Resume guide · Updated October 2026
Theatre Resume Example and Format Guide
Short answer
A theatre resume is a one-page list of credits, not a job history. Put your name, contact or agent and union status at the top, then credits in three columns (show, role or position, theatre or director), followed by training, education and special skills. Actors trim it to fit an 8x10 headshot; technicians and stage managers add tools and certifications.
Theatre resume example
Below is a full theatre resume for Nora Whitfield, a fictional production Stage Manager, Musicals and New Plays in Providence, RI. Keep the section order, then replace each line with your own work and results.
Nora Whitfield
Production Stage Manager, Musicals and New Plays
Providence, RI · nora.whitfield@example.com · (555) 016-8823 · linkedin.com/in/norawhitfield
Summary
Stage manager with 7 years and 30+ productions in regional, summer stock and university theatre, including 9 musicals. Calls shows of up to 400 cues, runs rehearsal rooms for casts of 25 and writes daily reports for directors, designers and production managers. Member of Actors' Equity Association.
Experience
Production Stage Manager, Harborlight Repertory Theatre
2023 to present (season contracts)
Providence, RI
- Stage-managed 6 mainstage productions over three seasons, including a 22-person musical with a 9-piece band and 410 light, sound and fly cues.
- Run 4-week rehearsal processes, keep the prompt book and blocking notation, and send rehearsal and performance reports within an hour of each call.
- Coordinate tech schedules with 5 designers and the technical director; every production opened on its scheduled first preview.
- Supervise 2 assistant stage managers and a 12-person run crew across 160 performances, including 3 understudy put-in rehearsals.
Assistant Stage Manager, Pine Hollow Summer Playhouse
Summers 2021 and 2022
Bar Harbor, ME
- Worked 8 productions across two 10-week summer seasons, rehearsing one show by day while running another at night.
- Tracked props and scene shifts for a 14-scene musical and wrote shift plots for 8 crew members.
- Kept the backstage first aid kit and incident log and ran fight call with the fight captain before each performance.
Stage Manager and Scene Shop Carpenter, Riverbend University Department of Theatre
2018 to 2021
Worcester, MA
- Stage-managed 5 student productions and assistant stage-managed 3, from a 40-seat black box to a 600-seat proscenium musical.
- Programmed QLab sound cues and ran the ETC Ion console for 2 studio productions.
- Built and painted scenery 10 hours a week as a work-study carpenter.
Selected production credits
- Guys and Dolls | Production Stage Manager | Harborlight Repertory Theatre
- A Doll's House | Production Stage Manager | Harborlight Repertory Theatre
- The Music Man | Assistant Stage Manager | Pine Hollow Summer Playhouse
- Our Town | Stage Manager | Riverbend University Department of Theatre
Education
BFA, Theatre Production and Stage Management, Riverbend University
2021
Certifications
Adult First Aid/CPR/AED (American Red Cross) · OSHA 10-Hour General Industry
Skills
Calling cues · Prompt book and blocking notation · Rehearsal and performance reports · Production scheduling · QLab · ETC Eos and Ion · Vectorworks (basic) · Clear-Com · Google Workspace · First aid
Theatre resume summary examples
4 theatre summaries, one each for stage manager, technical theatre, director and teaching artist and actor (non-audition applications). Pick the closest and rewrite it with your own title, years and one real result.
Stage manager with 5 years in regional and summer stock theatre, calling shows of up to 300 cues and running rehearsal rooms for casts of 20. Writes clear daily reports, keeps tech on schedule and works confidently with QLab, ETC Eos and Clear-Com. Open to touring contracts.
Technical theatre generalist with 6 years as master electrician and carpenter for a 450-seat regional house. Hangs and focuses rigs of 200 fixtures, programs ETC Eos, drafts in Vectorworks and leads load-ins and strikes with crews of 10. OSHA 10 card holder.
Director and teaching artist with 10 years staging new plays and youth productions. Directed 18 productions for regional and community companies, built a 120-student after-school theatre program and leads devising workshops in middle and high schools. MFA in Directing.
Actor and singer with 15 regional theatre credits and two national tour contracts. Trained in Meisner technique, stage combat and dialects, with experience as dance captain and understudy for three principal roles. Use this kind of summary for teaching or arts administration jobs, not audition resumes.
Theatre resume objective examples
Use an objective instead of a summary for student or recent graduate and career changer situations: one or two sentences on what you bring and the theatre job you want.
Recent BA theatre graduate seeking an apprentice or production assistant position at a regional theatre, bringing 12 university and community credits in stage management, carpentry and run crew.
High school English teacher with 8 years directing the school play and spring musical, seeking a company management or education director role at a nonprofit theatre.
Theatre resume bullet points
Bullets grouped by stage management, technical theatre and design, directing and education and production and company management. The numbers are illustrations; put in your own.
Stage management
- Called 380 light, sound, fly and automation cues nightly over a 12-week run.
- Maintained the prompt book, blocking script and contact sheet for a 24-person cast and 18 crew members.
- Sent rehearsal and performance reports after every call, routing notes to 6 departments.
- Ran put-in rehearsals for 4 understudies and 2 replacement cast members.
Technical theatre and design
- Hung, circuited and focused a 180-fixture rep plot for a 3-show rotating season.
- Built two 2-story platform units and a manual turntable from the technical director's drawings with a crew of 5.
- Programmed QLab and an ETC Eos console for 6 productions, including a 90-cue sound design.
- Drafted ground plans and sections in Vectorworks for a 220-seat thrust stage.
Directing and education
- Directed 4 plays and 2 musicals for a community theatre with production budgets from $8,000 to $35,000.
- Taught weekly acting and improv classes for 60 students aged 8 to 17 and staged two showcases a year.
- Assistant-directed a world premiere, tracking script changes across 6 drafts during rehearsal.
Production and company management
- Managed housing, travel and per diem for 30 visiting artists each season.
- Tracked a $60,000 production budget for scenery, costumes and props and closed the season under budget.
- Logged rehearsal hours and breaks under the Equity contract and sent weekly reports to the company manager.
Skills for a theatre resume
18 skills employers list in theatre postings. Include the ones the posting asks for and that your bullets prove.
| Type | Skills |
|---|---|
| Hard skills | Calling cues, Prompt book and blocking notation, Rehearsal and performance reports, Lighting hang and focus, Scenic carpentry, Rigging and fly systems, Sound playback and mixing, Costume construction and wardrobe, Props building, Stage combat, Dialects and accents, Sight-reading music |
| Soft skills | Calm under pressure, Clear communication on headset, Diplomacy with directors and designers, Time management, Collaboration, Stamina for long tech days |
| Tools and software | QLab, ETC Eos and Ion consoles, Vectorworks Spotlight, Lightwright, AutoCAD, Clear-Com, Propared, Google Workspace |
Certifications for a theatre resume
| Credential | Issued by | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| ETCP Certified Rigger or Certified Entertainment Electrician | Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP) | Advanced credentials for experienced riggers and electricians. Candidates qualify with documented work experience before sitting the exam. |
| OSHA 10-Hour or 30-Hour safety card | OSHA Outreach Training Program (authorized trainers) | Common for scene shop, touring and IATSE crew work. |
| Stage combat skills proficiency | Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD) | For actors. List the weapons you passed, such as unarmed, rapier and dagger or broadsword. |
| First aid, CPR and AED | American Red Cross or American Heart Association | Useful for stage managers, who often handle backstage injuries and incident reports. |
Sections of a theatre resume
A theatre resume is a list of credits, so it is built differently from a standard job resume. At the top go your name, your contact details or your agent's, and union status. Actors add stats under that line: height, hair color and eye color.
Credits come next, grouped by type and laid out in columns. Training follows (acting, voice, dance, stage combat, each with the teacher or school), then education and a short Special Skills section. Technicians and stage managers swap the stats for a tools list and add certifications and references.
- Header: name, phone, email, website or agent, union status
- Credits: show, role or position, theatre or company (director if notable)
- Training: discipline and teacher or program
- Education: degree, school and year
- Special skills: instruments, dialects, stage combat, dance styles, languages, tools
How do you format a theater resume template?
Set credits in three aligned columns: show title on the left, your role or position in the middle and the theatre, company or director on the right. Group credits under headings such as Theatre, Regional Theatre, Film and Television or Concerts, with your strongest or most recent work first in each group.
Use one clean font, bold your name and section headings and skip paragraphs. In Word or Google Docs, a three-column table with hidden borders keeps the columns aligned; export to PDF and check the alignment before you send it. For auditions, set the page to 8 by 10 inches so it fits the back of your headshot.
Building a theatre resume with no experience
Every theatre resume starts with school, community and camp productions. List them in the same three columns and be honest about the track: "Ensemble" or "Featured Dancer" is a real credit, while upgrading it to a lead is something a director can check with one phone call.
Fill the rest of the page with training and skills. Acting classes, private voice or dance lessons, summer intensives, workshops and staged readings all count. Crew work counts too, such as running props, operating a follow spot or building sets, especially if you want to work backstage.
How is a technical theatre or stage management resume different?
Production managers hire technicians and stage managers by show and by position. List each production with your exact title (master electrician, A2, deck chief, assistant stage manager), the company and the year, and add the director or designer when the name helps.
Unlike an acting resume, a tech or stage management resume can carry a few short bullets for your largest or most recent shows: cue counts, crew sizes, rep plots, budgets or touring details. Add a tools line (QLab, ETC Eos, Vectorworks, Lightwright, Clear-Com), safety credentials and two or three references from production managers or technical directors. Designers should include a portfolio link.
Keep a separate version for each specialty you pursue. A lighting resume should lead with electrics credits, and a stage management resume with calling and rehearsal credits.
How do union status and headshots work on an acting resume?
List union membership, such as Actors' Equity Association or SAG-AFTRA, just below your name. If you are not a member, leave the line off or write "Non-union." Equity membership comes through working under an Equity contract, the Open Access pathway for actors and stage managers with professional credits, or a sibling union such as SAG-AFTRA after at least a year of membership.
For in-person auditions, attach your resume to the back of an 8x10 headshot. Trim it to size and staple it at the corners so the two do not get separated, or print it directly on the back of the photo.
ATS keywords for a theatre resume
Terms that show up in theatre job postings. Mirror the exact wording of the posting you apply to, but only for work you have done.
- theatre
- theater
- stage manager
- assistant stage manager
- production stage manager
- technical director
- master electrician
- scenic carpenter
- lighting design
- sound design
- calling cues
- prompt book
- rehearsal reports
- load-in
- strike
- run crew
- QLab
- ETC Eos
- Vectorworks
- Actors' Equity
Mistakes to avoid on a theatre resume
- Inventing or inflating credits. Theatre is a small field and credits get checked. Do not upgrade an ensemble track to a lead or name a director you never worked with.
- Writing paragraphs. Casting directors and production managers scan columns. Save descriptions for unusual roles or for applications outside theatre.
- One resume for everything. An acting resume and a lighting resume serve different readers. Keep a version for each specialty and lead with the credits that match.
- The wrong size for auditions. A letter-size page stapled to an 8x10 headshot hangs over the edges. Trim it or set the document to 8 by 10 inches.
- Personal details that do not belong. Leave off your date of birth and do not print a photo on the resume itself; the headshot does that job.
Frequently asked questions
What should a theatre resume include?
Your name, contact or agent information and union status, then production credits in columns (show, role or position, company or director), training, education and special skills. Actors add height, hair and eye color; technicians and stage managers add tools, certifications and references.
How do you format a theater resume?
Use one page with clear section headings and credits in three aligned columns, grouped by type (theatre, film and television, concerts) with your strongest work first in each group. Use a plain font, bold your name and headings, and save a PDF.
How do you make a theatre resume with no experience?
List school, community and camp productions honestly, including ensemble roles and crew positions, then training such as classes, workshops and private voice or dance lessons. Special skills like an instrument, dialects or stage combat help fill the page.
How long should a theatre resume be?
One page. Actors trim it to fit the back of an 8x10 headshot; technical and stage management resumes can use a full letter-size page, adding a second page only for a long list of professional credits.
Should I put Equity or non-union on my theatre resume?
If you belong to Actors' Equity Association, SAG-AFTRA or another union, list it under your name. If you do not, write "Non-union" or leave the line off. Equity membership comes through an Equity contract, the Open Access pathway or a sibling union.
Do theatre resumes need references?
Acting resumes usually do not. Technical, stage management and production resumes often list two or three references, such as production managers, technical directors or directors you have worked with.
Is there a theatre resume template for Word?
Any template with a table for credit columns works, and you can build one in Word or Google Docs by inserting a three-column table and hiding the borders. Check that the columns stay aligned when you export to PDF.
Related guides
Sources, checked 27 October 2026
We opened every page below on that date. Pay, rules and requirements change, so check the source before you rely on a detail.
- New York Film Academy: Don't Dread It, Write It: A Guide To Acting Resumes (acting resume header, stats, three-column credits, training, special skills and headshot attachment)
- Actors' Equity Association: Join Equity (membership pathways for actors and stage managers)