10 of the Best Tips to Make Your Theatrical Resume Standout

Written by Tiffany Wilkie

Feb 23, 2016

Have questions about what to include on your performance resume? We’ve compiled a list of dos and don’ts to help you create a document that effectively represents you and your talents.

(If you’d like to jumpstart the resume process, head on over to our free Resume Builder! Simply type in your contact information, roles you’ve played, special skills, and more! It’s super fast and easy.)

Always tell the truth.

Putting flashy credits or skills on a resume could land you in trouble, especially if the director of the show or film you’re auditioning for is familiar with the production you claim to have worked on. Additionally, if your resume says you are able to speak in a Scottish dialect, you may be expected to speak in that dialect spontaneously in your audition. Be honest, even if you don’t have a lot of experience.

List a current phone number.

List the phone number that you have access to the most (e.g. your cell phone). Now that we’ve entered the digital age, some theatres and companies like to send out text messages in addition to making calls. Make sure you keep your avenues of communication open for every opportunity.

List an email that is a combination of your name.

Having a professional email is the first thing you should do before making a resume. Use Google to make a gmail account and use some combination of your first and last name so that directors can easily identify you alongside the name that is presented on your headshot and resume. (Ex: John Smith’s email might be jsmith@email.com.)

 Properly format the resume so that your information is easy to read.

Directors only spend an average of 5-7 seconds looking at your resume. Make sure they can find the information they’re looking for immediately. A sloppy resume will get tossed to the side. Additionally, eliminate any typos or grammatical errors. Present yourself as someone with a keen attention to detail.

Make your Special Skills interesting.

Do you have anything you can do that makes you unique from others? Do you play an instrument or have any special physical training in stage combat or stunt work? Put it under your special skills section! Make sure you let others know you’re different from the average performer. This is also the place where you can show a bit of your personality. If you do an impression of Judy Garland or something similar feel free to list it. Be prepared to do the impression though.

List your primary performance focus first.

If you’ve done more performance in one medium over another, list your primary performance area first on your resume in its own section. That means if you’ve done more theatre acting than film or television acting, list your theatre credits first. Then, list your secondary field of performance, followed by a third field (if you have one).

Make your first line your most recent credit.

The first line underneath every section is called your “topline credit”; make sure this credit is the most recent role you have performed in that medium. This shows that you are up-to-date on representing yourself.

 Let your high school and college credits drop off your resume as you age.

As you get older, roles you would have performed when you were younger should drop off your resume because they don’t represent who you are as a performer now. If you’re in college, leave off middle school credits. If you’ve graduated and are doing professional work, leave off high-school credits and credits from your early college career (and as you age, let your credits from college drop off altogether).

DON’T

List your home address, weight, or age.

It’s never necessary for you to list your home address on your resume. If the theatre or production company needs to contact you, they will do so either by email or by phone. Your weight and age should not be listed either because your weight can constantly fluctuate, and your age doesn’t necessarily define you as an actor. A 25-year-old may be able to play a teenager, and a 38-year-old may be able to play a grandmother. Your audition will ultimately show the directors what you can do for them and what kinds of characters you can play.

Include extra work in films or TV.

Extra work is vastly different from scripted work. Extras provide atmosphere and context for the scene, but they don’t have lines. The kind of acting they do isn’t the same kind of acting directors are looking for in an audition. Directors need someone who can stand out…not hide in the background. Because you want to show directors you are capable of holding an audience’s attention, leave extra work off your resume. Also, if you have mainly extra work on your resume, a director might think that you are an actor who only does that kind of work.