Theater Resume Examples to Help You Succeed This Year

Header

An acting resume needs to start with providing contact information, such as a phone number, email, professional social media links, like your LinkedIn profile, and job title (e.g., “John Smith, Actor”). Check to see whether you should include a headshot as well. Some organizations may require one, while some would prefer not to have a headshot until they ask you for an interview.

Resume summary/objective

At the top of your resume is a resume summary or resume objective that should take a few sentences to highlight the most qualifications in your resume. The main difference between the two is in the content. A resume summary will show off any notable acting credits or experiences that you’re especially proud of, while a resume objective will instead state the special skills and education you have, then indicate your career goals.

Skills

You should have both hard skills, which are technical skills that you have been trained up in, and soft skills, which are more interpersonal and generally applicable to most any job, in your resume. Here are a few key skills you might want to include in your skills section:

• Improv skills
• Dancing skills
• Stage combat
• Public speaking
• Time management skills
• Communication skills
• Teamwork

Remember to look through the job description to see what kinds of skills you should include when writing the perfect resume. Any skills mentioned in the job description should be on your resume, if possible.

Work experience

Your work experience section should be in a reverse-chronological format, with your current or most recent job first. If you’re applying for an acting job, you can include specific professional roles you’ve had in a separate “Credits” section. Remember to also include the director’s name and potentially a bit of information about the production.

Education

While some positions, especially internship positions, may allow you to apply directly out of high school, it’s most common for theater companies to want you to have a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in acting. Fill out your education section with any education experience or specialized coursework you have in these areas.

Certifications

If you have any certifications, you can include them here. Membership in the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) is especially important to include for screen acting.

Optional sections

You may also want to include a short profile section indicating important characteristics like your hair color, eye color, and vocal range, as these are sometimes important for a theater job.