What Goes Into An Acting Resume
October 31st, 2008Some would argue that an actors resume is even more important than his or her headshot. The purpose of this article is to quickly review the central purpose of an acting resume and from there discuss what should and should not go in it and why.
An acting resume is exactly one side of one page, and you will usually want to have it stapled to the back of your head shot. This small amount of space is all you have to represent yourself as a multifaceted potential working actor. So the main thing is to understand what auditioners want from you. What show are they putting up, and how does it compare to their previous shows? What sorts of actors do they like to use, and what kinds of people do they usually use for the type of part you’re trying out for? After you’ve thought about and understood these things, the only thing to do is to try and give it to them. Since you’re a professional actor, this will come pretty naturally to you.
The only thing you need to realize is that your acting resume should represent the part you want to play more than you as an independent entity. Don’t be afraid to shape your resume to meet the needs of the character. I would never tell you to lie; just take a look at this sample actor’s resume to get a better understanding of what I mean. This is a little bit of an extra investment in terms of time and energy, but it’s not that big an investment. The fifteen minutes that you spend per audition could be the difference between your next big break and your next season of waiting tables.