How to Create Your Acting and Dance Resume

Acting and Dance Resume

Creating your acting and dance resume, organizing your credits, and putting them in the proper format can be a daunting task for new talent entering the entertainment industry.  Your headshot and performing arts resume are important marketing tools and often the first thing agents and casting associates look at, so you want these two tools to look polished and professional. Your acting and dance resume and headshot should be 8 x 10. Use plain white paper and a clean, legible font. Below is a standard layout to help get you started.

Top Portion

Line 1: Your name should be on top in bold letters.

Line 2: Under your name, place your Union affiliations (AEA, SAG-AFTRA)

Line 3: Your Agency’s or Management’s Logo

• If you do not have representation, place your contact information (cell phone, email, website)

Line 4: Optional: Personal Statistics (Height, Weight, Hair color, Eye color)

Line 6: Optional: Vocal Range (If you are a singer)

Credits

• Organize your credits into separate categories: Film, Television, Commercials, and Theatre.
• List your credits in each category in chronological order with your most recent credit first. Alternatively, you could list your most impressive credits first.
• Divide each credit into 3 columns:

1. Name of project
2. Role
3. Director/Production Company for film and television or name of theatre for theatrical credits

Line 7: Film Credits

List the name of the film, the role you played (Principal, Supporting, Lead), Director of the project and/or Production company

Example:

FILM

 Dreamland      Lead      Dir. Joe Smith/ Lion Films

Line 8: Television Credits

Format is the same as film credits. Role categories (Co-star, Guest Star, Recurring Co-star, Series Regular)

Example:

TELEVISION

Boston Medical      Co-star      Dir. John Jones/NBC

 Line 9: Commercial Credits

If you have many commercial credits, write “List available upon request”

Line 10: Theatre Credits

List the name of the play, the role you played, and the theatre

Example:

THEATRE

Burn This      Anna      Hartford Theatre       

Bottom Portion

Line 11: Training

List the school you attended or teacher you trained with in the first column, the type of class in the second column, and the degree or type of class in the third column.

TRAINING

Example: Acting Academy       Method Acting       Scene Study       

Example: Milton College                                               BFA                       

Example: Mary Sue                     Dance                       Ballet, Jazz         

 Line 12: Special Skills

List any special skills or certifications you have. You may also list foreign accents here or create a separate category.

I hope this helps!

Sample Resume

                                             ACTRESS NAME

Artist Agency Logo              SAG-AFTRA

       Phone: (333) 246-9642   Email: actressname@gmail.com

                                 Website: actressname.com

_____________________________________________________________________                  FILM

Dreamland                                 Lead                              Dir. Joe Smith/ Lion Films

TELEVISION

Boston Medical                         Co-star                          Dir. John Jones/NBC

THEATRE

Burn This                                    Anna                              Hartford Theatre       

 TRAINING

Acting Academy New York                                           Bachelor of Arts 

Andrew John                    Method Acting                    Scene Study 

Broadway Dance             Dance                                     Ballet, Jazz                        

SPECIAL SKILLS

Yoga, scuba diving

ACCENTS

British, French