

We like to have as guests those individuals who are actively working as casting directors as they are best in a position to provide feedback and answer your questions about the industry. It is very important to be aware that casting directors participate in workshops as individual professionals and do not participate as representatives of any production company or other organization.

We do not procure or attempt to procure employment for actors. Actors are not hired out of workshops in the sense that a casting director uses a workshop to audition actors for particular roles. When we invite a casting director to attend a workshop, we do not attempt to determine for what roles a casting director is or will be seeking actors. We are not, in any regard, a representative of any production company.

It may be helpful for you to understand how actors are generally hired when deciding whether or not to attend a cold-reading workshop. There are many paths by which actors are hired for productions. These include:

Requests by the producer or director;
Having been seen in another role or been previously cast by the casting director;
Referrals by others in the industry;
Reference to The Academy Players’ Directory (published by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences);
Submission by a prominent agent or manager upon the agent’s or manager’s review of a breakdown or upon inquiry from a casting director;
Submission by lesser agents or managers or teachers;
Submission by the actor by post card, mail submission of headshot and resume, and other unsolicited submissions;
Observation of the actor in theatre, at industry events, and learning about an actor through other means.

Casting directors screen and audition actors for roles but casting directors do not, generally, have the unilateral authority to hire actors. When a casting director needs to fill a role, and the casting director believes an actor might fill that role, the casting director will generally call that actor back for an audition. If the audition goes well, the actor is generally recommended to the director or producer of the project. The director or producer generally makes the ultimate decision of who will be chosen to play a role.

It is very helpful to have an agent who can assist you in finding and negotiating the terms of any engagement which you may be offered. Agents do vary greatly in their effectiveness. We do not consult with actors as to what appropriate terms of employment may be.

We are proud of the fact that many workshop participants have gone on to be successful actors. We like to think that we contributed in some manner to that success. Most successful actors pursue engagements through several of the paths that are discussed above. Many actors have succeeded without attending cold-reading workshops.

You are ultimately and inevitably responsible for deciding how to pursue your career as an actor. We hope that this explanation will be of value to you in deciding how to do so.

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