Call Policy.

Policy: Listings must offer compensation. Lanced does not host work that offers no compensation of any kind. Exposure, credit, experience, portfolio material and networking are not compensation.

We take this position because unpaid work is the most effective mechanism there is for excluding artists without private means from the profession. Every unpaid engagement narrows who gets to make work.

Policy: Compensation must be visible in the listing. Where an exact figure is not yet fixed, state a range. Where a range is not possible, state the basis on which the fee will be determined and why it cannot yet be given.

We strongly encourage ranges. Artists make real decisions on this information — whether to take days off other work, whether to book travel, whether the engagement is viable at all. Withholding it transfers the cost of that uncertainty onto the person least able to absorb it.

Policy: Compensation must not be exploitative in its local context.

Lanced does not set exact rates. We operate across multiple markets, and pay norms in the performing arts differ substantially between countries and between subsidised, commercial, independent and educational work. Rather than applying a single national standard, we monitor prevailing employment and fair practice standards across the markets we serve, and assess compensation against the context in which the work takes place.

When our team reviews compensation, we consider:

• whether compensation is stated clearly, or obscured;
• prevailing norms for that type of work in that market;
• the length, intensity and demands of the engagement;
• whether travel, accommodation and per diems are covered, or absorbed by the artist;
• whether the artist is expected to fund materials, costumes, equipment or travel to auditions;
• whether the production is a student, emerging-maker, independent or community project, and whether that context is disclosed;
• whether the organisation's resources are consistent with the fee offered.

The distinction we draw is not between high pay and low pay. It is between compensation that is transparent and proportionate to its context, and compensation that is exploitative.

A young collective offering a modest fee plus travel, stating plainly that this is a first production and what the financial situation is, is welcome on Lanced. An established, funded organisation offering the same fee without explanation is not.

Policy: You may not charge artists to apply, to audition, to be seen, to be included in a database, or to be considered for a role. This includes registration fees, administration fees, submission fees, showcase fees and workshop fees presented as a route to casting.

There is no version of this we accept. Charging artists for access to work inverts the entire relationship, and it is the mechanism through which much of the exploitation in this industry operates.

Policy: Listings must describe the role, the production, the requirements and the working conditions accurately, and in enough detail that an artist can make an informed decision about whether to apply.

At minimum, a listing should make clear:

• what the role is and what it involves;
• who is producing, directing or leading the work;
• the rehearsal period and performance or engagement dates;
• the location or locations of the work;
• the type of engagement (employment, freelance contract, project engagement);
• what skills, training or experience are genuinely required;
• what materials the artist should submit, and where.

Policy: Any requirement involving nudity, partial nudity, intimacy, simulated sexual content, significant physical contact, or unusual physical demands must be disclosed in the listing itself, in enough detail that an artist can decide whether to apply.

These requirements may never be introduced for the first time in an audition room, at a callback, or after a role has been accepted. An artist who learns about them on the day has been denied the ability to consent meaningfully.

Listings involving these elements must also state what support and safeguards are in place — for example an intimacy coordinator, a closed set or room, a chaperone, or who will be present.

No nude, partially nude, intimate or sexualised material may be requested at application stage. This applies to photographs, self-tapes, video submissions and any other material. There is no legitimate casting reason to require this before an artist has met anyone involved in the production, and requests of this kind are the most common route through which artists are harmed on platforms like ours.

Requests for photographs in swimwear, dancewear, underwear or similar are permitted at application stage only where genuinely required by the nature of the work, and only where the listing states why.

Listings open to applicants aged 16 or 17 may not involve nudity, partial nudity, intimacy, simulated sexual content or sexualised presentation of any kind. There is no disclosure exception to this and no case-by-case assessment. Such listings must be restricted to applicants aged 18 and over.

Artists may bring a support person to any audition involving these elements, and may decline any specific request in an audition without prejudice to their consideration for the role or for other work.

Policy: Casting requirements that arise genuinely from the artistic work are legitimate, and should be stated openly. A role may call for a particular age range, voice type, gender, physical characteristic, language, discipline or skill, and saying so plainly is better for everyone than leaving artists to guess.

Requirements that do not arise from the work are not acceptable. Preferences unrelated to the role — based on background, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, civil status or personal circumstances — have no place in a listing, and neither does language that signals such preferences indirectly.

The test we apply is simple: can you explain why this requirement is necessary for this specific role? If yes, state it. If no, remove it.

We also ask you to consider whether requirements are drawn more narrowly than the work actually demands. Requirements broader than necessary exclude people for no artistic reason.

Policy: Lanced is a platform for professional artists aged 16 and over. Listings seeking performers under 16 are not permitted.

Where a listing is open to artists aged 16 or 17, additional expectations apply:

• the listing must state clearly that applicants aged 16–17 are welcome;
• the restrictions in Section 6 apply absolutely;
• arrangements for supervision, chaperoning and working hours must be stated;
• you are responsible for complying with the child and youth employment rules of the jurisdiction in which the work takes place, including any permit requirements;
• contracts with 16 and 17 year olds may require parental or guardian involvement depending on the jurisdiction.

Policy: Listings must allow enough time between the application deadline, the notification of results, and the audition or start date for artists to make arrangements.

An audition announced with a week's notice excludes everyone who cannot drop their existing commitments — which in practice means everyone who has other work.

For auditions requiring international travel, we expect at least three weeks between notification and the audition date. Visas, flights and accommodation cannot be arranged in less.

Policy: Calls must receive applications through Lanced. A Call may not include links to external application systems, email addresses for submissions, or instructions to apply elsewhere, and you may not ask candidates to resubmit their materials through channels outside the platform.

If you want to receive applications through your own channels, publish a Billboard post instead. That is what it is for, and it is a legitimate way to use Lanced.

The distinction matters because it determines what we can stand behind. When a recruitment process runs on Lanced, we can see whether candidates were informed, whether timelines were kept, and we can act when they were not. A Billboard post is an advertisement, and we are honest with artists that the process behind it sits outside our reach.