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Some would argue that an resume for an actor is even more important than his or her headshot. The purpose of this article is to quickly review the central purpose of an acting resume and also what to think about when you are putting one together.

What to put in an acting resume: An actors resume should take up precisely one side of one page, and you will typically have it stapled to the back of your head shot. This single page should represent you as an artist, as an entertainer, as an employee, and as a colleague. In order to do that, you will have to do a little thinking about what the auditioners seem to be looking for. 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. Since you’re a professional actor, this will come pretty naturally to you.

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; just list the parts of your acting career in an order which suits the demands of the part. This will hardly take you any time at all to do before each show. The fifteen minutes that you spend for each audition could very well spell the difference between getting a part or not getting it.