Everyone working in theatre deserves proper credit

Curtain Call’s co-founders on why everyone working in theatre deserves to take a bow

In a previously published article, The Stage asked why actors and crew are rarely given proper credit for their work. 

Actor Paul Clayton highlighted that at the end of TV programmes, the credits are typically shrunk to an unreadable size, while few theatres besides the National and RSC provide free cast lists.

He’s absolutely right, it’s a disgrace that so many audience members never even know the names of those who are providing them with such  high quality  entertainment.

A major reason we built Curtain Call was so that everyone working in  theatre  could take a bow. And when we say everyone, we mean everyone, from the actors and stagehands to the producers and casting directors. 

We  realise  that theatre is a collaborative  artform ,  and websites that only list actors are only telling half the story. So our show pages list everyone together, with equal prominence. 

In the coming  weeks  we’ll be relaunching the website with a range of features we have been building in consultation with professionals across the theatre industry. We can’t wait to unveil them, and hope they will  revolutionise  the way that productions are cast and managed.

We’ve been called the ‘IMDb of theatre’. In time we hope to live up to that tag by building a comprehensive database of every individual who works in the industry. 

So please sign up today – it’s free to create a profile – and help us to ensure that everyone can take a bow.

– John Schwab and Matt Humphrey, Curtain Call co-founders