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
- Managing People: Adding People — People are stored in a central directory. You can then assign them to shows. When assigned to a show, they can have show-specific roles.
- Managing People: AI Resume Import — Use AI to extract details from resumes and quickly create People records.
- Managing People: Document Management — Store multiple documents for each person including resumes, headshots, contracts, tax forms, and more.
- Managing People: Smart Import (Spreadsheets, PDF & Word) — Import people from any spreadsheet, PDF or Word document with automatic column detection. Great for importing class lists, cast lists, programmes, or fitting sheets. Excel (.xlsx, .xls), CSV, Apple…
- Managing People: Assigning to Shows — Once added to the People directory, assign people to specific shows.
- Managing People: Your Profile — Click your avatar at the bottom of the sidebar to open Settings, where your profile, AI key, email preferences, and account deletion all live on one page.
- Managing People: Dark Mode & Appearance — CueCall can run light or dark. Open Settings from the sidebar and use the Appearance card.
- Managing People: Cast pages for young performers — Performers under 13 do not sign in to CueCall. Instead, a production can give each one a cast page: a read-only page, reached by a private link, showing their part of the show. There is no account…
- Managing People: Deleting Your Account — You can permanently delete your account at any time from the Settings page.
- Managing People: Headshots — Add profile photos (headshots) for cast and crew members.
- Managing People: People vs. Collaborators — Understanding the difference:
- Managing People: Costume Measurements — Track costume measurements for cast members to help with fittings and costume construction — and, alongside them, the Hair & wig measurements a wig maker needs and the makeup allergies a makeup…
- Managing People: Archiving and Deleting People — Clean up your People directory by archiving or deleting people who are no longer active.
- Managing People: Merging People — Combine two people records into one when duplicates exist. All assignments and data from the source person are transferred to the target.
- Managing People: Linking a Guardian to a Student — On a student's profile on the People page, the Guardians card records which CueCall accounts hold the login for a performer who never signs in. A linked guardian's own account sees the student's…
- Managing People: Assigning People to an Organization in Bulk — Put several people onto (or take them off) a company roster at once, instead of opening each profile individually.
Related features
- People Roster & Profiles — Cast and crew records with headshots, documents, contact details and show assignments, including merging duplicates.
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