Helping Actors Prepare Smarter, Perform Truthfully & Build Lasting Careers
Jeff Dreisbach

Here's a question actors ask me all the time. “Do you know a good acting teacher?” And I understand the question. But there's a problem with it. Good for what? Good for whom? Because the best acting teacher in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta—or wherever you happen to live—might be completely wrong for you. Not because they're a bad teacher. Because they're teaching something you don't need. Or teaching it in a way that doesn't communicate to you. Actors spend thousand

Actors spend an enormous amount of time trying to get an agent. And almost no time thinking about what happens after they get one. Which is interesting. Because getting an agent isn't the end of a problem. It's the beginning of a relationship. And relationships can be wonderful. They can be productive. They can change your career. And occasionally... they can make you stare at your phone and think: "Is this thing working?" An agent can be one of the most important professiona

Why Actors May Be Preparing Scenes Backwards There is something actors do all the time that I completely understand. They get a scene. They read it. They discover that something terrible has happened. And almost immediately they make a decision. “This is a sad scene.” Or— “This character is furious.” “This character is terrified.” “This character is heartbroken.” And then the preparation begins. How do I become heartbroken? How do I get angry enough? How do I make this feel m

Understanding the Person on the Other Side of the Audition PART ONE — THE STORIES WE TELL ABOUT CASTING I want to talk about casting directors today. Which, admittedly, is slightly dangerous territory for a casting director. Because whenever someone begins a conversation with— “Let me tell you what casting directors are really like…” I immediately think— Oh boy. Where is this going? But I want to approach this differently. I want to talk about something I’m calling Empathy Ca

PART ONE — WHEN THE CREATIVE LIGHT GOES OUT Let me ask you a question. And I don't mean this as a career question. I mean it as a human question. What happens to you when nobody is asking you to act? No audition. No callback. No rehearsal. No performance. Nobody needs a self-tape by Thursday. Nobody has sent you sixteen pages at eleven o'clock at night and cheerfully written, "Should be fun!" Nothing. What happens to you? Because I think something very interesting happens to

What the Camera Is Really Watching Have you ever heard someone say... "Film acting is all about the eyes." I certainly have. In fact... I've probably heard that sentence hundreds of times over the years. Teachers say it. Actors repeat it. Directors mention it. Casting directors occasionally say it. And every time I hear it... I quietly think... That's only half the story. Because your eyes... don't act. Your brain does. The eyes simply reveal... what the brain is doing. Let's

And What You're Missing Have you ever walked into a room... filled with actors... casting directors... agents... producers... and suddenly forgotten how to be yourself? It's remarkable how quickly it happens. Five minutes earlier... you were relaxed. Comfortable. Funny. You were simply another human being looking forward to an interesting evening. Then... you recognized someone. Immediately... your attention shifted. Not toward them. Toward yourself. What should I say? Should

What Actors Get Wrong About Confidence Have you ever noticed something strange about actors? We're told to become emotionally available... emotionally vulnerable... emotionally open. And then we're expected to develop a thick skin. We're supposed to feel everything... ...and somehow let nothing hurt us. Now that's quite a job description. So today, I'd like to explore something we hear all the time in acting classes, auditions, workshops—even from casting directors. "Just be

Rewiring Your Mindset for a Lasting Acting Career WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE AFTER FORTY YEARS The longer I've been in this business, the more my definition of success has changed. When I was younger, success looked like getting the job. Then it looked like getting the next job. Then it looked like building a career. Today... it looks a little different. Success is waking up excited to continue learning. Success is teaching someone else what you've learned. Success is still bein

Why Your Own Life Is Your Greatest Acting Resource THE GREATEST CASTING SECRET I CAN SHARE Before we begin , I'd like to share something from behind the casting table. Actors often ask me... "What are casting directors really looking for?" It's a fair question. And the answer surprises people. Yes... we're looking for talent. Yes... we're looking for preparation. Yes... we're looking for professionalism. But underneath all of that... we're looking for truth. Not perfection. T

Why the Biggest Auditions Should Feel Like the Smallest WHAT IF YOU'VE BEEN PREPARING FOR YEARS? I'd like to ask you one more question. What if this audition isn't the moment that determines your future? What if it's simply the latest opportunity to demonstrate everything you've already been building? Think about that. Every acting class. Every scene study. Every self-tape. Every play. Every commercial. Every callback. Every workshop. Every coaching session. Every time you st

The Secret That Keeps Audiences Riveted WHEN YOU FORGET YOURSELF... Some of the best moments you've ever experienced as an actor probably had something in common. You weren't thinking about yourself. You weren't wondering if you looked good. You weren't worried about whether the casting director liked you. You weren't judging your performance. You weren't trying to manufacture emotion. You simply... forgot yourself. You became absorbed in another person. Another objective. An

The Relationship Reset Every Actor Needs THE LONG GAME One of the greatest misconceptions actors have is believing that careers are built on one big break. I don't think they are. I think careers are built on hundreds... sometimes thousands... of very small moments. A great audition. A kind email. Showing up prepared. Learning someone's name. Remembering a birthday. Congratulating a fellow actor. Being the person everyone enjoys working with. These moments don't feel dramati

The New Paradigm for Actors What if one of the best things you could do for your acting career... was spend less time thinking about acting? Now before anyone drives off the road... hear me out. Because some of the healthiest, happiest, and most successful actors I've known had something surprising in common. Acting wasn't the only thing in their lives. Today we're talking about why becoming a more interesting human being may actually make you a better actor. INTRODUCTION Hel

Leaving Student Thinking Behind What if I told you one of the biggest obstacles in your acting career isn't your talent... isn't your training... isn't your agent... and isn't even your auditions? What if the thing holding you back is a grading system that doesn't exist anymore? Today we're talking about something I see every week. Actors who graduated years ago... sometimes decades ago... but are still living like they're waiting for someone to hand them a report card. And t

Why actors are not booking often comes down to audition choices, self-tape habits, and readiness. Here’s what casting actually sees.

Learn how to stop audition anxiety with practical tools actors can use before, during, and after auditions to stay focused and perform well.

Script analysis for actors turns pages into playable choices. Learn how to break down scenes, make strong decisions, and audition with confidence.

Learn how to do a cold read audition with clear prep, smart script choices, and simple techniques that help you stay confident and book more work.

The core principle behind behavior-driven acting Every scene is basically: “Please love me… forgive me… hire me… believe me… or text me back.” Congratulations. You now understand human civilization. Today we’re talking about one of the most important acting shifts actors can make. You are not there to present emotion. You are there to get something. INTRODUCTION Hello everyone and welcome back to Casting Actors Cast. Jeffrey Dreisbach here. And today we are discussing a major