If you run a big cast, a large crew, or a volunteer program that grows every season, you already know how quickly your list of Roles can get out of hand. CUR8 gives you a tool built exactly for that problem: Groups. This guide walks you through what Groups are, how to build one, and a few ways other CUR8 users organize their own productions with them.
What Are Groups in CUR8?
A Group is a flexible way to organize the Roles inside your project. Think of Roles as the who-does-what on your production, and Groups as the folders that keep those Roles tidy. You can name a Group however makes sense for your show, a Group can hold multiple Roles, and a single Role can belong to more than one Group at the same time. There is no limit to how many Roles a Group can contain, so you can organize your project exactly the way your team actually works, not the way a rigid system forces you to.
If you have not set up your project's basic structure yet, it is worth starting with how you organize your production before layering Groups on top. Groups work best once your Roles already reflect your cast, crew, and volunteer list.
How to Create a Group
Building a Group only takes a minute:
- Click your Project Poster to open the project landing page.
- Scroll down to Management Features and click Groups.
- Type a new Group name, or click Add Group in the upper right corner.
- Assign Roles to your Group by selecting them from your Roles list.
That is the whole process. You can create as many Groups as you need, for any purpose that helps you keep your production organized.
Ways to Put Groups to Work
Once you understand the mechanics, the real value of Groups shows up in how you use them. Here are three of the most common setups.
Scene Breakdowns
A French scene breakdown divides your play by character entrances and exits rather than by act, giving you a precise map of exactly who is needed onstage at every moment. Say Scene 1A has Characters A, B, and C onstage; in Scene 1B, A and B exit while D and E remain; and in Scene 1C, C and D exit as A re-enters with F. Build a Group for each scene and assigning calls, checking attendance, and sending updates gets dramatically simpler for your stage managers and directors.
Volunteer Rosters
Volunteer Roles tend to pile up year after year: Parent Volunteers from past seasons, Community Volunteers, Professional Volunteers, and more. Instead of tracking each one separately, create a single Group called All Volunteers and assign every volunteer Role to it. When a new season starts, just add the new Role to that same Group. From then on, reaching every volunteer you have ever worked with takes one click instead of six.
Tech Crew and Performers
The same idea works for your technical teams and your cast. Combine Roles like Lead Deck Crew and Technicians into a single Tech Crew Group, or organize performers by voice part or Role type, such as Sopranos, Tenors, and Leads. Mix and match Groups to fit however your production actually runs.
Once your teams are grouped this way, communicating with the right people at the right moment gets much easier, whether that is a full-cast announcement or a note to a single scene.
Best Practices for Building Groups
A little planning goes a long way before you start assigning people to Roles:
- Decide on your Groups before you start assigning people, not after.
- Use clear, consistent Group names so everyone on your team understands them at a glance.
- Lean on Groups for communication. If a rehearsal is canceled for a few scenes, message just the Groups affected instead of your entire cast.
- Think long-term. A well-organized Group structure now means far less setup work next season.
Groups are one of the simplest ways to keep a growing program manageable, whether you are running a school production, a community theatre season, or a full slate of arts programs. Ready to get your own cast, crew, and volunteers organized? Head to cur8.com and make your moment easier to manage.