Some would argue that an actors 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 also what to think about when you are putting one together.
An acting resume should take up precisely one side of one page, and you will usually want to 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. So the main thing is to understand what auditioners want from you. Think about the specific show they going to be doing and try to compare it to their previous work. 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 next step is to try and give them what they want. Since you’re a professional actor, this will come pretty naturally to you.
The main thing to have in mind 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. So, you should twist and pull at the facts of your professional life until they fit, as closely as possible, the specific audition. I would never tell you to lie; just take a look at this example actors resume to understand what I’m saying a little better. 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.