Theatrical resume template google docs

Did you know? On average, casting directors get about 3,000 submissions per role. Out of those, they audition 30 people.

​And out of those, they choose just one.

This means you only have a 1% chance of getting in the room every time you submit yourself.

This is why your three primary marketing materials – your headshot, reel, and resume – are so important! Today, we'll be going into depth on your acting resume.

​What's Covered in This Guide:

• Proper Formatting for an Actor Resume – Learn how an acting resume is different than a standard resume (casting directors HATE when people submit improperly formatted resumes)
• ​The Do's and Don'ts of a Professional Actor Resume – A few simple but common actor resume mistakes tell casting directors to assume you're new and to not give you a chance
• Advanced Tactics to Make Any Resume WAY More Compelling – These little-known tricks will help your resume stand out to casting directors, even if you don't have many (or any) credits yet.

3 FREE Google Docs Resume Templates
Save Yourself the Frustration of Alignment & Formatting!

Most actor resume templates require special software or are very complicated to use and edit. For that reason, we've put together 3 super simple Google Docs templates ANYONE can use (no matter what type of computer you have).

Here's what you get:

• 3 Fully-Editable Google Docs Professional Actor Resume Templates: Simply modify the text and swap the photo, and you've got yourself an extremely polished resume that will be taken seriously by casting directors (even if you have very little experience)!
• A Simple 7-Point Actor Resume Checklist: We've taken the most critical factors from this Ultimate Guide and distilled them into 7 key check points you can quickly reference as you fill in the template.
• The Special "Actor's Toolkit" to Book More Acting Work: This toolkit has been downloaded by thousands of actors to more than 10X the number of auditions they get – it even includes a simple 7-step technique (with included email templates) to create a positive relationship with almost ANY casting director!

Acting Resume: The Ultimate Guide

​
What is an Actor Resume?

An actor resume is a quick, easy-to-look-at reference that tells casting directors your experience. It shows the most noteworthy roles you've played along with your training, special skills, and contact information.

​What Does an Acting Resume Look Like?

An acting resume is broken up into four sections, which we'll be covering in depth in this article:

• Section 1: Personal Information – Includes your contact info, union affiliation, sizes, and a small headshot.
• Section 2: Credits – This shows all your experience (don't worry if you have no credits yet – we'll cover that later in this guide.
• Section 3: Education & Training – Includes schools, workshops, and other classes you've attended (including private coaching).
• Section 4: Special Skills – Special skills are extremely important! Sometimes they'll be the only reason you get called in for an audition! Learn more here: Acting Resume Special Skills

How to Structure Your Acting Resume

"How do I make an acting resume with no experience?" Well, don't worry just yet. There are plenty of ways to book roles with no experience, and believe it or not you can absolutely create an acting resume without any credits at all. We'll discuss that soon.

​In this section, we'll cover everything needed for each section of your professional acting resume, starting from the top (Personal Information) and moving all the way down to the bottom (Special Skills).

Before you start, I recommend you download my free Google Docs resume templates so everything is in perfect alignment and formatted correctly. Then, follow along!

Section 1: Personal Information

This is where you'll list the basics, such as your contact info and descriptive information about yourself. Use the following checklist and include everything you can (it's OK if you don't have everything listed below):

• Your name, phone number, email address (don't include your home address), and website.​ Note that having a website is not mandatory but can definitely make you appear more established.
• If you have an agent or manager, list their contact information. Some may prefer you to hide your own contact information and only list theirs, but you can speak with them about it.
  • Related: Managing Actors: A Behind the Scenes Look
  • Related: How to Get a SAG Card (easy to understand)

  

  
  Section 2: Credits

  

  ​So how do you list roles on an acting resume? Well, the Credits section is where the bulk of your resume content will be, unless of course you're just starting out (in which case the bulk of your resume will be under Training & Education).

  ​Follow the below guidelines to ensure your resume looks professional:

  • What to Add: If you're older than 25, avoid including credits from productions you did when you were younger than 18. If you're younger than 25, you can add roles you've played within the past 5-10 years, but don't go further back than that. It's completely fine to include roles from classes and workshops.
  • Alignment: Have the name of the production in the left-most column, the name of your role in the middle column, and the name of the director or theater company (whichever is more well-known) in the right column.
  • Categories: ​Usually, you'll see credits listed under two categories: Film/TV and Theater. When you're first starting out, it's OK if you only have credits from one of these, like Theater. Just be sure you divide up the categories properly, and don't include a category if you have no credits for it.​

  

  • Extra Work: "Should you put extra work on your acting resume?" No, it's not a good idea to include extra (background actor) work on your resume. The more extra work you include, the more likely a casting director will think you specialize in that instead of speaking roles!
  • Character Names: For Theater, include character names and then in parentheses next to it, add "cast," "ensemble," etc. For Film/TV, it's best to avoid character names completely and just use the role descriptions ("lead," "supporting," etc.).
  • Famous People: If you had the opportunity to work with a famous actor in a scene, add their name in parentheses next to the role. An example would be (w/ Lindsay Lohan).
  • Voiceover Credits: "How do you list a voice over on a resume?" Add another section to your resume if you do voiceover work. For voiceover credits, you'll list them out exactly the same way as for Film/TV credits, with three columns.
    • Related: How to Become a Voice Actor – Step by Step
    • Related: Types of Acting Roles (Lead, Recurring, etc.) – Learn What They Are and How to Get Them

    
    ​Section 3: Training & Education

    

    In this section, you'll list out formal training (if related to acting), acting workshops, seminars, studio classes, master classes, or private coaching. This also includes special training not directly related to acting, such as singing or stunt-work.

    • Names of program directors, teachers, or educators they recognize (try typing your instructors' names into Google – if their name shows up in lots of articles, chances are casting directors will recognize them).
    • Names of schools or workshops they recognize (you can use the same strategy as above to see how well-known the workshop/school is).
    • Length of time you studied a particular skillset, and how recently you studied it.
    • Type of training you've had (l earn more about these in my guide: Types of Acting Techniques: The Ultimate Guide).

    Using a two-column format like below can make it easy for them to read. Including dates is optional but recommended if you completed the training within the past 2-3 years.

    

    If you need to fill up a lot of space, feel free to list bullet points under each training, showing specifically what knowledge was gained. ​Example:

    • Pursued my passion for acting and singing
    • Won “Best Actor" Award in USC's Student Film Festival
    • Starred as lead in three college theatre productions

    
    ​Section 4: Special Skills

    Not only do special skills help you book more roles because they're unique and less people have them, but they also use up some of that dreaded white space on your resume.

    

    "So what skills should I put on my acting resume?" Here are some examples:

    • Special Abilities (singing, c ry on cue , etc.)
    • Dancing Ability (hip hop dance, ballet, etc.)
    • Combat Training (weapons handling, marital arts training, etc.)
    • Accents (Southern dialect, Irish accent, etc.)
    • Fitness Level (7% body fat, 6 pack abs, etc.)
    • Fluency in Other Languages (Spanish, Mandarin, etc.)
    • Musical Instruments (guitar, violin, piano, etc.)
    • Driver's License (yes, this can be listed since many people don't have one)
    • Acrobatic Abilities (flipping, juggling, etc.)
    • Sports/Games (skiing, fencing, golf, chess etc.)

    Put whatever you think is most noteworthy first so casting directors notice it. And don't say you can do something if you're not actually proficient at it!

    
    ​Download Our FREE Google Docs Resume Templates
    Save Yourself the Frustration of Alignment & Formatting!

    Most of the actor resume templates found online either require special software or are very complicated to use and edit. For that reason, we've put together 3 super simple Google Docs templates ANYONE can use (no matter what type of computer you have).

    Here's what you get:

    • 3 Fully-Editable Google Docs Professional Actor Resume Templates: Simply modify the text and swap the photo, and you've got yourself an extremely polished resume that will be taken seriously by casting directors (even if you have very little experience)!
    • A Simple 7-Point Actor Resume Checklist: We've taken the most critical factors from this Ultimate Guide and distilled them into 7 key check points you can quickly reference as you fill in the template.
    • The Special "Actor's Toolkit" to Book More Acting Work: This toolkit has been downloaded by thousands of actors to more than 10X the number of auditions they get – it even includes a simple 7-step technique (with included email templates) to create a positive relationship with almost ANY casting director!

    

    
    ​
    Important Mistakes to Avoid on Your Acting Resume

    1. Your resume MUST be saved as a PDF format. Do not send Microsoft Word formats because the size and style changes on different computers, and what might have been one page with perfect alignment on your computer will suddenly look all messed up (and sometimes even two pages) on someone else's computer. PDF format always keeps the alignment perfect no matter where you send your resume.
    2. It must be easy to read. Make sure to use professional fonts like Times New Roman, Helvetica, Garamond, or Arial.
    3. Each heading should stand out. The different sections of your resume, such as TV/Film, Theater, Training & Education, etc., should be bigger and/or a different style than the rest so they stand out.
    4. Only use black and white. Avoid using different colors because some casting directors print resumes on black & white printers, and your section headings won't stand out. They also assume you're inexperienced and new if you use colored fonts on your resume.
    5. When printed, it must ONLY be one page and cut to fit on the back of your 8" X 10" headshot. You’ll align your resume so it fits perfectly on the back of your headshot, and then staple it at all four corners (don't use tape or paperclips). Then you can cut off the extra paper with scissors. Don't print your resume directly on the back of your headshots because it's going to change every time you book a new role. Watch the video below to learn how to attach your headshot to your resume:

    
    3 Secret Actor Resume Hacks
    Think "Outside the Industry"

    As Einstein says, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results."

    I'm all about thinking differently, and I teach actors how to break the rules and do things most other actors don't consider.

    In fact, one of my clients landed his first-ever Broadway role in just 4 weeks of implementing some of my "outside the industry" strategies.

    So now that you understand the basics of a professional acting resume, I'd like to present you with three "outside the industry" hacks you can use to make your resume even MORE effective:

    
    ​"Outside the Industry" Hack #1:
    ​Awards and Quotes

    A unique way to stand out from other actors (and use up some dreaded "white space") is to include noteworthy reviews or quotes from people you've worked with in the industry. You can list 2-3 simple one-sentence reviews at the very bottom of your resume (center-aligned), such as "John Doe was one of the most consistently on-time and professional actors I've ever had the pleasure of working with. – Jane Smith (Director, Bluefin Dolphins)"

    Don't have any quotes? Just email some past teachers or friends you've worked with and ask them to write 1-2 sentences. Obviously, the bigger their names the better, but even if they're unknown people, you can still include their quotes on your resume just to provide some "social proof" so to speak.

    You should also include any awards you've won in parentheses next to the role you played. Keep in mind that these awards should actually be noteworthy and professional – don't mention the high school "Funniest Actor" award you won for the little video you made with your friends.

    
    ​"Outside the Industry" Strategy #2:
    ​Resume Objective

    ​A resume objective tells casting directors what your goals are. or if you do it right, why they should hire YOU over other actors for this specific project.

    Here's an example of a weak resume objective: To become a successful, world-renowned actor who is reputed for her craft and compelling performances on stage and film.

    This is OK, but is focused on YOU, instead of the production. Casting directors don't care about you, they only care about what you can do to help them.

    Instead, do a bit of googling on the production and then tailor your objective to the type of project you're submitting to. If you're submitting to a slapstick comedy TV show, for instance, chances are the production wants an actor who can make the audience laugh. So you can customize your resume objective like so:

    Strong objective for a comedy film submission: To bring smiles and laughter to the faces of as many people in the world as possible through my acting.

    Do you think the casting director will notice? You bet they will!

    If you're submitting to a dramatic indie film, think about the purpose of the film. is it trying to share an important message with the world? Is it trying to make a political statement? Make an educated guess about the purpose of the project and then tailor your resume objective to that.

    Since it's right at the top of your resume, the casting directors will notice and be more likely to bring you in for an audition!

    
    ​​"Outside the Industry" Strategy #3:
    Customize Your Resume for Important Submissions

    There are three ways you can customize your resume so a casting director feels more compelled to bring you in. Here they are:

    • Push Certain Roles Higher: If you want more Film/TV roles, move those types of credits higher on your resume. Minimize your theater credits and mention even the smallest of the small film credits you've done (even if they were just tiny unpaid student films) just to give the impression that you have as much experience as possible in Film and Television.
    • Customize the Special Skills section of your resume: To show how qualified you are for a role, move to the beginning or bold your most relevant special skills so the casting director notices them!
    • Create separate resumes for each type of work you do: Eventually as you build up your credits, you can make separate resumes for separate types of work. Most actors know they can have a Film/TV Resume, a Theater Resume, and a Voiceover Resume, but an "outside the industry" way of thinking is this: create separate resumes for your different "types." If you are submitting for a cop role, create a resume specifically focused on all the cop and detective roles you've played. This will show casting directors you're super experienced in playing that kind of character!

    
    WANT A TALENT AGENT TO GROW YOUR CAREER?

    Knowing how to create a great acting resume is important, but it's just one small part of growing your acting career.

    If you want to act full-time, your first major goal should be to get a legitimate, hardworking talent agent.

    I highly recommend checking out this short podcast episode, where I share:

    • The exact steps to getting a great, hardworking, and legitimate talent agent.
    • How to shortcut the process significantly, especially for new actors.
    • Tips to avoid scammers in the industry (there are a lot of them!)