An artist CV, also called an artistic resume, presents your body of work: roles, concerts, exhibitions, recordings, awards and collaborations. It is prepared by actors, musicians, dancers, singers, visual artists and photographers who apply for castings, auditions, theaters, galleries, festivals and grant programs.
Below you will find a full sample CV for an actress, sections for other art forms and tips on how to lay out your credits so they are easy to read.
Stage and screen actress, a graduate of a drama school, for 6 years a member of a drama theater company. I play dramatic and comedic roles, sing (mezzo-soprano) and work with stage movement. I am looking for film and TV roles and collaboration on independent projects.
Work experience
Theater: company actress
09.2019 – present
Drama theater, Krakow
Nina in Chekhov's "The Seagull", dir. Anna Kowal, 2024.
Viola in Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night", dir. Piotr Nowak, 2022.
Lead role in a musical for children, more than 80 performances, 2020–2023.
Staged readings of new plays at a theater festival.
Film and television
2019 – 2025
Feature films and TV series
Supporting role in a feature film, 2023.
Guest roles in three TV series, 2021–2025.
Lead role in a student short film, audience award at a short film festival, 2019.
Dubbing and recordings
2021 – present
Dubbing studios, Warsaw, Krakow
Dubbing characters in animated films and games.
Recording audiobooks for children.
Education
Master of Arts, Faculty of Acting
2014 – 2019
AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow
Graduation performance: Laura in Tennessee Williams's "The Glass Menagerie".
Skills
Singing: mezzo-soprano, musical theater and actor's song
Contemporary and ballroom dance
Stage combat
Diction, microphone technique, dubbing
Improvisation
Acting on camera
Awards and workshops
Acting distinction at a festival of drama schools, 2019
Audience award for a role in a short film, 2019
On-camera acting workshop, 2022
Languages
English: C1 (able to act in English)
Russian: B1
Additional information
Height 168 cm, dark blonde hair, green eyes
Category B driving licence, horse riding
I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).
How to write an artist CV
Professional summary
Start with who you are as an artist: your field, specialty and greatest strength. An actor writes about the kind of roles and extra skills, a musician about the instrument and repertoire, a visual artist about the medium and themes. Two or three sentences are enough: your credits will say the rest.
Pianist and chamber musician, a graduate of a music academy. I perform in Poland and abroad, specialize in Romantic and contemporary music and accompany singers. I also teach children at a music school.
Experience: duties and achievements
In an artist CV, experience is grouped by type of work, with the most recent first in each group. For each item give the title, the role or repertoire, the institution or venue, the year and the name of the director, conductor or curator if that matters in your field.
Weaker: Acting in a theater.
Better: Nina in Chekhov's "The Seagull", dir. Anna Kowal, drama theater in Krakow, 2024.
Weaker: Taking part in exhibitions.
Better: Solo painting exhibition at the city gallery, 2023: 24 works from a series about the urban landscape.
Weaker: Concerts.
Better: Piano recital of Chopin and Szymanowski at a chamber music festival, 2024.
Skills worth listing
Extra skills often decide a casting or an engagement: singing, dancing, instruments, sports, languages, a driving licence. List only the ones you will really show at an audition.
Visual artist: techniques and media, printmaking, digital tools
Foreign languages at a level that lets you act or sing in them
Sports skills and a driving licence
Personal skills
Working in an artistic company
Openness to the director's or curator's direction
Resilience to criticism and stage fright
Consistency and work discipline
Running projects independently
Awards, grants and festivals
List awards, grants, residencies and festival appearances in a separate section with the year and the name of the event. If the list is long, choose the most important ones and those most relevant to where you are applying.
Artist CV for students and graduates
Early on, your body of work is mostly graduation shows and concerts, school projects, showcases, competitions, workshops with artists and first group exhibitions. Describe them as carefully as professional work.
Add the names of the teachers you worked with, if that matters in your field, and a link to your recordings or portfolio.
Tailoring your CV to the job offer
For a film casting, send a short version with your on-camera roles, a headshot and a showreel. For a theater, stage roles and directors matter most. For a gallery or grant program, your exhibition record and a description of your artistic practice. One body of work, several versions of the CV.
Which sections an artist CV has in different fields
There is no single required layout. Below are the sections that theaters, casting agencies, concert organizers and galleries expect most often.
Actor
Theater: roles, titles, directors, venues
Film and television: roles, productions, years
Dubbing, radio, recordings
Extra skills and casting details: height, hair and eye color
Showreel and headshots
Musician and singer
Concerts and recitals
Repertoire
Recordings and albums
Bands and orchestras you play in
Competitions and master classes
Dancer
Performances and choreographies
Dance techniques
Dance companies and theaters
Workshops and festivals
Video recordings of performances
Visual artist
Solo exhibitions
Group exhibitions
Works in collections
Residencies and grants
Publications and catalogs
Does an artist CV need a creative design?
No. A theater or a casting agency mainly wants to read your credits quickly, so a simple, clear layout works better than flashy graphics. The exception is professions where the CV is a sample of your skills, for example a graphic designer or an illustrator: then the style of the document can show your craft, as long as it does not make it harder to read.
The most common mistakes on an artist CV
Credits mixed together with no grouping by type and no years.
No link to a showreel, recordings or a portfolio.
Listing skills you will not show at an audition.
One version of the CV sent everywhere, not tailored to the casting, theater or gallery.
An outdated headshot on an actor's CV.
Questions and answers
How is an artist CV different from a regular CV?
Instead of an employment history, it shows your body of work: roles, concerts, exhibitions, recordings and awards, grouped by type and year. It often includes a link to a showreel or portfolio, and for actors also casting details.
Is an artistic biography the same as an artist CV?
Usually yes. Sometimes an artistic biography also means a short text about the artist, for example for a concert program or an exhibition catalog. It is worth having both versions.
How long should an actor's CV be?
For a casting, one page with your most important roles and a link to your showreel. You can keep your full credits in a longer version or on a website.
Should an artist CV include a photo?
For actors, dancers and singers a headshot is standard. A visual artist can include a link to a portfolio of work instead of a photo.
Create an artist CV in the builder
In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.