Some would argue that an actor’s resume is even more important than his or her headshot. The purpose of this article is to go back over the reasons for creating an acting resume and from there discuss what should and should not go in it and why.
How to write an acting resume: An actors resume should take up precisely one side of one page, and you will typically staple it to the back of your head shot. This single page should represent you as an artist, as an entertainer, as an employee, and as a colleague. In order to do that, you will have to do a little thinking about what the auditioners seem to be looking for. What show are they putting up, and how does it compare to their previous shows? What types of shows do these people typically produce, and what kinds of people do they usually use for the type of part you’re trying out for? Once you’ve considered what they’re looking for, the only thing to do is to try and give it to them. You’re an actor, so this should be the easy part.
The only thing you need to realize is that your acting resume is not an extension of you as an actor, it is an extension of the part you want to play. Don’t be afraid to shape your resume to meet the needs of the character. Don’t lie; just list the parts of your acting career in an order which suits the demands of the part. This will hardly take you any time at all to do before each show. Five or ten minutes for each audition could be the difference between your next big break and your next season of waiting tables.