Shyness and stage fright has no place among an actor’s skill set. It presents developmental challenges for aspiring actors. How they learn and how much they learn is limited by their lack of confidence in their abilities and willingness to participate and interact with others.
We’ve often heard actors say they’ve paid their dues, all the while not having a full understanding of what they really mean. While they make acting look effortless, they make it sound like the journey to success is paved with tireless work, endless disappointment, and very little fun. The truth is, play is a huge part of an actor’s preparation. It may not be all fun and games, but a major part of their training surrounds learning through play.
There are often many paths to accomplish the same goal. For actors, it is no different. Some accomplish in an instant what others go through years of formal education (high school drama, colleges, etc.) to achieve. Others are trained from their earliest years to develop the required skills needed to be a prominent actor.
While there is no standard way to write an acting resume, here is one that covers all the bases. The first part, at the very top of the page, should be your professional name in a larger font than the rest. It can be in bold type, underlined and italicized. Under that you should put your union affiliations. Next should be your contact phone number. It’s OK to have multiple numbers. An e-mail address or your URL has quickly become customary in the next part of the resume.