Creating A Resume 101

Theatre:

Your resume is a critical part of your promotional package. It should be an effective tool with which you communicate your experience quickly and efficiently to an auditioner. Performance resumes have a standard format in which basic information is placed at the top, and all experience and training is put into categories such as musical theatre, theatre, film, television, commercials, training, special skills.

For a sample resume, click here.

Here are some standard guidelines:

• Your resume should fit on one page and your head shot should be stapled back to back with it.
• Your head shot should include your contact information. Contact information should be printed in the white area at the bottom of the photograph. Color 8x10s have replaced black and white as the industry standard.
• Resist the urge to make your resume "pretty." Simple but clean presentation is best. No funky fonts or crazy colors.
• If you regularly have auditions in more than one venue, you might create different arrangements of your resume. For example, when auditioning for theatre, you might list your theatre credits first. When auditioning for film, you might list your film credits first.
• If you were directed by or performed with an important personality, list his/her name underneath the company. For example: Shakespeare Theatre (with Patrick Stewart).
• A general rule is to work your resume in chronological order (by date performed). Most recent work first.
• However, certain situations may call for listing experience out of chronological order. You can assess that as you go along. When you have performed multiple roles in the same year, you can make decisions based on other criteria such as:
  • Listing smaller roles with high level Theatre companies before big roles in small houses.
  • When choosing between equivalent theatre companies, you might consider listing classical theatre roles, such as Shakespeare, before others.

Other tips:

• Never "fib" about your experience, skills or training.
• Don't use a resume that is larger that 8 ½ x 11.
• Don't use a resume that is more than one page.
• Don't staple reviews or clippings to your resume. They just get in the way.
• Don't make the type smaller than 10 pt. If you have that much experience, edit it down.

For a sample resume, click here.