Resume for MT admissions -- advice needed

<p>Need some advice about the “professional” resume that Michigan is asking students to submit as part of their application. It says that kids should list all roles they have had and the production company for which they have performed, both musical and straight theater, and other related theater activities, including school and community. </p>

<p>Here’s the question: my D was taught that when creating a “professional” resume, plays/musicals should be ordered by the importance of the role and production, which could mean bopping back and forth through time. But as this is a resume to show a college what they have done, should kids start with their most recent role and move backwards through time? That makes the most sense to me. (Also, should this resume list the kid’s height, weight, eye color, etc., in the same way most professional actors do on their resumes?)</p>

<p>Any help or advice you could give my D would be greatly appreciated. She is making good headway with the repetoire list, but isn’t sure what to do in this case.</p>

<p>I don't know if this will help, but my son auditoned and was accepted twice to the summer Mpulse program. Brent Wagner was the one he auditioned for. On his resume he included all the roles he performed listed by dates within the venue. For example: all High School productions were listed together by date, all community productions together by date, etc. He did not include the height and weight because he submitted a picture. I don't know if that helps with the college applications, but that is what he did for their summer program.</p>

<p>My son did the same thing (listed roles by date within the venue, with the more impressive venues listed first) and he is attending U of M as a freshman MT, so I guess that method was OK. I don't think that it really matters, as long as it is clear.</p>

<p>I think that you list them chronologically by date. My understanding of professional resumes is that you do list them in chronological order, not by level of venue, but wonder what others think about that. I also think it's best to group theater listings by Professional (Broadway) or Regional Theater, followed by Community Theater, which include high school productions.</p>

<p>My D kept the features of Ht,Wt, hair & eyecolor, and voice range that have always been noted on her resume.</p>

<p>My D received very good feedback on her resume from U Mich, (waitlisted) and CCM, where she was accepted.</p>

<p>With a professional resume (at least once you are out of school) you list your most impressive credits first. You do not put dates of productions.... nor are you required to put school graduation dates.</p>

<p>It is illegal for potential employers to require you to share your age... nor are you required to reveal any information that could give it away.</p>

<p>I really didn't see this as a professional resume since they were asking for activities also. My d list activities using the headings they requested "School" "Comminity", etc. On a separate page she listed roles in chronological order starting with the most recent. Training was listed by type, "Voice", "Acting", "Dance" and finally musical instruments.</p>

<p>My D did hers the way chelle described. She used her best friend and mentor's resume as a guide, done the same way.. this girl is now a senior MT at UM, although she is in the national tour of HSM as dance captain and lead swing right now.. My D's resume ended up being 7 pages by the time she added her repertoire to the resume. The resume followed the directions in the UM School of Music brochure with headings for each category. She then tweaked this one and sent it to all of her other schools whether they requested one or not. She also attached a one page professional resume to the back of each head shot so the auditioners would have a quick overview the day she auditioned. Also, she had both color and B&W headshots with her bc she was not sure which one she would go with until the actual audition, sometimes asking current studeets she knew at the various schools that day. She got positive feedback about this process from all of her schools.</p>

<p>So if the theatrical resume is 2 pages, would you not attach it to the headshot? Or staple it? or clip? or not?</p>

<p>Most of the advice we got from coaches, professionals in the field, and current MT students was to have the theatrical resume be one page, attached to the back of the headshot.</p>

<p>If you do the UMich application online you submit your resume and repertoire lists as attachments, so no stapling involved....! And they want everything listed on that long resume - community service, awards, training, etc., in addition to roles you've had - so it will likely be two pages. If you put a resume on the back of your headshot it would need to be more abbreviated. My daughter brought both her one and two-page resumes to auditions (not attached to headshots) - and then asked which they preferred if they asked for one. This college process is, of course, different than a theatre audition where you are usually required to attach your one-page resume to your headshot. Good luck!</p>

<p>What have people been doing about this requirement more recently?</p>