Gettin' Work from Workshops...

So, as I sit back and watch Kaley Cuoco and Zooey Deschanel on their hit TV shows I wonder how they got there. Was it a family friend, tons of auditions, paying dues or just luck?  Are either of them related to Ron Howard or Brad Pitt?  Not to my knowledge but who knows? What  I DO know is the rest of us have to make it happen.  And I for one have no famous relatives and I don't live a pampered life. My Mom worked for the Department of Human Services  in Texas and my Dad was a truck driver.  I went to college, got a degree in theatre and a Masters in Acting and now I find myself in la la land. If it wasn't for workshops I would not know anyone and that is the truth.

Now, with that said I hear actors complain daily about the money they dish out to work with casting people.  Yep, I get it. I did too. Now in addition to workshops I spend money going to lunches and dinners and coffee and parties to foster the relationships I've already established. Are those things fun? Yes but they still cost money and it's still networking that I am paying for. Anyway you slice it you are a business and you must invest in yourself.  Here are my suggestions on making workshops work for you:

1. Meet people at least 3-4 times per year. Multi-week intensives are a GREAT way to really make a lasting connection and show them a variety of reads.  If not an intensive, hit them up every 3-4 months. They meet TONS of people. You have to remind them.
2. Prepared scenes are nice but I strongly feel cold reads are the way to really show them what you can do.  The scene you've been doing since college gets old. Also, I have had so many casting people complain to me about prepared scenes.  "They pick the wrong scenes for themselves," "that material shows me nothing about what they would do on MY show." If they don't know your material they find it difficult to re-direct you. They need to know you can rock it with their material and if they give you a re-direct you can handle it!  
3. Enjoy the classroom environment. We purposely push a classroom environment at our studio, www.yourstudioproductions.com,  because we are never too good to learn from others.  Get to know the actors around you. Listen to what the CD tells the other actors. Believe me, I have taken more workshops than I could possibly count. But I still enjoy sitting in, watching my colleagues, and learning from the guest. BE A SPONGE! Learn how to audition for THAT guest at THAT office. They are all different:)
4. Finally, pace yourself.  You don't have to take everything at once. Give yourself a budget and remember your goal should be to build a long-lasting relationship and learn something. If you expect every class to result in an immediate audition you are going to get angry and burned out 'cause it's probably not going to happen.  However, if you work on building a lasting relationship then it will happen. The credits I have are proof positive:)
Remember the squeaky wheel gets the grease and break a leg!