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How Recast works
The permanent record gets built by the people closest to it. Here's how contributions work, what goes live and when, and how to get in touch when you need something we can't do through the normal tools.
The community model
Recast works like Wikipedia for live theater. There's no central editorial team deciding what goes in — the record gets built by the people closest to it: performers adding their own credits, audience members logging who they saw, and contributors filling in the gaps.
To make that work reliably, we sort contributions by trust. Someone who was in a show is the most reliable source for that show's cast. An audience member who was in the theater that night is a strong signal. Three audience members who independently agree on the same fact is almost certainly right. Admins can verify and approve anything.
That's the system — and it's designed to let accurate information surface quickly while keeping noise out.
Who can do what — the approval matrix
Every contribution on Recast falls into one of these buckets:
| What you're doing | You are… | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Editing cast for a show you're verified in | Verified performer | Live immediately |
| Adding a new show or credit | Verified performer | Live immediately |
| Submitting anything — profile, show, credit, cast change | Any signed-in user (not yet verified) | Enters review queue — usually approved within 24 hours |
| Suggesting a cast change for a show you're not in | Verified performer | Enters review queue — a moderator approves before it goes live |
| Reporting who was on for a specific performance | 3+ signed-in users, same change, within 30 days | Auto-approves |
| Approving any pending change | Admin | Live immediately |
One rule that applies everywhere: only an actor can edit their own profile content — bio, photos, social links. The community can say “this person played this role on this night.” They can't say anything about who that person is.
What’s on the site — and what isn’t yet
When we add a show to Recast, we start from the current production going forward. The cast list reflects who's in the show now, and from that point on, performance-by-performance data can be logged by the community.
Historical data — who was in the cast for a specific performance two, five, or ten years ago — is a separate challenge. We want it. Accurate historical records are hard to find, and we'd rather have nothing than have something wrong. So for now, most shows are forward-looking from the date they were added.
That said, we're actively working to change this — and that work is going to be driven by the community.
If you have access to accurate historical performance data— old programs you've saved, cast sheets, a spreadsheet you've been keeping for years, a run-of-show archive — we want to hear from you. Get in touch and we'll work with you directly to incorporate it. This is exactly the kind of contribution that makes Recast useful not just for tracking shows going forward, but for actors filling in their career history and fans looking back at everything they've ever seen.
Can’t figure it out? Just ask.
The contribution system handles most things. But sometimes you need something that falls outside the normal flow: a show needs to be merged, a performance date needs correcting, a duplicate needs removing, or a data change needs to be made that the tools don't currently support.
We can make changes directly to the database. If you're stuck, or if the normal contribution tools aren't getting you where you need to go, just reach out. There are real people on the other side.
We read every message and we'll get back to you.
More questions?
The About page covers the bigger picture — what Recast is, who it's for, and what's coming next.
Anything else, drop us a line at recast.show/contact. We read every message.