[Missnewbooty]

What kind of stuff do ya'll list as special skills?

[MaryMag]

i've heard 2 school of thought on this: some people want basic things, take mine for example:
flute, piano, guitar, Spanish, skateboarding, rollerblading, rollerskating, cheerleading stunts and tosses, fire eating
yet some directors, upon hearing of something i can do, are like 'that's something you should put on your special skills!' And i'm like, 'really? cuz it seems kinda random...' here are things that directors have told me i should've included in my special skills (cuz they were useful for a particular role i was auditioning for)
have done special research on mental illnesses, have written a thesis on British punk 1977-1979, worked in a salon for 4 years, knowledge of Catholocism.

Now those are some pretty random skills. I don't think they're necessary on the average resume. But when I audition for a whole mess of shows, (say, at my old university, where they auditioned the whole year of obscure or original straight shows at once), should I list the random things, just in case? I don't really know. Feel free to weigh in on this, but I usually just stick with the basics like languages, instruments played, tumbling, etc.

[mtgirl118]

My special skills are....

"Accents - English, Cockney
Sports - Swimming, Soccer
Experience with the handicapped."

Ellen Marie

[jazzygirlsings]

Honestly, I feel that the "special skills" area of your resume should be a good place for a conversation-starter or an indication of your personality.

One of my friends put down "makes a mean cup of coffee" and he's gotten a chance to talk about it (especially with tired CD's!) in a lot of auditions! LOL!

Many times, if you can do something like "belch on cue", they will ask you to do it for fun! It breaks up the monotony of their day!

Also, if you have a valid passport or (in some cases) a driver's license, that can actually be put under your special skills. A valid passport means that you can readily leave the country to do an international tour, etc. and sometimes (for children's show tours especially) you get paid MORE if you can drive!

Also, listing that you can do character voices and dialects is helpful. Listing your instrumental endeavors also helps...As well as if you do gymnastics...

On my own, I have:

French horn and Trumpet (score to Chicago at _____); Various Tricks with Rifles, Umbrellas, and Flags; [<--That one usually sparks some conversation!] Character Voices/Dialects; Excellent Sense of Pitch; Strong Sight-reading Skills; Basic Gymnastics

You would be surprised how at many people pursuing musical theatre there are that CAN'T READ MUSIC!!!!!

[broadway_baby416]

My advice is generally (not in ALL cases) to put stuff you feel really comfortable doing. For example, my big strength is accents. I pick them up really quickly. So I have my accents listed FIRST in my "special skills" section. Then the more random ones go at the bottom. You don't want to put too many under "special skills," though, because then it loses meaning and it looks as though you're just trying to list every single thing you can do.

[jazzygirlsings]

^But there are quite a few things that can help to cast you...like instruments you play, gymnastics, belching on cue, stupid human tricks, knowledge of certain dialects/character voices/etc...

[broadway_baby416]

Jazzy, I would put important things like that near the top...if you have a big long list of special skills, they're not going to look through it for the one thing they need.

[jazzygirlsings]

Honestly, to weigh your options or to edit your resume as you see fit for an audition isn't necessarily a bad idea...I agree that it really shouldn't be one long list.

But if you know the script calls for a drunk guy and you can belch on cue, I would be sure to put that into your special skills...It may not have to be on your resume for EVERY audition...Use your judgment.

[shadowdancer]