Most don't think before taking credit for being resilient, skilled, learned, or gracious. In fact, many words and ideas have lost power or meaning in today's currency because they are frequently overused, used incorrectly, and applied without understanding. I myself have been guilty of committing this cardinal sin.
Here is my 'Acting Resume'
Theresa Giovanna
Height: 5’7” 1 Welcome Home Lane
Weight: 122 lbs New York, NY 10101
Hair: Dark Brown Google Text Number: (123) 456-7891
Eyes: Black E: Hiremorewomen@yes.today
Film
Paradise City Featured Extra LPZ Media
Training
Acting Essentials Cecilia Rubino The New School, Eugene Lang
Skills Profile
Career Model: Hair/Fashion/Glamour/Presenter/Host/Experimental
Marine veteran (weapons handling: M16, M4, bayonet; familiarity with USMC culture),
Marathon runner (active marathon runner: comfortable with strenuous, competitive athletic activity)
Dancer (Salsa on 2/Mambo, Bachata, and Kizomba)
Hobby Aerialist (pole, hoop, silks)
Career Lawyer (prepared actors for and performed in mock trials, familiar with legal verbiage, familiar and comfortable with legal drama)
Writing: Creative/Non-Fiction
Voice: Feminine/Flirty/Girlish/Relatable/Personable/Breathy/Upbeat/Youthful
Voice Range: Elegant/Bossy/
Accent/Dialect: Light Caribbean/Latin American
Ethnic Range: African American, Hispanic, Brazilian, Caribbean, Mixed or Multi-Race
Education
New York Law School, New York, NY
Juris Doctor
The New School, New York, NY
Bachelor of Liberal Arts
Even with a note that the full resume will be provided upon request (of course this version was created specifically for the Career Challenge), and without my modeling credits (which is what gave me the umph to declare myself an 'actress'), I can tell you that I have not 'acted' in any production for which my name, acting resume, photos and reel now sits awaiting review from casting directors.
Why did I do it? Why did I sign up or submit for testing and review for a genre in a professional area where I have limited skill (and where I am not currently enrolled as a student)? Is my submission harmful to true actresses trying for the role of a lifetime?
Great minds can differ. What I can offer is this:
I am an ally to good humans everywhere.
I work hard to learn new skills.
I study to show myself approved.
I rehearse, and represent Black women - all women - well when I am called in to auditions.
I accept and receive criticism and praise from casting directors the same as any other human in the acting world, and I am committed to principles of fairness, equity, and sportmanship in all that I do.
No, I don't presently have the 'acting' experience of someone to my left or right, nor have I dishonestly loaded my resume with modeling credentials and credits to somehow make my way in front of talent scouts.
For now, I don't think I'm hurting anyone. Also, I remain committed to learning this new skill for which my resume shows I am clearly a novice.
My credentials and skills are still loading. (And yes, I'll let you know how it goes.) Still, I don't believe anyone with an earnest desire or passion to learn should be disuaded from trying new fields - if they are indeed committed to learn that skill. So, for now, as long as the casting directors are calling, I will keep showing up.
Theresa Giovanna: In character, remote auditions.
Hair: by me
Body paint: by me
Images Credit: Theresa Giovanna