About Parts Known

Parts Known is a professional platform for people who make live performance happen.

It brings together performers, creatives, backstage teams, writers, venues and companies in one place, using verified credits instead of flat, self-reported CVs.

Today, it's the best portfolio you've ever had.
Over time, it becomes a searchable record of the performing arts – and the infrastructure casting teams and organisations use to find you.

Why we're building this

Most performing-arts careers live across:

• PDF CVs and headshots
• Vimeo/YouTube links
• Instagram and scattered websites
• Emails and word-of-mouth

It's hard to keep updated, hard to verify and easy to overlook.

We think people who work in the performing arts deserve better:

• A single link that actually shows what you do
• A way to record every credit that matters, not just the prestigious ones
• A system that builds trust from verified work, not from paywalls or gatekeepers

Every credit you add to Parts Known doesn't just update your CV – it also strengthens a shared archive of who did what, where, and with whom.

Who Parts Known is for

Parts Known is for anyone who makes live performance happen – full-time professionals, semi-pros, students and committed hobbyists.

People

• Performers: actors, singers, dancers, musicians, comics, drag artists, physical performers, MCs and hosts
• Creatives: directors, choreographers, designers (set, sound, lighting, costume, video), musical directors, arrangers
• Production & backstage: stage managers, DSM/ASM, company managers, producers, technicians, operators, crew, FOH/venue tech
• Writers & composers: playwrights, bookwriters, lyricists, musical-theatre writers, composers, songwriters
• Multi-hyphenates & personas: artists with multiple hats, drag characters, bands and alter-ego projects

You don't have to make all your income from this work to belong here. If you're doing the work – whether that's community theatre, student shows, fringe festivals, touring, or major houses – Parts Known is for you.

Venues

• Theatres, studio spaces, black boxes
• Music venues, clubs, concert halls
• Arts centres, community venues, rehearsal studios
• Festival sites and pop-ups

Venues can list spaces, capacities, tech specs and equipment – and connect that infrastructure to the shows that happen there.

Groups & organisations

• Theatre and production companies
• Touring companies and collectives
• Youth theatres, drama and music schools, conservatoires
• Bands, ensembles, choirs, orchestras
• Festivals and producers

Groups use Parts Known to keep a living production archive and to post opportunities and casting calls.

How Parts Known works

Credits: more than a line on a CV

When you add a credit on Parts Known, you don't just type:

"HAMLET – Ophelia – 2023"

You connect:

• Who you were (you or one of your personas)
• What you did (role or job title)
• Which skills you used (e.g. puppetry, MD, follow-spot, stage combat, tap, live sound)
• What work it was (play, musical, concert, show)
• Which group produced it
• Which venue and space it played in
• When it happened
• Who else was involved – cast, band, creatives, crew

Colleagues who worked on the same production can then:

• Verify your credit
• Recommend you for the skills they saw you use

Over time, this builds a web of trust that's far more meaningful than a list of unverified bullet points.

Profiles, personas and lenses

Every user has a profile: a full picture of their work – credits, skills, media, reviews and testimonials.

On top of that, Parts Known supports two things that matter a lot in the performing arts:

Personas

One person can have multiple professional identities, for example:

• A drag character
• A band or artist name
• A pen name or stage name

Each persona has its own profile and credits, while still being managed by the same underlying user.

Lenses

A lens is a curated version of your profile for a specific purpose.

You might be:

• A puppeteer, scenic designer and stage manager
• But you primarily want to be seen as an actor-musician

With lenses you can create, for example:

• "Name – Actor-Musician"
• "Name – Scenic Designer"
• "Name – Musical Theatre Writer"

Each lens has its own URL and shows only the credits, skills and media that are relevant for that context.

One underlying career, many tailored CVs – all kept in sync.

For writers and composers

Parts Known treats works (plays, musicals, pieces, shows) as first-class citizens.

As a writer or composer, you can:

• Create pages for your works
• List productions, tours, readings and workshops
• Attach reviews, press and media
• Mark works as available for licensing, and make it easy for people to contact you or your licensing house

Anyone looking at a work can see:

• Where it's been produced
• How it was received
• How to license or commission it

For venues and companies

Venues

Venue pages can show:

• Spaces with capacities, layouts and tech specs
• Equipment and potential hire options
• A history of productions and events hosted

This helps:

• Artists and producers find suitable spaces
• Venues present a clear, up-to-date public face without rebuilding their website every time

Groups & organisations

Group pages become your living production archive:

• Past and current shows, tours, concerts
• Casts and creative teams
• Alumni and regular collaborators
• Current opportunities and casting calls

No more lost programmes or forgotten spreadsheets – everything is in one place and connected to the people who made it happen.

Verification, not gatekeeping

Parts Known is built on two principles:

1. Every genuine credit counts
   Community shows, youth theatre, student work, fringe, festivals, tours, major houses – they all belong in your history.
2. Trust comes from verification, not prestige
   We don't decide who is "legit." Instead, we let people who were there with you verify your credits and recommend your skills.

As the network grows, this creates a map of real experience and collaboration that casting teams and organisations can rely on.

Where this is going

Right now, Parts Known is in early access.

You can already:

• Build a rich, flexible portfolio
• Create lenses for different sides of your career
• Log credits that connect you to works, venues, groups and collaborators
• Start building your corner of the archive

As more people, venues and groups join, Parts Known will grow into:

• A casting and talent-search tool based on verified skills in context
• A way to discover works to license or programme
• A clearer picture of how the performing-arts ecosystem actually works

Early members are helping to shape that future.

Our promise

• No gatekeeping – if you did the work, you can list the work. Parts Known is for professionals, semi-pros, students and hobbyists alike. Community shows and youth theatre sit next to West End runs and tours; the point is that the record is honest.
• Independent, by design – Parts Known isn't built to extract money from performing arts professionals. We keep prices as low as we can while covering costs, and we'll always be transparent about that.
• Artist-first – you control your narrative and what's public.
• Built for the long term – this is infrastructure for the performing arts, not a short-term marketplace.

Join us

If you work in the performing arts – onstage, backstage, in the pit, at the desk or behind the scenes – Parts Known is for you.

Add a few key credits and start using your Parts Known link in your next email, application or bio. Every credit you add doesn't just help you; it strengthens the record of the work we all make together.