Workshop report--

"We will work, and I mean work, on your cold readings. If you're here to audition for me to get a part in our next series, then you are here for the wrong reason."

And so there I sat, for the wrong reason. At least it was a free workshop -- my complimentary first workshop/showcase at Take One Studios.

The format of the evening was first question-and-answer. That lasted about 45 minutes (until 8:30 p.m. or so). He said he likes agents to call the next day for feedback. Always pick up the script or sides the night before an audition. Some shows will simply not call in non-union actors. Buy into AFTRA. (He was very emphatic about that.) Don't change anything if you get called back. Be nice to everyone you meet. Send postcards if you're in anything or change agents, address, etc. And other stuff.

So, at 8:30, we all got scene partners and scenes. Off we went to prepare. At 9 p.m. we returned and settled in for a long adventure. Everyone did their scene twice, with ample comments and coaching after each one. The first four people to go were simply, absolutely, completely horrendous, as well. Things didn't look good. But talent picked up after that and covered a wide range from painful to decent.

After we did our scene a couple of times, Paul confronted me about my "method" work; he could see that a lot was going on mentally, but I wasn't getting the joke right. He ended this by asking, "Do you have a problem with comedy?" To which I put a sidelong, pained glance on my face and said, "No," which he didn't believe because of my posturing. I argued that "I've done a lot of comedy in my day...back in my heyday." He let it go at that, saying I should be willing to explore more. I said I thought my character was the straight man, he said "Yeah, but he's still a funny guy," to which I replied, "Well, if you cast it, give me a call, I'll be funny." He laughed and complimented my work and I smiled and uttered a hesitant, "Thank you," which also caught him off-guard, prompting him to say, "There's something about this guy."

At the end of the night I said, "Thanks a lot, Paul, for the workshop." To which he looked me square in the eye and said, "Nice work." Was he complimenting me or was it generic? Don't know.

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