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Q&A #4
No, and for good reason. This is a long answer, but I promise it's worth the read!
The whole reason I built Cast98 was to make scheduling easier for directors - that's the original and still primary mission. In the beginning, I too thought a CSV import tool was the obvious place to start. But what quickly became apparent in the early days as I interviewed directors is that everyone has their own spreadsheet formatted in their own way and they've been doing it that way since the dawn of time.
So in practice, offering an import tool means establishing a universal format for CSV files (row headers, date formats, time formats, cast member names, assigned roles, groups and/or scenes, notations, blah blah blah). Each director would have to comb through their spreadsheet and make it conform to the established format. That's a lot of time you personally would have to spend (probably 4+ hours even for a small show) before you even get into Cast98, not to mention having to double-check it after the import to make sure everything is in order. This is decidedly NOT reducing the burden on directors but rather adding a new layer.
The much easier way - as it became clear to me trying to build the tools - is for you the director to simply ask your cast members to take 5 minutes and submit their conflict calendar (again) so that it gets into "the system we'll be using for the rehearsal schedule". You send that invitation (there's a template you can use in your shows's Director Tools > Email Templates), go have dinner, and by the time you return to your laptop most of your cast will be in the auditionee dashboard ready to go!
Plus, now that the performers have their own individual accounts and you've put them on your cast list, they can:
These are the glorious fringe benefits of including your cast and inviting them to use Cast98, and it's really no surprise these are the most popular features on the platform.
I guarantee you'll save time in the long run - even if your current show is already past auditions. Still not convinced? Well then hopefully you'll come back when you're gearing up for next season!
Multiple show admin can work concurrently to manage auditions, build the rehearsal schedule, track attendance, and collaborate on rehearsal notes.
Nugget 5 of 7