How to Format an Acting Resume
Resumes for actors are different from other professional resumes in that they are largely lists of credits, skills, and relevant names with very little additional explanation. You do not need to have a written objective or mission statement on your acting resume, nor should you prepare a cover letter when attending an audition.
The most important features of your acting resume are your performing experiences, contact information, training, additional/special skills, and who you know/have worked with. It should look clean, organized, and easy-to-read, and be stapled (in all four corners) to the back of your professional 8x10 headshot.
Here is an Acting Resume Template and a Sample Acting Resume for your reference as I explain some of my personal preferences when it comes to resumes for actors:
DO
Print on regular white paper and trim to be 8x10. Regular white computer paper keeps your headshot/resume combo lighter weight, free from glare, and simpler to update yourself without specialty printing. You may need to adjust your margins and font sizes to allow for proper trimming, or you can shrink your whole document to an 8x10 size to make it fit to the back of your headshot. (Do not solve this “fitting” problem by making your headshot 8.5x11—it just isn’t industry standard.)
Use black ink and an easy-to-read font. Your credits are already personalized—keep your look standard with a basic font and the most contrasting color, black.
Follow your Representation’s recommendations. Certain agencies or managers may have preferences about the order of your credits, category titles, upper/lower case, font, spacing, or other formatting. Follow their template and be sure to include their logo and contact info (phone/email) instead of (or in addition to) your own.
Make your name LARGE! Your name should be the most readable feature of your resume so that you can be easily identified. Ensure that it matches the name on your headshot so that there is no confusion. If you’ve recently changed your name (taken a married name, added a middle name, or joined the union with a “stage name,” for example), make sure that it is uniformly updated everywhere.
Put your email address and cell phone number toward the top. Casting Directors shouldn’t have to dig around to figure out how to reach you. Both an email address and phone number are standard on acting resumes. Some agencies prefer that you take off your personal information and only use theirs, but for time sensitive issues, it is good for you to be able to be reached directly.
List your website. Casting Directors or Agents may want to see your reel, performance footage, or additional headshots. Your website should be a great resource for all of the above. They should also be able to download a digital version of your headshot/resume from your website, and use it to promote you to their team. If you want your social media pages to be part of your professional online presence, you can choose to link them on your website as well.
Include your union status. Besides having pride in your union membership, it is helpful for Casting Directors to be able to quickly assess if you have worked union jobs or if you are still eligible for non-union projects. Certain AEA regional theatres are allotted a specific number of union and non-union tracks for each show, so you want to be sure that you are being considered for roles you could actually take. In addition to AEA and SAG-AFTRA statuses, “EMC” and “SAG-e” indicate intermediate levels of experience without excluding you from non-union projects. Remember that everyone starts “non-union” and not only are there are plenty of opportunities available without joining a union, but already being a union member is not a requirement for booking a union project.
List your height and other relevant physical features. Whereas hair and eye color can (usually) be gleaned from your headshot, height cannot. Listing it on your resume can be helpful when considering ensembles, dance partners, and stage pictures without being able to see everyone together in one room. If there is anything else about your physical self that you’d like to highlight (such as your weight, eye or hair color), you can feel free to do so in this same section, though I’d personally stay away from general body type descriptions such as “athletic” or “curvy”—it makes me feel like I’m looking at your dating profile.
If you are a singer, include your vocal range. Listing your vocal range at the top of your resume lets Casting Directors know that you identify as a singer as well as an actor. If you know the lowest and highest notes that you could sing eight shows a week, feel free to list your range that way (e.g. G3 – C6), or you can more simply list a voice part, such as “tenor” or “soprano with belt.” If you identify as more of an “actor who sings” than a “singer,” you can list your vocal range or voice part in the “Special Skills” section at the bottom of your resume.
Align your columns! Be consistent with font sizes, formatting, and spacing. Spell check! It won’t go unnoticed if you use the tab key or an invisible table instead of the space bar to achieve clean lines on your resume. With show titles varying in length from 13 to Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, it can be challenging to find the spacing and alignment that works best for you and your credits, but it is well worth the effort for a clean look! If you’ve made the decision to underline category headings, italicize show names, bold roles, or abbreviate, make sure you are consistent throughout. Double check all spellings, especially last names and commonly misspelled titles, such as “Seussical” the Musical.
Divide your credits sensibly. The category headings you create for your resume are unique to your credits and goals, but you should be thoughtful about what they suggest about you when you are auditioning. For this reason, some actors prefer to have multiple versions of their resume to alternate depending on what they are auditioning for. Here are some things to consider:
o Are you a recent graduate? If so, you’ll probably want to keep “Educational Theatre” credits on your resume until you’ve built up your professional credits. If it’s been many years since you’ve graduated, you should probably start taking school credits off of your resume.
o What is the bulk of your experience? If you’ve done primarily theatre work, it might makes sense for you to divide your theatre credits into smaller sections such as, “New York Theatre” and “Regional Theatre,” or “Musical Theatre,” and “Straight Plays,” for example. If you are a trained singer (and want to be seen as such), you might want a whole category of “Opera/Operetta” or “Concerts.” There are no “right” or “wrong” categories for a resume, but be aware of what they say about you and what you do best (or most frequently).
o What is your current focus? If you are looking to book mostly TV work right now, you might want to put a TV/Film section at the top of your resume above your theatre credits. You might also want to take away some of your singing credits to make your resume look balanced.
o How should you lead? There is no rule that you need to order your credits by year. You should top your resume categories with your proudest credits, whether they’re large leading roles, unique experiences like swinging or covering, reputable venues you’ve played, or famous directors you’ve worked with.
Include the name of the project, role (or kind of role), venue (or Network), and director (in that order). Ordering your credits this way is industry standard. When listing TV/Film credits, rather than the name of the role, it is more common to list the size/type of role, such as “Guest Star” or “Co-star” for TV, and “Lead” or “Principal” (note: not “Principle”) for film. If you are so inclined (and have the space), feel free to highlight a reputable music director or choreographer in addition to the director.
List your training and relevant teachers. There is a lot of value in good training and continued education. Studying at a reputable institution with reputable teachers says a lot about your technique, work ethic, and connections, even before you begin your audition. If you did not study Theatre or Musical Theatre in college, your journey to becoming a professional performer can be an even more interesting conversation topic. Know that your past education experiences inform your current work, and your current education experiences show a commitment to your craft in addition to maintaining a professional network.
Include special skills you can actually do. When worrying about having “enough” special skills, remember that the bulk of your resume should really be the top portion—your credits and experience. Any special skills you list should be those you are able to (and want to) perform at an audition, on stage, or on set without issue. These skills should be relevant to performing without restating that you can act and sing. Common special skills include dialects, foreign languages, acrobatics, musical instruments, and unique vocal or athletic abilities.
End your Special Skills section with a conversation starter. I’ve also heard this referred to as a resume “cookie.” It’s fun to end your resume with something interesting or unique about yourself that leads to a story. Were you the commencement speaker at your college or have you run a marathon? List something you can do that not a lot of other people can, and be prepared to demonstrate or tell an amusing anecdote!
Be honest. White space is your friend. Purge credits as you gain better ones. People who see resumes see a lot of resumes, so it becomes very easy to assess legit credits from padded ones. Where you are is okay! Everyone starts from a blank page and building a resume takes time! Resumes that have more white space are actually easier to read. Resumes are also ever-changing. Rather than decreasing your font size when adding credits, feel free to take extraneous or old credits off of your resume to create more space.
List credits where people will speak highly of you. Know that your resume is also your references. Casting Directors can easily call a director, theatre, or faculty member you have worked with and ask about you. If you do not have a good relationship with a former director or if you don’t know them very well, do not list them on your resume.
DON’T
Do not list your age or an age range. Unless you are under 18, Casting Directors and Agents are not allowed to ask you how old you are. Though your age range can be a discussion topic, it is not something that you should list on a resume. Casting should be able to get a sense for how old you read when they see you in-person or by looking at your headshot. You may also want to play with your age range by using makeup, styling your hair, or wearing particular clothing items.
Do not include dates/years. Along the lines of age, keep it ambiguous. You may have graduated from college ten years ago, but if you can still play 18, don’t give Casting Directors any reason to think you’re too old by reading dates on your resume. When you played certain roles, graduated from school, or moved to NYC can be part of a later in-person discussion.
Do not list your ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religion. Discrimination based on any of the above is illegal—do not list these on your resume. However, if you feel a stronger connection to a project or role due to your ethnic background, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation, these are topics you can bring up either in submission notes or if the opportunity arises, like in a callback situation.
Do not give your measurements. Measurements are more standard to resumes for models. If you need to fit a certain costume, specifications will usually be listed in the breakdown, or you will be asked for your measurements before you do a fitting.
Do not explain your “type.” Like age range, “type” is be subjective and you’re going to want to tailor the way you present yourself based on what you are auditioning for. Again, type is something that can be a great conversation topic with your representation, but allow for Casting Directors to be more open-minded and draw conclusions based on what you bring into the room, not by reading it on your resume.
Do not include your address. Your email address and phone number should be enough to contact you directly. Once you book something, you can provide your address and other booking information on your hiring paperwork. You do not want to invite stalkers to show up at your door because they found your resume.
Do not print directly on the back of the headshot. Because your resume is constantly changing, you’re going to want to be able to make updates without getting your headshots (expensively) re-printed. It’s also nice for casting to be able to detach your resume from your headshot to view both side by side.
Do not paperclip. Stapling is much cleaner and industry standard. Paperclips can get bulky, fall off, or attach themselves to other documents.
Do not add any “extras.” Your business card, postcard, CD, or thumb drive should not be attached to your resume. Instead, host additional materials on your website and mail cards as a thank you/follow up.
Do not use a QR code. Though they may look high tech, I much prefer your website URL to get a sense of your online presence.
OPTIONAL
Adding an alternative headshot. Some actors will put a small headshot in the upper corner of their resume. This is most helpful if it provides a different look than the one in the 8x10. I don’t necessarily recommend adding it because it requires high quality color printing to look good, and the professional 8x10 should suffice in most cases.
Attaching a list of Casting Directors who know you and recent auditions. Do not supply this at an audition! For meetings with agents, it can be helpful to share which offices call you in and for which roles, as well as classes you’ve taken. This also demonstrates that you are actively auditioning and meeting industry professionals.
Listing gender pronouns. This is something of personal preference that is becoming common in many professional settings such as email signatures. It is helpful for Casting Directors and Agents to know which pronouns you prefer and which gender(s) you feel comfortable playing. Ideally, the credits on your resume should reflect your preferences as well.
Listing hair/eye color. This is optional because usually you can see these characteristics in your 8x10 headshot, though in cases where having a certain eye or hair color are very important, it can’t hurt to include these details on your resume as well.