1. Warm Up List all the things you’ve done in theater
Warm Up List all the things you’ve done in theater. Include school and Church Plays. 1

2. HOW TO CREATE YOUR RÉSUMÉ
From “The Complete Professional Audition” by Darren Cohen, Back Stage Books, New York, 2005 2

3. Your ‘calling card’ is your résumé
Photo and résumé (Resume behind headshop)
The casting person’s first glimpse of you
Should be honest, professional and a current representation of yourself
It lists for auditors your credits and experience, and gives them a tangible piece of you to keep on file. 3

4. Avoid on your resume Full Sentences
Addresses that are unprofessional.
Lying
Bad formatting (Make it look neat)
Have current information 4

5. LENGTH Should never be longer than 1 page!
As you progress in your career/ experience, move the smaller roles to the bottom until you can eventually leave them off
(Only designers, directors, choreographers, musical directors can sometimes have more than one page) 5

6. COLOR Résumés should be white!
(Color makes the actor look desperate to be noticed)
(A well-prepared audition will get you the job, not the colorful résumé 6

7. DIMENSIONS
Standard 8x11
Photos are 8x10, so you need to trim the paper to fit the photo 7

8. NAME
Should always be at the top center
Typeset in boldface 8

9. HOME ADDRESS Not really needed or safe for certain instances.
For community theater, it’s fine, but for professional work there is no reason to have it until you are hired 9

10. TELEPHONE NUMBER
You should list your cell phone number, not your house number (if you are on the road a great deal)
You don’t want to miss the call 10

11. E-MAIL ADDRESS Do use your e-mail address!
You can be contacted for other jobs, or to get other information, mailings, etc. 11

12. UNION AFFILIATION You are expected to list your affiliation
Right below your name
3 major affiliations are:
Actors Equity Association (AEA)
Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) 12

13. REPRESENTATION
If you have an agent/management company, you need to list its:
Name
Address
Contact number
(Very often agencies will give you a sticker with all the information that you can place at the top of your résumé) 13

14. AGE There is no need to include it
It causes casting committees to be biased
At an Equity audition they are not allowed to ask your age by law.
If you are asked your age you can say, “Onstage I usually read between…..” or “I am as old or as young as you would like me to be” (see p. 122) 14

15. HEIGHT Do put your height on the résumé
It is helpful when the panel is trying to pair up couples.
Be honest 15

16. HAIR COLOR
Listing it is helpful, but not as important as stating your height
(Wigs are often used, or they may ask you if you would dye it…)
It can, however, help them remember you. For example…”Oh, the guy with the long blonde hair and big bass voice…” 16

17. EYE COLOR Color of eyes can’t be seen by audiences
Really only matters in film and television 17

18. WEIGHT Not necessary for theatre auditions
Appropriate for film, commercial or t.v. 18

19. VOICE RANGE List your voice type: (Common ones:) Soprano/belt
Alto/belt
Bari/tenor
Know the range of your belt and head voices
Know the range of your highest/lowest notes that you can perform at any time of the day and under any level of stress. Don’t lie! 19

20. COMMERCIALS
If you include this category, instead of listing each product, you should simply write: “Conflicts available upon request”
If you filmed for Pepsi, the producer of a Coke commercial probably won’t hire you. Even if your contract is done, they may not want to use an actor from their competitor 20

21. RESUME FORMATTING Most common is the 3 column format
Don’t get too fancy
Heading needs to be very clear and easy to follow
At a busy audition, assume that the panel will only have time to glance at the top third of your résumé.
List all important credits first, including leading roles and noteworthy theatres. 21

22. SOME HEADINGS: Broadway National Tours European Tours Off-Broadway
Regional Theater
Summer Stock 22

23. Educational Theater (High School, College)
Dinner Theater
Community Theater
Educational Theater (High School, College)
Revues/Theme Parks/Cruise Ships
Television
Film
Commercials
Vocal Experience (All-State Choir, a cappella singing group)
Education, Training
Dialects
Special Skills 23

24. LISTING CREDITS
It is common to list in order of importance, rather than chronoligically.
(A leading role from a year ago holds more clout than a chorus part you just did)
NYC casting directors want to see stage credits first
L.A. directors want to see film and tv first 24

25. NAME DROPPING
Listing directors’ name next to each show is not necessary, unless a given director is very well known throughout the industry.
(Most likely your local dance teacher will make no impression on anyone in the professional world!) 25

26. JOB LOCATION
When listing a theatre you performed in, note its location by either state or nearest large city
This validates the credit, and if someone on the panel happens to know the area, it can start a conversation. Any conversation gives the panel a sense of your personality 26

27. UNDERSTUDYING
If you have understudied a role, you can write it on your résumé in two ways:
Never performed role:
“name of role u/s”: Tony u/s
Performed role:
“name of role u/s (performed)”: Tony u/s (performed)
If you were also in ensemble:
“Ensemble/name of role (u/s)”: Ensemble/Tony (u/s) (acceptable for both performed and not performed) 27

28. SCHOOL CREDITS
It’s ok to use them when you’re first starting out! 28

29. OTHER CREDITS YOU CAN INCLUDE
When first starting out you can include:
Choral festivals and awards: (These tell the musical director that you have experience singing in harmony)
Pageants
A cappella singing groups (suggest you have a good musical ear)
Scholarships to schools, performing arts camps or festivals
Master classes with notable artists
Cruise ship and theme parks
High School Band and Orchestra (These tell the musical director that you have skill reading music) 29

30. SPECIAL SKILLS Gives the auditors more insight to who you are
Technical skills, painting, sewing etc. are valuable and summer stock theatre require actors to be able to do them
Sometimes directors will add your skills to the character to make him/her more interesting
Be able to follow through if asked to demonstrate!
Don’t list skills you can barely pull off. 30

31. REFERENCES
When you list the names of people you’ve trained with, it’s often assumed that they can be used as references.
If you studied with someone who possibly won’t remember you, it’s best not to list them.
Write at bottom of résumé: “References Upon Request” and keep a separate list with names/phone numbers
Make sure your references know you are using them; refresh their memory as to who you are! 31

32. FABRICATED CREDITS Don’t make up credits!
Everyone knows everyone else: you’ll get caught! (p. 129) 32

33. JOHN SMITH 333-444-5555 Height: 6’0” Hair: Brown Voice:Tenor
Community Theater
Fiddler on the Roof Perchik Long Island Players
Grease Danny Plainview Dinner Theatre
Damn Yankees Ensemble Bradford Road Theatre Co.
Arsenic and Old Lace Mr. Gibbs Rembrandt Playhouse
Vocal Experience
All-State Chorus Tenor New York State
Madrigal Singers Tenor JFK High School
Show Choir Soloist JFK High School
Educational Theater
Oklahoma Curley NYU
Anything Goes Ensemble NYU
Training
NYU Theater Major
JFK High School
Voice: P.C. Epstein
Acting: Ryan Drew
Dance: Allie Nicole
Special Skills
Southern accent, gymnastics, jazz singing, juggling, piano (8 years) 33

34. JOE SMITH AEA - SAG 111-222-3333 Broadway
Wicked Ensemble Gershwin Theatre
A Chorus Line Paul Shubert Theatre
42nd Street Billy Majestic Theatre
Me and My Girl Ensemble Marquis Theatre
Off-Broadway
Little Shop of Horrors Seymour Orpheum Theatre
The Fantasticks Matt Sullivan St. Playhouse
Regional
Footloose Ren Sacramento Music Circus
Zorba Dancer North Shore Music Theatre
Television
Law & Order Lawyer NBC
Third Watch Fireman NBC
Commercials
Conflicts available upon request
Dialects
Standard British, German, French, Southeaster United States
Special Skills
Jazz scatting, gymnastics, martial arts, hip-hop dancing 34

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