How I Got My Equity Card

I was a week away from graduating a semester early from my undergrad BFA program. I had just lost out on a Broadway show I had been workshopping for years; when they decided to move forward, they decided not to bring me along. I was crushed, heartbroken, confused and scared of the impending ‘real world.’ Then I got a call from Robin Carus at TheaterWorks/USA. They needed an immediate replacement for an upcoming six-month tour. I went in for the call a day or two later. After my audition, I was asked to wait in the hall. It was late in the evening. I remember that because my parents were getting ready for bed when I called to tell them I booked and got my Equity Card. The tour? It was The Mystery of King Tut. I played King Tut. I’m coming up on my 15th year as a member of Actors’ Equity. My, how things have changed.

I was excited and thrilled to know that during the last two weeks of the contract I would become an official member of Actors’ Equity. I just had seven or so weeks to go.

Something happened the last day of our run-through at New 42 Studios that changed the timeline.

Every young actor dreams of becoming a “legitimately” recognized working professional. I was no exception.

Getting your Equity card is a rite of passage and a game-changing moment.  I always tell younger artists that getting your Equity card does not make you more talented, but it does put you in the category of professional theatre actor, which was my goal.

I moved to New York when I was fifteen, which was in 1847. It was really 1968, but I’m a comedian now and I exaggerate for comedic effect. All I’d ever wanted to be was a dancer on Broadway. I had attended my first dance class when I was four and had immediately become addicted. When I got to New York, I took ballet, jazz, tap, acrobatics and jujitsu. Sorry about that last item; I became a comedian again for a moment.

On April 23, 1993, Frank Rich’s rave review for The Who’s Tommy appeared on the cover of the Weekend section of The New York Times, and I was mesmerized: Joan Marcus’ iconic photo, the brilliant scenery by John Arnone and the actors. Oh, the faces on those actors. I knew, somehow, some way, I had to be a part of that.

I arrived at the Equity building sometime between 5 and 6am and was the fourth non-union actor in line. It turned out to be a popular audition, so we waited patiently all day as Equity members strolled by us in the hallway and flashed their union card to enter the members-only lounge. They were the cool kids while we had to take turns going to McDonald’s for bathroom breaks and food. Maybe I was a little jealous.

I earned my Equity card in 1990 with Steppenwolf Theatre’s production of Love Letters. When I came to Steppenwolf, the company was in a period of transition, working towards moving into their new home, as well as expanding the size of their production schedule. I was in the right place at the right time.

During my time at The Juilliard School, I had the great fortune of taking a cold reading class with Rosemarie Tischler, who was at the time the Head of Casting and an Associate Artistic Director at the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival. The culmination of that class was getting to formally audition in front of Rosemarie and the staff at the Public on the Newman Stage, so as to keep us in mind for their summer Shakespeare in the Park seasons.

It took me nine years and four states to get my Equity Card!