# Backstage Casting Scraper (`piotrv1001/backstage-casting-scraper`) Actor

The Backstage Casting Scraper extracts casting calls from Backstage.com, capturing titles, companies, union status, compensation and pay rates, descriptions, genres, shooting locations, submission requirements and details — ideal for talent agents, casting research and entertainment market analysis.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/piotrv1001/backstage-casting-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [FalconScrape](https://apify.com/piotrv1001) (community)
- **Categories:** Jobs, Agents, Automation
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $5.00 / 1,000 casting calls

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

### 🎬 Backstage Casting Scraper

Extract **casting calls, roles, and audition details from Backstage.com** at scale. The **Backstage Casting Scraper** turns public casting notices into clean, structured JSON — every role, pay rate, union status, location, and submission count in one place.

Perfect for **talent agents, casting researchers, entertainment analysts, and actors** who want to monitor the casting market without clicking through hundreds of listings.

### ✨ Features

-   🎭 **Full casting call data** – Title, production company, contact, union status, compensation, description, production info, contract details, posting/expiry dates, and more.
-   🎯 **Every role, nested** – Each casting call includes all its roles with name, description, gender, age range, ethnicities, role type, required skills, pay rate, submission requirements, and application counts.
-   📍 **Locations & auditions** – City, state, and country for both shooting and audition locations.
-   🔍 **Two ways to run** – Auto-scrape the newest casting calls, or pass specific casting call URLs.
-   ⚡ **Fast & reliable** – Runs behind rotating proxies to fetch data consistently and at scale.

### 🛠️ How to use the Backstage Casting Scraper

1. **Set how many calls to scrape** – Enter a number in **Max items** (default 50), or paste specific casting call URLs.
2. **Run the Actor** – Click **Start**. The scraper collects the newest casting calls automatically.
3. **Export your data** – Download the results as JSON, CSV, Excel, or HTML, or pull them via the Apify API.

### 🔧 Input

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| **Casting call URLs** (`startUrls`) | Optional. Specific Backstage casting call URLs to scrape (e.g. `https://www.backstage.com/casting/some-title-123456/`). Leave empty to scrape the newest calls automatically. |
| **Max items** (`maxItems`) | Maximum number of casting calls to scrape. Default: `50`. |
| **Proxy configuration** (`proxyConfiguration`) | Proxy settings. The default works for most runs. |

### 📊 Sample Output Data

Each item is one full casting call with all of its roles:

```json
{
    "url": "https://www.backstage.com/casting/im-a-star-short-film-2779261/",
    "id": 2779261,
    "title": "im a star - short film",
    "productionCompany": "Instant friends productions",
    "primaryContactVerificationStatus": "Background Checked",
    "unionStatusDisplay": "Nonunion",
    "compensationDisplay": "Unpaid",
    "productionInfo": "Newark, NJ, UNCERTAIN DATES : END MAY EARLY JUNE.",
    "posted": "2024-03-03T20:43:22Z",
    "expires": "2028-02-01T04:59:00Z",
    "acceptingSubmissions": true,
    "productionTypes": ["Student Film"],
    "genres": ["Drama", "Teen/Young Adult"],
    "locations": [{ "city": "Newark", "state": "NJ", "country": "United States" }],
    "rolesCount": 3,
    "roles": [
        {
            "name": "ECHO",
            "description": "23, LEAD ROLE — personifying pessimism, procrastination, and fear into the face of chaos.",
            "genderDisplay": "Female",
            "ageRangeDisplay": "18+",
            "ethnicitiesDisplay": "All Ethnicities",
            "roleTypeDisplay": "Lead",
            "submissionRequiresDisplay": "Headshot/Photo, Video Reel",
            "totalApplicationCount": 3,
            "totalPayDisplay": "Unpaid"
        }
    ]
}
````

### 🧾 Output data fields

| Field | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `title`, `productionCompany`, `primaryContact` | Casting call name and who posted it |
| `unionStatusDisplay`, `compensationDisplay` | Union status and pay summary |
| `description`, `productionInfo`, `contractDetails` | Full text details of the project |
| `posted`, `expires`, `acceptingSubmissions` | Posting lifecycle |
| `productionTypes`, `genres` | Project categorization |
| `locations`, `auditionLocations` | Where it shoots and auditions |
| `payRateMinimum`, `payRateMaximum`, `totalPayDisplay` | Compensation details |
| `roles[]` | Every role: name, description, gender, age range, ethnicities, role type, skills, pay, submission requirements, application counts |

### 💵 Pricing

This Actor uses the **pay-per-event** pricing model: you pay **$0.005 per casting call** scraped. A default run of 50 calls costs about **$0.25**; 1,000 calls costs about **$5**. There is no fixed start fee — you only pay for the data you get.

### 💡 Tips

- Start with a small **Max items** value to preview the data, then scale up.
- To track specific productions, pass their casting call URLs in **Casting call URLs**.
- Schedule the Actor to run daily and feed new casting calls into your own database or CRM via the Apify API and integrations.

### ❓ FAQ

**Is scraping Backstage legal?**
This Actor collects only publicly available casting call data. As with any scraping, you are responsible for how you use the data and for complying with Backstage's Terms of Service and applicable laws. It does not collect data behind logins.

**Why are some casting calls missing roles or pay?**
Not every casting call lists every field — the Actor returns whatever the listing publicly provides.

**Can I get talent profiles too?**
This Actor focuses on casting calls (the jobs) and their roles. For other data needs, open an issue on the Actor's Issues tab.

### 🆘 Support

Found a bug or need an extra field? Open an issue on the **Issues** tab and we'll take a look.

# Actor input Schema

## `startUrls` (type: `array`):

Specific Backstage casting call URLs to scrape (e.g. https://www.backstage.com/casting/some-title-123456/). Leave empty to automatically scrape the newest casting calls.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of casting calls to scrape.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Proxy settings. Defaults work for most runs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "startUrls": [],
  "maxItems": 50,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "startUrls": []
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("piotrv1001/backstage-casting-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "startUrls": [] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("piotrv1001/backstage-casting-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "startUrls": []
}' |
apify call piotrv1001/backstage-casting-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=piotrv1001/backstage-casting-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Backstage Casting Scraper",
        "description": "The Backstage Casting Scraper extracts casting calls from Backstage.com, capturing titles, companies, union status, compensation and pay rates, descriptions, genres, shooting locations, submission requirements and details — ideal for talent agents, casting research and entertainment market analysis.",
        "version": "0.0",
        "x-build-id": "zoPzHzIfembQNbgie"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/piotrv1001~backstage-casting-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-piotrv1001-backstage-casting-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/piotrv1001~backstage-casting-scraper/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-piotrv1001-backstage-casting-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/piotrv1001~backstage-casting-scraper/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-piotrv1001-backstage-casting-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "startUrls": {
                        "title": "Casting call URLs",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Specific Backstage casting call URLs to scrape (e.g. https://www.backstage.com/casting/some-title-123456/). Leave empty to automatically scrape the newest casting calls.",
                        "items": {
                            "type": "object",
                            "required": [
                                "url"
                            ],
                            "properties": {
                                "url": {
                                    "type": "string",
                                    "title": "URL of a web page",
                                    "format": "uri"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    },
                    "maxItems": {
                        "title": "Max items",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Maximum number of casting calls to scrape.",
                        "default": 50
                    },
                    "proxyConfiguration": {
                        "title": "Proxy configuration",
                        "type": "object",
                        "description": "Proxy settings. Defaults work for most runs.",
                        "default": {
                            "useApifyProxy": true,
                            "apifyProxyGroups": [
                                "RESIDENTIAL"
                            ]
                        }
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```