Guidelines For Your Acting Resume
- Limit your resume to one page
- Trim your resume to fit the size of your headshots
- Staple your resume to the back of your photo.
- Your name should appear at the top.
- If you have union affiliations, put those at the top.
- Also at the top, put what you are trained to do (singer, dancer, actor).
- Include contact information.
- Height, weight, measurements (for models), clothing size, hair color, eye color, vocal range (if you are a singer), union affiliations (not always included, especially if you are not yet a union member) should be near the top, easy to find and read. Do not include your age unless asked to do so, except for infants and young children.
- Generally, credits are listed by show name first then the role you played, the director (if notable), and theater or production company.
- Do not lie about your credits! The professional acting community is relatively small and your lies will come back to haunt you.
- Try to organize your experience section (acting, singing, dancing, whatever) in some sort of logical order that will highlight your strong points. If you are trying out for a part that needs a strong singing voice, and you have a strong singing voice, then place your singing experience at the beginning of your experience section. What if you don’t have any heavy drama roles? Only musical comedy roles? Do your best on the resume and then build up some heavy drama experience. If the part you want requires a strong singing voice, but you have a weak singing voice—try out for a different part.
- Try to make your experience reflect the kind of part for which you are auditioning. For instance, if you are auditioning for a heavy drama, don’t put your light comedy roles first.
- Don’t include “extra” work on your resume. A lot of actors use extra work to pay the bills, but it doesn’t belong on your resume.
- A section for relevant education can also be helpful, especially if you received training from some noteworthy school or instructor.
- Toward the bottom, indicate other skills you have that might be appealing: horseback riding, skiing, billiards, mountain climbing, handball, tennis, skating, playing an instrument, etc. These skills might throw a part your way.
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