Those who are new to acting may find it challenging to create a resume while pursuing a job in this field. Learning to write an engaging resume that emphasizes your transferable skills can help you overcome this challenge and land an acting job. In this article, we describe the functions of an acting resume, how to write an acting resume with no experience, resume tips for entry level actors, and provide examples of acting resumes. .

What Is An Acting Resume?

An acting resume is a document that shows your acting qualifications and experience. You can write an acting resume for your talent agent and bring him or her to auditions to share your qualifications with the casting directors. A strong entry-level acting resume communicates your skills, education, and experience with acting to potential employers.

How to Write an Acting Resume with No Experience

Here are steps you can take to write a resume for entry-level acting jobs:

1. Choose a Template

The first step in writing an acting resume is choosing a template. Here are the elements of a strong acting resume template:
White space: Resume templates with lots of white space can ensure that the focus of your acting resume is on your skills and achievements rather than on design elements and other creative choices.

Simple Fonts:

Choose a single, readable font for your performance to make sure it is readable to casting directors.

Black and White:

It is best to avoid the use of color in an acting resume. Instead, stick to a black and white color scheme.

Three Columns:

Most acting resumes are three columns wide to organize the information in a readable manner.

One Page:

Regardless of your experience, keep your resume on the same page throughout your career to follow industry practices.

2. Include Personal Information

Next, you can begin writing your resume by filling in personal information including your name (or your stage name, if you plan to use a pseudonym), phone number, professional website, and email address. If you belong to an actor's union, you can also add the title of the union. If you have an agent, you can add their contact information, including their phone number and email address, not yours.

Unlike other professional resumes, acting resumes can also include personal data about the actor's appearance. This includes your height, weight, hair color and eye color. However, it is best to avoid adding your age to this section of your resume.

3. Add Relevant Experience

While you may not have any acting experience on TV or film, you may have other acting or performance experience that you can list on your acting resume. This can include student films, web series and community theatre. If so, you can use the next section of the resume to list your past acting or performance roles for community theater, school, or commercials. There are a few categories of experience on an actor's resume that you can organize with the following headings:

Film:

When you've earned movie roles, you can create a resume section to describe them. You can include independent movies in this section.

Television:

You can add a section for television roles on your acting resume after you've gained experience in this field.

Theater:

You can list your previous stage roles on your resume to show casting directors your past experience in this field.

New Media:

This range of experience includes web series, music videos and streaming roles.

For the television and film sections, you can list your acting experience with the name of the production in the first column, the type of role you played in the production (lead or supporting) in the second column, and the name of the director in the third column.

In the New Media section, you can do the same, but change the director's name to Producer for New Media Production. For example, if you played a supporting role in a web series produced by Playhouse Productions, the production company might fill out the third column of this listing on your resume.

For theater roles, you can add the title of the play in the first column, the name of the character you played in the second column, and the name of the theater in the third column.

4. Include Education and Training

You can add your acting education and training, including classes, to your resume under a heading that says "Training." You can arrange this section in chronological order to help make it more readable. You can list acting degrees, such as a bachelor's degree, in this section along with acting classes and workshops.

The type of class or workshop (instead of name) may go in the first column of your acting resume, the acting teacher in the second column, and the location in the third column. For example, if the acting workshop is named "Exploring Improvisation Through Movement," you would simply write "Improv" on your resume.

5. Add Special Skills

Next, you can write the final part of your resume, which is a special skill. You can use this section to describe any other skills you can bring to an acting role. Here are some examples of special skills to add to an acting resume:

Musical instruments:

For example, if you know how to play the guitar, this can be useful in acting roles.
Languages ​​and pronunciation: Proficiency in more than one language can help you get acting roles for productions in multiple languages.

Singing and Dancing:

If you have serious training in singing or dancing, you can add these skills to the end of your resume. It can help you land roles where you can use one or both of these talents.

Martial arts and sports: 

If you're also talented in martial arts or other sports, you can include this information in the Special Skills section of your acting resume.

In addition to the above performance specific skills for an actor's resume, you can also add administrative and backstage skills to your resume if they include the types of roles you want to pursue. While they may not be important for film or television roles, the following special skills can help you land a stage acting role:

Set creation:

The ability to create sets can help you land early acting roles in theater and new media.

Prop-making:

If you are skilled at making props, small productions may appreciate this specialized skill.

Sewing:

Sewing is a valuable skill for creating costumes for stage and new media productions.

Graphic Design:

You can use this administrative skill to help promote a show for a community theater, for example.

Tips for writing an acting resume without any experience

Here are some tips you can use to help build your acting resume:

Add a headshot.

When you bring your resume to the audition, you can staple an 8-inch by 10-inch headshot to the back of your resume so the casting director can reference it after your audition.

Be honest.

You can communicate your personal integrity at every opportunity by being truthful in your acting resume. It can help you build a career on your true achievements.

Get a Second Opinion:

When you're writing your first acting resume, it can help to get an opinion from someone in the industry about the strengths of your resume. For example, an agent may have insight into what to include or cut from your resume as you develop your acting career.

Avoid including additional roles:

Working as an extra in the background of a movie or TV show is not considered acting for the purposes of your resume.
Convert your resume to a PDF. Converting your acting resume to a PDF will make it easier to send and ensure that your formatting stays intact when you use it to audition parts.

acting resume example

Here are examples of acting resumes for people with no acting experience:

Example 1

Amy Heller

Height: 5'5" | Weight: 130 lbs.

Hair: Blonde | blue eyes

aeller@email.com | 555-555-5555
amyhelleracting.com

movie

A Flower Opens Assistant Anita Melton

new medium

Mannequin CitySeries Regularlights On ProductionsBlue MeadowsCo-StarCompany Pictures

Theater

Twelfth NightOlivia University of Massachusetts Theater StudioThe CrucibleElizabeth ProcterAmherst Acting Studio

Training

UMass Amherst Theater Department, B.F.A. Theater

screen acting athena williams
Visual Studies Nathaniel Brown
improvandrea simpson
VoiceMary Lovette

skill

Singing, Contemporary Dance, Fluent in Spanish### Example 2

Jack Minton

Height: 6' | Weight: 170 lbs.

Hair: Brown| green eyes

Agent@talentagent.com | 555-555-5555
jackminton.com

movie

Trading TraumalideWilder LeightonChasing EmberSportingAnna Smith

new medium

Next Up, New YorkSeries Regular Snake River Pictures Classy Recurring Screen Productions

Theater

University of Idaho Theater Department Salesman Willie Loman Dies A Streetcar Named Desire Stanley Kowalskisnobel Studio

Training

University of Idaho, B.F.A. Theater
Integrated Acting Studio*

improv cynthia taylor
Visual Studies Brandon Williams
ShakespeareBrandy Brown, Ron Potter
MovementEzra Fuller, Weston Sink

skill

Karate - Black Belt, British Accent, Dance
*Best Actor Award for Integrated Acting Studio in 2015

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