The headshot expresses the look and feel of the actor at a glance, but the actors resume sells the versatility, skillfullness, and success of an actor before he or she ever shows up to the audition. 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.

An acting resume is exactly one side of one page, and you will typically staple it to the back of your head shot. This small amount of space is all you have to represent yourself as a multifaceted potential working actor. So the main thing is to understand what auditioners want from you. What show are they putting up, and how does it compare to their previous shows? What sorts of actors do they like to use, and who do they usually cast for the role you want? 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 main thing to have in mind is that your acting resume should represent the part you want to play more than you as an independent entity. 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; simply try to select and highlight the parts of your acting career that are the best fit for this show. This is a little bit of an extra investment in terms of time and energy, but it’s not that big an investment. Five or ten minutes per audition could be the difference between your next big break and your next season of waiting tables.

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