THAR 10B: Advice on Preparing an Acting Resume

Order of Information on Your Acting Resume

• Your Name: Make sure your name is in large type and clearly set apart from the other information at the top of the resume.

• Union/Agency Information: Resumes of professional actors may have their union affiliation and/or agent information near the top of their resume. However, until you are a member of an acting union or are represented by an agent, you will not include that information.

Some non-union actors may insert "Non-Union" under their name; that is not necessary unless you are auditioning in a situation in which they are considering both union and non-union actors.

• Contact Information: This needs to be near the top of your resume after your name. Normally, this is your phone # (preferably cell) and email. If you have professional social media accounts and/or a personal website, that can also be included.

• Personal Information: Include height, weight*, hair color*, and eye color* (and make sure that information is accurate/up to date). May include singing range (such as tenor or alto; may also include highest/lowest notes) here, as well. Do not include age/age range or gender, unless you wish to include your pronoun preference.

* Listing weight has recently become less common, although many actors still include it.  Hair and eye color are fine to include, but not necessary if a color headshot is included with the resume.

• Acting Experience: Next comes your acting experience.  For theatre acting resumes, list your theatre experience first.  For film/tv/voice-over acting resumes, list those credits first.  Additional divisions or subcategories for your acting experience can be used, as appropriate, but only if you have enough credits.

Within each section, you will normally list your most recent credit first, with the rest of your credits in reverse chronological order (from most recent to oldest).  However, in some cases, your larger/most impressive credit(s) may get moved to the top of the list.

• Related Performance Experience (if applicable):  This would be the place for dance companies, choirs, and other performance work you’ve done that isn’t specifically acting.

• Training and Education:  While sometimes combined, these two categories can also be separated, when appropriate.  Training includes key information about your acting-related training.  Education includes completed or in-progress degree programs and other education.  Experienced actors limit these sections.

• Special Skills:  List those special skills you have that directly relate to performing (dialects, dance, movement, stage combat, mask work, clowning, juggling, gymnastics, magic, etc.).

• Awards and Honors:  This category is often eliminated or combined with Special Skills.  Only include acting/the performing arts awards and honors.

 

Resume Formatting Details

• Length:  An acting resume should only be one page long, regardless of your years of experience.

• Margins:  You want a lot of "white space" surrounding the information.  Make sure the information is well balanced and centered on the page.  Example:  If you have a 1” left margin, have a 1” right margin.

• Space is Your Frame...Use It Wisely:  The spaces around your information frame it and direct the reader's focus.  Try to create space between categories and try not to crowd information.  Look at examples of resumes for ideas on how to do this.

• Don’t use multiple fonts or fancy details:  Keep it clear, professional, and easy to read…fast, ‘nuf said.

• Play titles:  Put these in italics, underlined, or ALL CAPS.  Make sure it is clear on your resume what information is a show title and what is a role.

• Avoid abbreviations:  Don't assume that everyone reading your resume knows what the abbreviations stand for, so write them out.  It will take more space, but makes your resume clearer to read.  (Example:  SRJC = Santa Rosa Junior College)

• Lists, not sentences: In almost all situations, only list the crucial information rather than writing full sentences.  Think of a resume as a scanning device…what kind of information can a reader get about you by scanning your resume?  Full sentences just make it much harder to read quickly.

• Category Headings:  Make sure they are clear, separate from the content, and formatted consistently, using bold face, underlining or all caps.  Make sure they don’t compete with your name at the top.

• Columns and Tabs: Within each category, organize your information into columns using the tab feature.  If you do not know how to format tabs, ask someone who does so you learn how to do it.  Trying to line up columns using the space bar doesn’t work well and is very time consuming.  Try to use the same columns in related categories (such as for various forms of acting experience).  However, if some of your categories require different columns, that’s okay as long as it looks organized.

 • Remember to proofread very carefully!:  Make sure every word is spelled correctly, especially all names (directors, teachers, theatres, programs, shows, etc.).  Also, check your formatting and punctuation.

• Keep the content simple:  You don’t need to put everything you’ve done, just the best stuff.  If you have a lot of credits, you can choose those that showcase your experience most effectively; use “Representative Works” when doing so.

 

Other Acting Resume Advice

• Listing older credits:  The rule of thumb is not to list performance experience older than 10 years (there are exceptions). However, if you haven’t performed in a long time, but had substantial experience more than 10 years ago, those credits are okay to use, but marked accordingly. 

• What do I do if I don’t have any experience?  List the scenes (not monologues) you worked on in your acting classes – role, play title, and act/scene information; make sure that this information is clearly designated as “Scene Work”, not to be confused with being in the actual show.  Also, try listing performance experience including any showcases or concerts you’ve performed in.

• Should I include high school show experience and/or training?  It depends on your age.  As a college student, you want to stop using your high school shows and training as soon as possible. However, if you are still in high school or for the first few years after graduation, they may be the only credits you have.  In that case, keep them on your resume until you start gaining more experience and/or training. (NOTE: If you attended a focused theatre program in high school, such as ArtQuest, keeping it on your resume for a few years longer after graduation is fine.)

• Everything must be true!  Make yourself look good on paper, but it needs to be honest and accurate.

• Know your resume well.  You need to be able to demonstrate everything on it, should you be asked to do so.

• Should I include acting credits I did as a child/middle-school student?  Only if you are 16 or younger.  You have changed so much since you were 13 or 14 that your experience as a child/pre-teen isn’t really helpful for directors (there are a few exceptions, but this is a good guide to follow).

 • Tips for Film/Television credits:  While we go into more detail about Film/Television/Voice-Over resumes in THAR 63, here are a few tips to keep in mind when including credits in those areas :

Commercials: These credits aren’t necessarily beneficial for theatre resumes.

Extra Work: It is recommended not to include extra work on your acting resume. The only exception may be “featured extra work.”

 • Some Final Advice:  When you are done, step back and look objectively at your resume. 

What kind of a “snap shot” is it giving about you as an actor?

Is it neat and organized?

Is everything nicely balanced on the page or crammed up to the top making it hard to read?

What does your eye gravitate toward first?  Second?  Is that where you want the eye to go first? 

Is every play title and name written/spelled correct (triple check to make sure...don't just rely on your memory)?

Are there any typos? (If there are, correct them!)

What kind of impression is a reader going to get about you?  Is it the one you want them to get or one you didn’t know you were sending ( like “I try too hard.”  “I’m not very prepared.”)?

Thumbnail Headshot:  Some actors like to include a thumbnail copy of their headshot near the top of their resume.  While there is no rule against doing so, it is not necessary if you are including your headshot with your resume anyway.

 

Once You Have a Acting Resume

• Printing Your Resume and Headshot:  With the quality of home printers now, some actors are able to print their resume and headshot back to back using good quality paper that preserves the quality of the photo.  Otherwise, print your resume and headshot separately and follow the instructions below.

• Printing Size, Format, & Paper Color:  In the United States, resumes are letter-sized (8 1/2" x 11") and printed in profile (vertically).  Print on good, neutral paper (white, off-white, light tan).  Avoid colors.

• Mounting Headshot to Resume:  At many auditions, you will be asked to include both a headshot and resume.  Assuming you have both, attach the resume to the back of the headshot, back-to-back.  Why back-to-back?  During auditions, this makes it easier for the director or casting staff to refer to both items easily by just flipping them over. In addition, by anchoring your resume to your headshot, there is much less chance of them becoming separated.

Most actors just staple the two documents together back-to-back.  Staple carefully in all four corners and make sure your staples have no sharp edges sticking out.  Another option is to use a quality spray mount that allows the headshot and resume to be stuck together back-to-back, but only use this method if you know how to use spray mount safely.  (Don't use ordinary glue; it often causes wrinkles or seeps through one or both documents, distorting their appearance.)

 

And…Finally…

• Keep Your Information Up to Date!  If your personal information changes or you gain additional experience, update your resume regularly.  By keeping your resume up to date you are always ready in case an audition opportunity comes up unexpectedly.