Casting Workshop in Sydney with Anousha Zarkesh of Anousha Zarkesh Casting

Sydney
The One Day

Casting Workshop

With Anousha Zarkesh

Friday 16 October 2026

A casting workshop in Sydney with Anousha Zarkesh, award‑winning casting director with over 25 years' experience across Australian film and television (Shayda, High Ground, Mystery Road, Total Control, Firebite, Cleverman). Spend the session working audition scenes in the room, with direct feedback and direction from one of the country's most respected casting directors.

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Anousha Zarkesh casting director headshot, leading the casting workshop in Sydney at The Actors Workout

Spend a focused six‑hour intensive in the room with a working casting director. The day opens with a round‑table discussion on the casting process and the audition room, before actors run pre‑prepared scenes under Anousha's direct guidance.

Led by Anousha Zarkesh, one of Australia's most respected and awarded casting directors, the session moves between open industry conversation and hands‑on scene work in a mock audition environment. You'll hear what casting directors actually look for, then put it straight into practice with real feedback and direction on the floor.

Australia has produced some extraordinary actors over the years who are now working globally and consistently doing great work. They are hardworking, intelligent, funny and self-deprecating, a pleasure to have on any production. Anousha Zarkesh

What to Expect

ROUND-TABLE DISCUSSION
Open, insightful conversation with Anousha on the casting process and what happens behind the scenes in the audition room.
PRE-PREPARED SCENE WORK
Run your prepared scenes under Anousha's direct guidance, with real‑time direction and adjustment on the floor.
MOCK AUDITION ENVIRONMENT
Step into a simulated audition setting and receive honest feedback on your performance from a working casting director.
INSIDE THE CASTING ROOM
Gain a clear insight into the casting process and how decisions are really made, drawn from 25+ years across feature film, drama and comedy.
CHARACTER AND AUTHENTICITY
Work on character analysis and finding emotional authenticity in performance, the qualities Anousha looks for when building a cast.
Q&A WITH A CASTING DIRECTOR
Ask your own questions about the industry, casting and performance, direct to Anousha.

Workshop Details

Format Six-hour intensive (round-table discussion and pre-prepared scene work)
Date Friday 16 October 2026
Time 10:00am to 4:00pm
Class Size Strictly limited to 14 actors
Investment $265 + GST
Location The Actors Workout, Ultimo Studio

Train with Anousha Zarkesh

Anousha Zarkesh is one of Australia's most respected casting directors, with over 25 years' experience across film and television. She began her career in theatre as a stage manager with the Australian Theatre for Young People, before moving into production with Cameron Mackintosh's company and finding her way into casting at Mullinars — the profession she has built her career around ever since. Her screen credits include Shayda, High Ground, Mystery Road, Sweet Country, Total Control, Firebite, Cleverman, Redfern Now and Rake, alongside Underbelly, Mabo and Jasper Jones.

In 2023, Anousha won the AACTA Award for Best Casting in Film for Shayda, following her earlier AACTA and Casting Guild of Australia wins for High Ground in 2021. Her work has been recognised with multiple Casting Guild of Australia Awards across film, drama and comedy categories throughout her career.

Anousha currently serves as Vice President of the Casting Guild of Australia and Vice President of Screen Illawarra, and sits on the CGA's Diversity and Inclusion Committee — reflecting her ongoing commitment to championing cultural diversity and Indigenous talent within the Australian screen industry.

Total Control series artwork, a production cast by Anousha Zarkesh, featured in her Sydney casting workshop at The Actors Workout
Mystery Road series artwork, a production cast by Anousha Zarkesh, featured in her Sydney casting workshop at The Actors Workout
Treasure & Dirt series artwork, a production cast by Anousha Zarkesh, featured in her Sydney casting workshop at The Actors Workout

Who Is This Workshop For?

This workshop is designed for actors with some level of training or on‑set experience who are ready to deepen their work alongside a professional casting director. It is not a beginner course. If you're newer to screen acting, our On‑Camera Foundations course is the better place to start.

The workshop is best suited to actors who want honest feedback on their work, a clearer audition technique, and the chance to do focused scene work with real direction. It's about deepening the work itself, not performing for approval. The presence of a casting director is not a guarantee or promise of employment.

Places Are Limited

The day is intentionally kept small to ensure every actor gets real time on the floor working scenes with Anousha, with meaningful feedback and direction. Places are strictly limited to 14 actors.

Complete the form below to apply for a place. While you wait to hear back, our weekly classes and other masterclasses are always running. See what's on.

Apply Here

Places are limited. Complete the form below to apply for a place.