1. Write the required cast for each scene
Use the smallest accurate unit: a scene, song, dance number or transition. List only the performers who are actually required for that block. Calling the full company hides the overlap you need to see.
2. Remove anything blocked today
Mark absences, late arrivals and early departures before pairing rooms. A cast-disjoint pair still fails if one scene is missing a required actor. Use aliases rather than contact details or sensitive student information.
3. Compare the two cast sets
A pair passes the cast test only when no performer appears in both lists. Compare normalized names or stable aliases so that “Sam”, “Samuel” and “S.” do not accidentally look like three people.
4. Check the non-cast constraints
Passing the cast test is necessary, not sufficient. Confirm:
- a qualified leader or assistant for each room;
- safe space, supervision and any safeguarding requirements;
- props, music, equipment and scripts needed by each group;
- noise, travel and transition time between rooms.
5. Give both rooms a finish condition
Set one concrete outcome for each block: stage a transition, clean sixteen bars, solve an entrance or run a scene twice without stopping. End with a short note on what changed so the rooms do not create two incompatible versions of the production.