It's a rap.

Now, what

it's curtain call

the final take, the closing night

party, the end of the project.

As actors, we pour our hearts into our

work.

And when that work wraps up, we're

often left with a cocktail of emotions,

pride

sadness, uncertainty, excitement and

even fear.

What happens when the thing you've

devoted your time, energy and soul to ends

today?

On casting actor's cast, we're diving

into the post project blues,

the thrill of completion

and how you can process the end of a

project in a way that fuels your

growth, both personally

and professionally.

Well, hello, and welcome to this

episode of casting.

Actress Cass.

I'm Jeffrey Dreisbach.

I'm a casting director with McCorkle

casting in New York.

How are you?

I hope you haven't.

A good day.

I'm really looking forward to this

project.

This project is

that we have to put ourselves through

when the show is over, because there's

all kinds of emotions that take place.

And sometimes you can use that

situation.

You find yourself in the show, closing

in a positive way that can actually

help propel you to the next right

thing.

But first, this is that moment of the

podcast, where I get to say thanks for

tuning in.

It's really great that you are here

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All of that really means the world to

me, because, you know, I am really

trying hard to make sure that I'm

giving you up to the minute information

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actor and now as a casting director.

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It does make a difference in terms of

me staying motivated to providing this information.

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All kinds of information there, not

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Get it.

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If you do, that that's going to open up

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By the way, I don't do anything with

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That's all I ask for.

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Again, it's a one hour course in six

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That's available for you as well.

Please do check that out.

All right, let's talk about this.

Let's talk about why the ending of a

project

really does hit hard.

Sometimes

let's just make it make sense.

First of all, acting is emotionally

immersive,

right?

We put a lot of time and energy into

it, so that endings of that feel very personal.

Also, you've built a temporary home.

You've built a home with cast and crew.

And the creative routine

speaks for itself.

There's something

so forward feeling about that.

The drrenoline rush, the excitement and

the new relationships can really

be challenging when you know they're

coming to a close.

We also know that the rhythm of work

provides structure,

it provides

belonging and the validation that you

get when you're working with other professionals

on a project.

And of course, that means that the end

can trigger all kinds of identity.

Question

you might say, and I know I did this as

an actor.

I would often say, now, who am I now

that the show is over, what do I have

to do now?

Sort of dreading what's coming next?

There's all kinds of mixed emotions.

And here are some that actors commonly

face.

I know I did one.

There is a grieving period, or mourning

period, especially when the project was

really fulfilling it, something that

you really enjoyed, something that really

tapped into that core creativity

part of you that's really tough.

Allow yourself that grief or that

morning period it's really ok.

And then, like I just said, there's

that fear of the unknown?

I've often said this, ok, when is my

next job going to show up?

When will I work again?

That is a very difficult

hurdle, I think, to overcome sometimes,

because it's the end of something

wonderful, going back into the unknown

future that actors often face.

Then I also think there's loneliness.

It's like when you lose a tight knit

crew or tightness cast, or a caste that

works so well together that you really

cared about.

That dynamic,

is something to really feel the loss

of.

Because that doesn't happen in every

show, I can tell you that.

But there are those shows of those very

specific experiences that sometimes

really bring you so close together.

And now that's going to be over.

That's tough

now.

You also might be experiencing some

exhilaration

or a sense of relief.

You might feel, pride in finishing

strong,

or really

relief that you've overcome a

challenge, that that role, or that

performance was asking of you,

that's something to be celebrated.

Then guess what happens?

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00:07:15,1 --> 00:07:16,336

Then we feel guilty

for feeling down.

I should be grateful.

Why do I feel empty

that's a phrase I've often said myself.

Perhaps you've said that as well.

I think it's valuable to really

discuss why these feelings are normal

in the first place.

Please know that the human brain craves

continuity

and endings.

The ending of a show, the ending of a

shoot,

endings disrupt that sense of

continuity.

Because connection

and purpose, they are core emotional

needs.

Both of those things are fulfilled by a

project.

There's something very whole, very

healthy about being in a project that

does so much for you emotionally.

I know that there are many actors who

go through a kind of emotional whiplash.

After intense work ends,

they're happy, and then they're lost,

and then they're sad, and then they're

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00:08:24,838 --> 00:08:25,5

angry.

See, these emotions reflect

investment,

not weakness.

It's not a weakness to have those

feelings.

It literally is an investment.

So how do we make the most out of a

project's conclusion?

I've got the answer to that right after

this.

So welcome back talking about the

closing of a project.

Whether it's the closing night of a

show or the closing night of a film, we

need to talk about how to make the most

out of a project's conclusion.

I think we can divide that into two

separate sections, one personally,

the other professionally.

So personally,

I think it's time to reflect.

I suggest you journal

or

talk to somebody about what you've

learned, what you've loved, what you overcame.

Also don't forget about rest.

You must allow for decompression.

Time

burnout can show up after the show is

closed,

many times over.

I don't know about you, but I always

felt like that's when I got the flu.

Ha, ha, that's what I got.

The cold is when the show is over.

It's almost like my body needed some

kind of forced

statement about getting additional rest.

Another thing to think about, I guess,

is to ritualize

closure.

You see, acknowledging the ending

with some kind of a gesture or

activity, for example,

a solo toast to yourself.

Maybe there's a keepsake from the show

that you put into a scrapbook, like the program.

You could have a talisman for each

show, that it could be a stone,

could be a rock, it could be a key, it

could be whatever you want it to be.

But having some kind of a ritual

is really a healthy way to process

that period of the show closing.

And then also, at a personal level

celebrate yourself.

Don't wait for others to validate

your achievement.

Do it yourself,

really sit with that wonderful

feeling of accomplishment,

of completing the run of a show or the

chute schedule.

Now let's talk about professionally,

I think

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00:11:00,93 --> 00:11:00,260

always.

Thank you.

Notes are a really good idea.

If you could send a thoughtful message

to a director,

to the crew, to other caste members,

that goes a long way, not just for

them, it makes them feel good that

you're acknowledging them.

That's great.

But also for you,

knowing that that is part of the

process of when a show closes.

Can feel

you can get a lot of closure, is what I

really want to say.

You can really get a sense of

shutting the door on that chapter.

But you're not shutting it harshly.

You're shutting it quietly and gently.

Also, professionally speaking.

Good news.

Now it's time to update your resume,

your demo real.

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00:11:43,870 --> 00:11:45,5

I think you should use footage.

Or if you've got some really good

stills from a live stage production,

that might be something that you want

to post, that might be something that

you want to acknowledge on social

media.

If those things are available, use that

footage.

Use those skills and obviously

have something for your demo real.

It gives you a project to help that

transformative

experience.

I think there's value also in requesting

or get some recommendations while the

work is fresh.

That's going to help you stay connected.

I would

caution you about not letting

relationships

fade.

I think there's value in nurturing

them.

Now I know that after a show closed,

many, many times I made the mistake

of just moving on, not really spending

much time with the caste that I had had

that experience with.

I regret it.

Now I regret that I didn't stay more

connected.

Now there are some actors that I know

that absolutely stay totally connected,

and they really do nurture those

relationships.

I don't know.

Maybe it was my ego,

maybe it was just my

method of leaving one project so that I

could move toward another.

I'm not really sure what the psychology

is of that.

But, like I said, there's a level of

regret.

One of the things that I didn't think

of is, now that I think about it, it's

really ok to ask for feedback.

If it's appropriate.

Why don't you just talk to some of your

fellow caste members?

From that production and find out how

you were perceived.

Was there something that was revealing

about you or your personality?

And that might help you to move to the

next step, which is

reframing

your ending of that show or that shoot

as a launchpad.

What do I mean by that?

You see, every ending is a space for a

new beginning.

I think it's valuable to consider

that it's a moment to reconnect

with your long term goals.

Did that show align with your longer

term goals?

If not, now it's time to get realigned.

Also, let go of the fear mindset,

if you can adopt a

what's next.

Be curious,

be excited about future potential

opportunities.

You've got that much life experience

under your belt.

Now you can

parley that work experience that you

just had into the next best, right thing?

Please remember that jobs end,

but I know that your artistry continues.

Creativity

is something that, despite your best

efforts,

is something that's always going to be

there.

So here's some closing thoughts and my

call to action.

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Please know that endings are emotional,

but they can also be empowering.

What was the last project you had a

hard time letting go of.

Let me know why.

Don't you share that with me, casting

actors cast a Gmail dot com.

Or you could fill out the form and

write to me there on the website,

casting actor's cast dot com.

Drop me a message.

As a community, if we could build a

space to celebrate

not fear it,

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00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:35,1

you're going to be a much better actor

for.

Because why.

You did the work,

you told the story,

you earned the applause.

Now

carry that

into your next adventure.

Please give it a shot.

I hope you found this helpful.

Once again, if you liked what you

heard, please let me know.

Please leave me alike a share.

Share it with somebody that might be

might benefit from hearing this message.

Also, once again, if you could leave a

review.

It tunes, especially, although any

place that could review the show means

so much to me, and I look forward to

the next

really cool episode of casting

actor's.

dries back.

Every one