Post-Op

Production Company
Rain Castle Productions
Producer(s)
Jesse Pickett & Brigitte Patenaude
Director(s)
Jesse Pickett
Casting Director(s): 
Jesse Pickett & Brigitte Patenaude
Union Status
UBCP/ACTRA or Equivalent
Project Type
Film
Student Production
No
Compensation Details

Paid. Low-budget short film. Rates vary from role to role and will be discussed with eligible applicants.

Audition Location
Online-only
Shoot / Performance Date(s)
August 17th & 18th
Shoot / Performance Location(s)
Vancouver, BC
Submission Deadline
Saturday, April 25, 2026
Submission Instructions

Please email your headshot, CV, and demo reel (if available) to castingpostopshortfilm@gmail.com.

Include the character name you would like to audition for in the subject line of the email. Please do not email us if you are not available for the shoot dates list.

We are accepting Union and Non-Union Applications.

Project Synopsis
After returning home from a rainy walk, Jo vents to her partner about the frustrating ways their friends have responded to her difficult recovery from neck surgery. Moments later, she walks into the living room to find those same friends waiting to surprise her with a birthday party. Forced to spend the evening surrounded by the very people she has just criticized, Jo struggles to contain her discomfort until the situation finally erupts.
Additional Information & Safety Protocols: 

FOR THE CHARACTER JO -- there will implied nudity. Before she walks into the surprise party, she takes off some of her wet clothes in the hallway. This will involve coverings for the chest. We will have an intimacy coordinator on set for this. We will not be showing any explicit nudity on screen. However, the successful candidate should be aware of this information prior to applying for this position.

Additionally, she sits on the toilet to pee. However, this will be framed out of the shot and the actor will be able to wear shorts or something similar to imply they are actually peeing.

FOR ALL ACTORS - this film is going to be shot in one continuous takes. 12 pages. Please be aware of this prior to applying for this production. We are looking for actors who are comfortable and confident with this type of project.

Character 1
Jo
Age
30s
Gender
Female
Description
Jo is recovering from neck surgery that has left her in constant pain and increasingly frustrated with how others respond to it. Alone in the hallway with Erik, she candidly vents about the ways their friends minimize, reframe, or misunderstand what she’s going through. When she suddenly discovers those same friends have been hiding in the living room for a surprise birthday party, she’s forced to spend the evening face-to-face with the very people she has just criticized—trying to keep the peace while her resentment quietly builds.
Character 2
Liam
Age
30s
Gender
Male
Description
Liam is one of the friends Jo openly complains about moments before the surprise is revealed. Confident in his alternative health opinions, he repeatedly suggests Jo should never have had surgery and implies her suffering could have been avoided with better research. His smug certainty—and inability to recognize how hurtful he sounds—quickly proves Jo’s earlier frustrations correct.
Character 3
Amber
Age
30s
Gender
Female
Description
Amber is enthusiastic and determined to keep the party positive, even when the mood clearly isn’t. Earlier, Jo described feeling pressured by Amber’s constant “How are you doing?” check-ins, which seem to expect a positive answer. At the party, Amber continues trying to redirect any difficult conversation toward something lighter, unknowingly reinforcing exactly what Jo had just complained about.
Character 4
Graham
Age
30s
Gender
Male
Description
Graham arrives with Elise and approaches Jo with polite curiosity about her recovery. His questions about treatments and appointments come across as practical and reasonable, but they mirror the kind of conversations Jo had just been venting about moments earlier. Though well-meaning, he highlights how easily concern can slip into detached interrogation.
Character 5
Elise
Age
30s
Gender
Female
Description
Elise is warm, supportive, and quick to search for silver linings. Jo had just complained that Elise always tries to put a positive spin on her worsening condition, and Elise immediately does exactly that when they speak at the party. Her gentle attempts to focus on good walks, treats, or small comforts reveal how optimism can sometimes feel dismissive rather than helpful.
Additional Characters

Cindy
Cindy expresses her care through elaborate birthday cakes and thoughtful gestures. Unfortunately, Jo had just complained—without knowing Cindy was nearby—that the last thing she wanted was one of Cindy’s cakes. When the party is revealed and the comments ripple through the group, Cindy quietly retreats, hurt but trying not to make the moment worse.