Theater Resume: Format, Examples & Free Template (Acting and Tech)

Quick answer: A theater resume is a one-page, 8x10-inch document that lists your performance credits, training, and special skills instead of a traditional work history. Put your name, contact info (or agent), union status, and optional details like height and vocal range at the top. List credits in three columns: show title | role | theater or director, with your most impressive credits first. Then add training (schools, teachers, workshops), special skills (accents, instruments, dance styles, stage combat), and awards. Trim it to 8x10 and staple it to the back of your headshot, facing out.

Theater people know that the audition starts before you open your mouth. The casting team has already glanced at your headshot and resume, and in those few seconds they've decided whether you look prepared, professional, and like someone who won't faint during tech week.

The good news: theater resumes follow a standard format, so you don't need to reinvent anything. The bad news: that format is very different from a regular resume, so the "objective statement" and "proficient in Microsoft Excel" can stay in the wings.

This guide covers the standard theater resume format, how to list credits and training, what goes in special skills, and examples for beginners, musical theater performers, and technical theater crew.

---

What Is a Theater Resume?

A theater resume (also called an acting resume) is a one-page summary of your stage experience, training, and performance skills. It's used for auditions, casting submissions, theater school applications, and agent meetings.

Unlike a standard job resume, it doesn't include:

• A career objective or summary paragraph
• Non-theater jobs (no one needs to know you were a barista, even a great one)
• Long bullet points describing duties
• References

It's built to be scanned in seconds, usually while you're standing in the room.

---

Theater Resume Format

• Length: one page, always
• Size: 8x10 inches to match your headshot. Print on 8.5x11 and trim it down, or print with margins that fit after trimming
• Attachment: staple it to the back of your headshot, facing out, at all four corners (or two at the top). Some actors print the resume directly on the back of the headshot
• Font: a clean, readable font like Arial, Helvetica, Garamond, or Times New Roman, 10–12 pt for body text and larger for your name. See resume font size
• Color: black text on white. Save the drama for the stage
• File: PDF for online submissions, named clearly (for example, Jane-Doe-Theater-Resume.pdf). See how to name a resume file

---

What to Include on a Theater Resume

1. Header

• Your name in large, bold type (your professional or stage name)
• Union status: AEA (Actors' Equity), SAG-AFTRA, or simply leave it off if you're non-union
• Contact info: phone, email, and website. If you have an agent or manager, list their contact info and logo instead of your own phone number
• Optional physical details: height, hair color, and eye color. Weight is increasingly left off, and that's fine
• Vocal range or voice type (for musical theater): for example, Soprano, belt to E5 or Baritenor, G2–A4

Don't include your home address, age, or date of birth. Casting directors care about the range you can play, not the year you were born. (See should you put your address on a resume.)

2. Theater credits

This is the main event. Use the industry-standard three-column layout:

Group credits by category if you have enough of them:

• Broadway
• Off-Broadway
• National Tour
• Regional Theater
• Educational or University Theater
• Community Theater
• Film and Television (as a separate section if you have screen credits)

Within each category, list your most impressive credits first, not strictly by date. Lead roles, well-known theaters, and recognizable directors go to the top.

Credit tips:

• Use the character's name ("Elphaba"), not a description ("lead role")
• List ensemble roles as "Ensemble." Understudies are written as "Elle Woods (u/s)" or "Ensemble, u/s Elle Woods"
• Include the director's name if they're well known
• Don't list rehearsal dates or how many performances there were

3. Training and education

List schools, conservatories, studios, workshops, and private teachers:

Name-drop well-known teachers and programs. In theater, who trained you matters as much as where.

4. Special skills

Short, specific, and true. Common theater special skills:

• Accents and dialects: Standard British (RP), Cockney, Southern American, New York, Irish
• Languages: conversational Spanish, fluent French (see how to list languages on a resume)
• Music: piano (reads music), guitar, ukulele, sight-reading
• Dance: ballet, jazz, tap, hip-hop, ballroom, partnering
• Movement: stage combat (SAFD certified), stilts, juggling, acrobatics, aerial silks
• Other: puppetry, improv, valid driver's license, quick dialect pickup

Never list a skill you can't do on the spot. If you write "can juggle," someone in the room will hand you three objects and wait.

5. Awards (optional)

Regional theater awards, festival awards, or scholarships. See awards on a resume.

---

Theater Resume Examples

Beginner theater resume (high school or college)

New to resumes in general? See our teenager resume examples and extracurricular activities on a resume.

Musical theater resume

Technical theater resume

Technical theater resumes (for stage managers, lighting, sound, set, and costume designers, and crew) look more like a standard resume, but they still list productions. Use: show | position | theater | director or designer.

---

Free Theater Resume Template

---

How to Make a Theater Resume With No Experience

Everyone starts somewhere, and casting directors know it. If you're light on credits:

• Count everything real: school plays, community theater, staged readings, student films, showcases, and summer camps
• Lean on training: classes, workshops, and private lessons show commitment
• Expand special skills: your ability to tap dance, speak Spanish, or play the ukulele could be the reason you get cast
• Include directing or crew work under a separate "Production Experience" heading if it's theater-related
• Never invent credits. The theater world is small, and the director you "worked with" may be sitting behind the table

---

Theater Resume Tips

• Tailor it. For a musical audition, put musical credits and vocal training first. For a Shakespeare company, move classical roles up
• Keep it current. Update it after every show, and drop your Tree #3 credit once you have better ones
• Match your headshot. Your current look should match both. If you've dyed your hair, update the resume
• Proofread show titles and character names. Misspelling "Sondheim" in a musical theater audition is a bold choice
• Bring extra copies. Always carry spare headshots and resumes to auditions

---

Frequently Asked Questions

What should be on a theater resume?

Your name, contact information or agent, union status, physical details (optional), vocal range for musicals, performance credits in a three-column format (show, role, theater/director), training, special skills, and any awards.

How long should a theater resume be?

One page, sized at 8x10 inches to fit on the back of your headshot.

How do I list credits on a theater resume?

Use three columns: show title, role, and theater or director. Group credits by category (Broadway, regional, educational, community) and list the most impressive ones first within each group.

Should I include a headshot on my theater resume?

Usually the headshot is separate, with the resume attached to the back. For online submissions, some actors include a small headshot in the resume header or upload both files.

Should I put my age on a theater resume?

No. List the age range you can play only if asked. Casting directors judge age range by your look and performance, not your birth year.

What's the difference between an acting resume and a technical theater resume?

An acting resume lists roles, training, and performance skills. A technical theater resume lists production positions (stage manager, lighting designer, crew), technical software and equipment skills, and often includes a portfolio link.

---

Build Your Next Resume

Applying for a day job between gigs, or moving into arts administration? Our Resume Builder helps you turn your theater experience into a clean, professional resume that shows off your teamwork, deadlines, and grace under pressure, no spotlight required.