Importing People (Bulk & Smart Import)

Two ways to add a lot of people at once, from the People page or a show's People tab. Both accept Excel (.xlsx, .xls), CSV and Apple Numbers files, and Smart Import also reads PDF and Word (.doc, .docx) documents.

  • A list of names is enough. Only a name is required. Leave Role/Character and Type blank for people you haven't cast yet — a character name isn't knowable before casting, which is usually exactly when you're loading a roster
  • Choose what everyone comes in as. On the Smart Import preview, "Import everyone as" sets the Type for every row your file doesn't give one for — pick Crew for a crew list, Student for a class roster. It defaults to Cast. Each row also has its own Type dropdown, so a mixed list can be sorted out before anything is created
  • First Name and Last Name columns work. You don't need to combine them into one Name column first — either layout imports
  • Bulk Upload uses our template: download it, fill it in, upload it. Use this when you want the full set of columns, including costume measurements
  • Smart Import takes a file you already have — a spreadsheet in whatever layout it happens to be, or a PDF or Word cast list — and works out which column is which, including sheets where the headers aren't on the first row. It shows you what it found so you can uncheck anyone you don't want before importing, and it can ask AI for help on columns it can't place
  • Importing from a show's People tab also assigns everyone to that show in the same step, and lets you set type and role for the whole batch on the preview screen

If a Type is rejected: a Type you do fill in has to be one CueCall recognises (Cast, Crew, Student, Director, Stage Manager, and so on — capitalisation doesn't matter) — a typo is reported rather than quietly turned into "Cast", because a wrong role type is invisible until someone reads the roster back. Leaving it blank is always fine.

Auditioning rather than casting? To load a list of people you haven't cast yet into an audition — so you can score and compare them first — use Import roster on the audition's Registrants tab instead. That one doesn't need email addresses either.

More in Managing People

Related features

  • People Roster & Profiles — Cast and crew records with headshots, documents, contact details and show assignments, including merging duplicates.

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