By Patti Cohenour

It was the late seventies and I was living in Los Angeles, working as a backup singer for Perry Como. It had been a great job, but I made the difficult decision to not go out on tour again and file for unemployment! I wanted to study acting, knowing that it essentially supported all the other elements of performance. I was keenly aware that I would not always be able to sing and dance, but that acting would always challenge and sustain me in the long run. I took classes, auditioned and landed a few parts in different theater productions, really struggling to stay afloat! One day I received a call from a director asking me to audition for a production of FIDDLER, being done at a local Equity Dinner Theater. He cast me in the role of "Chava", and the Theater Manager called to offer me an "apprenticeship" at a salary of $99 a week! I knew I would have to negotiate a better contract than that, because at the time I was making $104 a week on unemployment! Terrified, I called back with my counter offer. I would accept the apprenticeship, but at the same salary I was getting on unemployment and I must be guaranteed an Equity Card at the end of the eight-week run. He agreed. I was THRILLED and to this day continue to be challenged, honored and very fortunate to be a working actor!